Ilgar Agassiyev

I am an international development professional with 20 years of experience in issue-based advocacy, civic engagement, grants management, youth and women economic empowerment, refugee and IDP assistance, organization of training programs for personal development and career building, government-CSO engagement and local governance related programs. Within the 2011-2019, as a Chief of Party I was directly leading Women’s Participation Program (WPP) funded by US Government and aimed to implement advocacy campaigns for policy change related with the issues that affect the women in Azerbaijan (including improving women’s abilities to the development of small and digital entrepreneurship in the country, empowering more women to engage in the decision-making process, and strengthening the capacity of NGO’s and state organizations to address women’s issues). One of visible accomplishments was the success of 104 women trained by our program to serve in local municipal councils countrywide after they won municipality elections. The Government of Azerbaijan adopted about twenty recommendations submitted by WPP to be included in country’s strategic development program “Azerbaijan 2020”. I was cooperating closely with ASAN Service (State Agency for Public Services to Citizens under the President of the Republic Azerbaijan) Headquarters and their regional Centers, E-GOV Development Center and InnoLand Business İncubation and Development Center to organize employee effectiveness/personal development workshops for their young women employees for the purposes of ensuring their career breakthrough and economic empowerment. Also I was heading a big training program for youth and university students in the regions for strengthening their entrepreneurship and digital marketing skills. Between 2005 and 2011, I played a role in the success of the USAID-funded Civil Society Project in Azerbaijan implemented by Counterpart International, where I first served as the Grants Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, then the Deputy Chief of Party and finally Chief of Party for the program. I oversaw the program’s advocacy, civic engagement, local governance and training component, ensuring that local grantees received exceptional technical support in implementing local and national advocacy campaigns across Azerbaijan. In this capacity, I also served as the key liaison for senior governmental representatives and USAID. I also played a key role in providing technical assistance to the State Council on Support to NGOs under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NGO Council). I developed and designed the strategic framework of the cooperation with the NGO Council, overseeing trainings, conducting needs assessments and organizing joint events for the NGO Council. I also served as NGO Council’s expert in evaluating proposals related with capacity building of local NGOs and socio-economic development. In parallel with above-mentioned activities I also led and supervised Children's Education in IDP Communities Project (CEP) funded by the Bureau on Population, Migration and Refugees (BPRM), U.S. Department of State (October 2009- October 2010). We rehabilitated a dilapidated kindergarten for the largest settlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Fizuli District of Azerbaijan. In addition, we strengthened the capacity of IDP community-based organizations and municipalities in three villages of Fizuli to improve children's education. As a result, more than 30 teachers have been trained on a special early childhood development program which will help raise the quality of education in kindergartens of three villages. While being with ExxonMobil Corporation as a Government Affairs and Community Relations Officers, I was responsible for the company’s Contributions and Community Relations Grant programs (as a part of the Corporate Social Responsibility component) in Azerbaijan and for the supervision of 5 mln sponsorship budget which was mainly related of rehabilitation of schools, kindergartens in IDP and refugee settlements and printing of books for early childhood and youth development and small agricultural projects. I am also experienced in design of public opinion surveys, community infrastructure programs, engaging the private sector in community development, and working with IDP communities in Azerbaijan. I was also leading the activities of IOM Migration Resource Center in Azerbaijan related with researches on trafficking in women and children in Azerbaijan and organization on grants round for local NGOs. I had an experience of leading UNHCR funded project on social assistance to Chechen and Iraqi refugees. I was also an expert in conducting community dialogues and have assisted Counterpart programs in Afghanistan (Kabul) and Yemen (Sana’a). A citizen of Azerbaijan, I am fluent in English, Russian and Turkish. I understand Ukrainian language.