Workshop in Azerbaijan focuses on Trust Funds
NATO and the Azeri Ministry of Foreign Affairs conduct a workshop on Partnership for Peace (PfP) Trust Funds on 26 and 27 June in Baku. Over 50 representatives from NATO and partner countries as well as participants from other international organizations will discuss best practices for Trust Fund projects and review the Trust Fund policy.
The NATO Partnership for Peace Trust Fund mechanism was established in 2000. Trust Fund projects are funded entirely through voluntary contributions and provide practical support for defence reform. To date more than 40 million euros have been contributed to projects focusing primarily on destroying excess stockpiles of arms and munitions, building integrity in defence institutions, and retraining military personnel.
Projects are currently underway in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine. In December 2007, Jordan was the first country from NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue to be involved in a Trust Fund Project. Nine projects have been successfully completed to date and more than 4 million land mines and 8 700 tons of munitions safely destroyed.
The workshop is part of a two-week programme of events, including youth seminars and roundtable discussions which kicked off in Azerbaijan on 16 June. The aim is to raise public awareness of NATO and of Azerbaijan's relations with the Alliance.