Azerbaijani Students and Alumni International Forum
Encyclopedia
ASAIF— Public Union in Azerbaijani Republic.
s studying abroad. The organization carried different names since it was established. But in 2010, during the VIII summer forum conference of the organization the name was changed to ASAIF. The organization the aim of which has always been to bring Azerbaijani students studying abroad together decided to become official and have structures. On this purpose ASAIF held an establishment meeting in September 15, 2010. A variety of students from 15 different countries took part in the meeting. After confirming the structure of the organization during the meeting, ASAIF applied to the Ministry of Justice of the Azerbaijan Republic. The organization was registered as “Azerbaijani Students and Alumni International Forum” in September 24, 2010.
abroad. Today there are many young doctor
s, politician
s, economist
s, psychologist
s, lawyer
s, genetic
s, engineer
s, mathematician
s, biologist
s, journalist
s and many other professionals among the members of ASAIF. Some of these members have already completed their education at the leading universities of the world, but some are still studying. On every member’s mind besides getting good education, there is an aim of representing Azerbaijan, country’s development and prosperity. ASAIF activists are the young professionals who love Azerbaijan and who are ready to build its bright future with their own hands!
Orkhan Mustafayev – United Arab Emirates
Besides these, one of the main goals is defining the right strategy and coming up with an action plan, to develop the effectiveness of the events held abroad. First of all, unlike other related organizations, ASAIF will held its meetings and events not only in European countries, in contrast other continents and in different themes as well, based on the different interests of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani youth.
Organizing “Azerbaijani days” and “Stop Armenian aggression” events will continue being among the list of important events that ASAIF supports.
ASAIF was created by gathering Azerbaijani students, scientists and researchers who study or already graduated from the most leading universities of the world together. ASAIF believes that its activities will form conceptual approach system towards the problems and will create a society who is informed about Azerbaijan in a more correct way.
World is always witnessing new processes and in order to keep the track of the innovations it is important to implement new strategies. Since Azerbaijan gained independence careful approach system to the existing problems was used, because of the rules of the real situation. But, ASAIF believes that it is already time to switch to the active approach and management style, in which youth will also take an active part and which will cover the future as well. In its turn, ASAIF has also chosen couple priority themes and directions to divert the future events.
ASAIF believes that, besides Nagorno Karabakh problem as the main goal of lobbying activities, listing Azerbaijan’s culture, history, the role of the energy resources in Europe energy security, tourism potential will be very useful.
During the common success of the activities and early implementation period of the projects using internet resources, access to foreign media centers, building and developing important individual relations are important. ASAIF believes that, institutes that Azerbaijani students study today will play very important role in delivering Azerbaijani truth to the individuals. Therefore participating in conference and seminars to develop common values is crucial.
ASAIF has accepted representing Azerbaijan as the top goal of the organization and will use any means to create a positive image about Azerbaijan
. Azerbaijani youth and networking will definitely play an important and irreplaceable role in this precious mission.
army marched into Azerbaijan, with the spread of Islam
, Persian education and culture also got developed in the area. Besides this, tens of Azerbaijani people moved to the Near and Middle East
cities to study. All these were the beginning of the Diaspora processes. Since then ethnic Azerbaijanis have been living in different parts of the world. After Azerbaijan got independence in 1991 many projects have been implemented to strengthen the government, to represent the country among other states. These activities are getting developed more and more every year.
Today Azerbaijani youth are able to study at the most leading universities of the world, both with individual funding as well as with the government scholarships. Since those students are the representatives of Azerbaijan only for couple years – during their study abroad periods, as an organization ASAIF is aiming to contact with ethnic Azerbaijanis living in those countries as well. According to the past experience it is obvious that building strong ties with them and students develop lobbying and Diaspora activities to a higher profile. So, building these ties, regulating them with correct strategy and conceptual approach is listed as ASAIF’s main target plans.
, Berlin
, Strasbourg
, London
, Athens
, Istanbul
, Washington DC, Paris
and others, ASAIF held the VIII meeting of the Azerbaijani students studying abroad in the capital of Azerbaijan Baku
in August, 2010. More than 200 Azerbaijani students studying in 32 different countries took part in that meeting. Participants of ASAIF forum were the students of the worldwide universities starting with the USA to Japan
. As a logical result of these processes, ASAIF was officially registered and started working on a continuous base. During this time period ASAIF has given its contribution to the world society about Azerbaijan, its culture and values.
ASAIF has already proved its importance as a youth organization for Azerbaijan, and a reasonable place for practical debates and thoughts. Therefore in December, 2010 ASAIF held meetings with the Azerbaijani students studying in London
, Paris
and Istanbul
to show the high respect and value towards their high education, gathering them together for a better and effective support for the development of Azerbaijan.
According to the information given by the Ministry of Education of the Azerbaijan Republic, more than 10 thousand Azerbaijanis are studying abroad today, and 2 thousand of them receive full scholarship from the government. By the end of the first stage of the State Program in 2015, the number of the students studying abroad, as well as members of this network will increase by a huge number. Therefore gathering them together to realize the successful representation of Azerbaijani values and history is a very important issue.
Besides these, ASAIF has prepared a detailed networking strategy and will deliver them during the upcoming American, European and Asian meetings. ASAIF thinks that networking process requires a real desire to join, and believes that this process will be continuous. As a result of this process Azerbaijan will be more successfully represented and will fight against the double standards which are formed about Nagorno Karabagh topic.
ASAIF hopes that Azerbaijan government will accept Azerbaijani youth as a trusted power of representation. And of course, networking will be one of the strongest tools of ASAIF towards this goal.
Youth who want to take an active part in the networking process with ASAIF can join us through the electron membership on the ASAIF web-page.
, and contribute to human capital
development in Azerbaijan. The last is especially important because human capital, the accumulation of knowledge and skills as a result of education, on-the-job training and/or life experiences, plays a primary role in increasing productivity
.
Human capital can better explain why economies are able to grow over the long term because human capital, unlike physical capital
, is not subject to the law of diminishing returns, i.e. higher amount of human capital does not imply lower contribution to growth in productivity. That is because it creates positive externalities to society by contributing to its common pool of knowledge, thereby providing opportunities for others to reap benefits without incurring costs.
In recent years, Azerbaijan has experienced spectacular growth, but because this has been based primarily on hydrocarbon
sales, this boom may prove short-lived absent important economic diversification, and that will be impossible without an adequate supply of highly skilled workers. Unfortunately, the level of human capital now fails to meet even the demand of the currently small non-energy sector, let alone those of a largely diversified economy. As a World Bank
study notes, the current state of the educational system, particularly at the tertiary level, is poor, and at the same time, there is a serious mismatch between degrees granted by local universities and skills demanded by the changing economy.
The government of Azerbaijan has acknowledged the need for human capital development. Over the past few years, it has built or renovated more than 1200 schools, it has invested in the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy
, and it has created a Science Development Foundation. Another important effort was begun in 2007 with the adoption of the State Program on Education of Azerbaijani Youth Abroad. It funds training of Azerbaijani students in the leading world universities. As of the end of 2009, the number of Azerbaijani young people receiving such support totaled 483 persons, a number slated to reach 5000 by 2015.
ASAIF was created by and aims to work with foreign-educated Azerbaijanis. In broadest terms, the organization serves as a facilitator
, organizer and catalyst in attracting foreign-educated Azerbaijanis to engage in human capital development issues in Azerbaijan, among other goals. It works to facilitate technological transfer by providing medium of communication and interaction both within professions and among them.
ASAIF can also contribute toward the goal of reversing the brain drain. Foreign-educated young people are often skeptical about developments in Azerbaijan. They think there are few employment opportunities in the country and that jobs there offer low salaries. Many of these assumptions are simply wrong, the product of an information gap. While the overall unemployment picture may be bleak, the demand for high-skilled specialists is considerable, and ASAIF forums and other activities can help close this information gap.
The information about the events organized by ASAIF are published by mass media periodically.
It is also possible to become member of ASAIF using online application form on the web-site.
History
ASAIF – Azerbaijani Students and Alumni International Forum started in 2001 by organizing summer forums for the AzerbaijaniAzerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
s studying abroad. The organization carried different names since it was established. But in 2010, during the VIII summer forum conference of the organization the name was changed to ASAIF. The organization the aim of which has always been to bring Azerbaijani students studying abroad together decided to become official and have structures. On this purpose ASAIF held an establishment meeting in September 15, 2010. A variety of students from 15 different countries took part in the meeting. After confirming the structure of the organization during the meeting, ASAIF applied to the Ministry of Justice of the Azerbaijan Republic. The organization was registered as “Azerbaijani Students and Alumni International Forum” in September 24, 2010.
About ASAIF
ASAIF has board of directors (18 countries), board members (40 countries) and regular members. The structure of the organization consists of Azerbaijani youth, who has accepted the country’s development priorities as their own development and who works hard to successfully represent AzerbaijanAzerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
abroad. Today there are many young doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
s, economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
s, psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
s, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s, genetic
Genetic
Genetic may refer to:*Genetics, in biology, the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms**Genetic, used as an adjective, refers to heredity of traits**Gene, a unit of heredity in the genome of an organism...
s, engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s, mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
s, biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
s, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s and many other professionals among the members of ASAIF. Some of these members have already completed their education at the leading universities of the world, but some are still studying. On every member’s mind besides getting good education, there is an aim of representing Azerbaijan, country’s development and prosperity. ASAIF activists are the young professionals who love Azerbaijan and who are ready to build its bright future with their own hands!
Mission
- Networking. NetworkingBusiness networkingBusiness networking is a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity...
is one of the issues that any society/group pays a special attention today. Because networking is the best way to have experience exchange, take part in the information exchange, keep actuality and mainly get all these in a very short period of time and with high effectiveness. - Building a successful platform. Today AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
is living in a period of information exchangeInformation exchangeInformation exchange is an informal term that can either refer to bidirectional information transmission/information transfer in telecommunications and computer science or communication seen from a system-theoretic or information-theoretic point of view....
and war. In order to occupy a decent place in this information exchange process, building a successful platform to gather all potential Azerbaijani youth together is among the core values of the organization. - Diaspora and lobbying. ASAIF has always supported the DiasporaDiasporaA diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
and lobbyingLobbyingLobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
aimed to represent Azerbaijan and today ASAIF has representations in 40 countries of the world in order to increase the quality and productivity of these events. - Global forums. Organizing global international forums in the world’s political capitals ASAIF aims to gather all bright Azerbaijani youth under its umbrella.
- Building bridge between the government structures and the youth. ASAIF is not an organization existing in a frame of narrow interests, but in fact an organization that accepts the interests of youth as its own, which supports them, and a professional organization that can successfully build a bridge between the government structures and the youth. ASAIF is an organization where any young Azerbaijani can find himself.
Structure
As a result of the establishment conference in September 15, 2010 the organizational structure below has been confirmed. General Secretary was elected according to suggestions during the internal meeting of the organization.- Chairman: Orkhan Akbarov
- General Secretary: Abulfaz Sheydabekov
- Media & PR Secretary: Garanfil Hasanova
Founders
- Orkhan Akbarov – RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Ulkar Isayeva – UK
- Nemat Naghdaliyev – RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Elkin Nurmammadov – USA, TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
- Jeyhun Osmanli – AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
- Rufat Azizov – RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
Board of directors
- Orkhan Mustafayev – United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
- Sabuhi Rzayev – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Aytan Aliyeva – BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- Elchin Khalilov – TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
- Ramiz Mammadli – United States of America
- Fidan Azmammadova – BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- Vusal Shafiyev – United States of America
- Fariz Jafarov – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Farid Ismayilzadeh – United States of America
- Tural Galbinur – CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Heydar Mirzayev – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Board Members
- Rashad Mehbaliyev – HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
- Movlud Mohbaliyev – FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Elchin Azer Suleymanov Northern Cyprus Eastern Mediterranean University President of Azerbaijan Society
Orkhan Mustafayev – United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
- Sabuhi Rzayev – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Aytan Aliyeva – BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- Elchin Khalilov – TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
- Ramiz Mammadli – United States of America
- Fidan Azmammadova – BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- Vusal Shafiyev – United States of America
- Fariz Jafarov – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Farid Ismayilzadeh – United States of America
- Ismayil Isayev – GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Elchin Baghirov – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Javid Huseynzadeh – UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
- Shamkhal Abilov – AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
- Anar Zeynalov – LatviaLatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
- Jeyhun Ibrahimov – Litva
- Aykhan Mustafayev – SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- Jeyla Askari – RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- Ziya Aliyev – NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
- Leyla Mammadli – United States of America
- Narmin Sultanova – CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Elba Abdullayeva – SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- Javid Gadimov – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Aghalar Gasimov – TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
- Fatima Ibrahimova – United States of America
- Raul Gulmammadov – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Abbas Abbasov – AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- Ramin Hakimov – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
CCIC (Central Control and Inspection Comission)
- Elchin Baghirov – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Soltan Bayramov – United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Ilgar Mammad – CyprusCyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
Lobbying
As an organization, lobbying and diaspora activities are the priorities of ASAIF. Therefore ASAIF pays special attention to the lobbying and diaspora activities realized by the Azerbaijani youth who study abroad. The main target in these activities is to inform the world about Azerbaiijan’s history, culture, development, Nagorno Karabakh and all other issues related to Azerbaijan. ASAIF in its turn is preparing new approach methods and strategies to increase the efficiency in the activities mentioned above.Besides these, one of the main goals is defining the right strategy and coming up with an action plan, to develop the effectiveness of the events held abroad. First of all, unlike other related organizations, ASAIF will held its meetings and events not only in European countries, in contrast other continents and in different themes as well, based on the different interests of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani youth.
Organizing “Azerbaijani days” and “Stop Armenian aggression” events will continue being among the list of important events that ASAIF supports.
ASAIF was created by gathering Azerbaijani students, scientists and researchers who study or already graduated from the most leading universities of the world together. ASAIF believes that its activities will form conceptual approach system towards the problems and will create a society who is informed about Azerbaijan in a more correct way.
World is always witnessing new processes and in order to keep the track of the innovations it is important to implement new strategies. Since Azerbaijan gained independence careful approach system to the existing problems was used, because of the rules of the real situation. But, ASAIF believes that it is already time to switch to the active approach and management style, in which youth will also take an active part and which will cover the future as well. In its turn, ASAIF has also chosen couple priority themes and directions to divert the future events.
ASAIF believes that, besides Nagorno Karabakh problem as the main goal of lobbying activities, listing Azerbaijan’s culture, history, the role of the energy resources in Europe energy security, tourism potential will be very useful.
During the common success of the activities and early implementation period of the projects using internet resources, access to foreign media centers, building and developing important individual relations are important. ASAIF believes that, institutes that Azerbaijani students study today will play very important role in delivering Azerbaijani truth to the individuals. Therefore participating in conference and seminars to develop common values is crucial.
ASAIF has accepted representing Azerbaijan as the top goal of the organization and will use any means to create a positive image about Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. Azerbaijani youth and networking will definitely play an important and irreplaceable role in this precious mission.
Diaspora
In the end of the VII – beginning of the VIII century, when the CaliphateCaliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
army marched into Azerbaijan, with the spread of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Persian education and culture also got developed in the area. Besides this, tens of Azerbaijani people moved to the Near and Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
cities to study. All these were the beginning of the Diaspora processes. Since then ethnic Azerbaijanis have been living in different parts of the world. After Azerbaijan got independence in 1991 many projects have been implemented to strengthen the government, to represent the country among other states. These activities are getting developed more and more every year.
Today Azerbaijani youth are able to study at the most leading universities of the world, both with individual funding as well as with the government scholarships. Since those students are the representatives of Azerbaijan only for couple years – during their study abroad periods, as an organization ASAIF is aiming to contact with ethnic Azerbaijanis living in those countries as well. According to the past experience it is obvious that building strong ties with them and students develop lobbying and Diaspora activities to a higher profile. So, building these ties, regulating them with correct strategy and conceptual approach is listed as ASAIF’s main target plans.
Networking
Since ASAIF was created, organizing different meetings and building ties between students have been among the main goals of the organization. During this period, besides having meetings in the big cities like BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Washington DC, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and others, ASAIF held the VIII meeting of the Azerbaijani students studying abroad in the capital of Azerbaijan Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
in August, 2010. More than 200 Azerbaijani students studying in 32 different countries took part in that meeting. Participants of ASAIF forum were the students of the worldwide universities starting with the USA to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. As a logical result of these processes, ASAIF was officially registered and started working on a continuous base. During this time period ASAIF has given its contribution to the world society about Azerbaijan, its culture and values.
ASAIF has already proved its importance as a youth organization for Azerbaijan, and a reasonable place for practical debates and thoughts. Therefore in December, 2010 ASAIF held meetings with the Azerbaijani students studying in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
to show the high respect and value towards their high education, gathering them together for a better and effective support for the development of Azerbaijan.
According to the information given by the Ministry of Education of the Azerbaijan Republic, more than 10 thousand Azerbaijanis are studying abroad today, and 2 thousand of them receive full scholarship from the government. By the end of the first stage of the State Program in 2015, the number of the students studying abroad, as well as members of this network will increase by a huge number. Therefore gathering them together to realize the successful representation of Azerbaijani values and history is a very important issue.
Besides these, ASAIF has prepared a detailed networking strategy and will deliver them during the upcoming American, European and Asian meetings. ASAIF thinks that networking process requires a real desire to join, and believes that this process will be continuous. As a result of this process Azerbaijan will be more successfully represented and will fight against the double standards which are formed about Nagorno Karabagh topic.
ASAIF hopes that Azerbaijan government will accept Azerbaijani youth as a trusted power of representation. And of course, networking will be one of the strongest tools of ASAIF towards this goal.
Youth who want to take an active part in the networking process with ASAIF can join us through the electron membership on the ASAIF web-page.
Human Capital
By pooling knowledge and efforts of these students and alumni, the organization aims to enhance networking among foreign-educated Azerbaijani youth, promote public diplomacyPublic diplomacy
In international relations, public diplomacy or people's diplomacy, broadly speaking, is the communication with foreign publics to establish a dialogue designed to inform and influence. There is no one definition of Public Diplomacy, and may be easier described than easily defined as definitions...
, and contribute to human capital
Human capital
Human capitalis the stock of competencies, knowledge and personality attributes embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value. It is the attributes gained by a worker through education and experience...
development in Azerbaijan. The last is especially important because human capital, the accumulation of knowledge and skills as a result of education, on-the-job training and/or life experiences, plays a primary role in increasing productivity
Productivity
Productivity is a measure of the efficiency of production. Productivity is a ratio of what is produced to what is required to produce it. Usually this ratio is in the form of an average, expressing the total output divided by the total input...
.
Human capital can better explain why economies are able to grow over the long term because human capital, unlike physical capital
Physical capital
In economics, physical capital or just 'capital' refers to any already-manufactured asset that is applied in production, such as machinery, buildings, or vehicles. In economic theory, physical capital is one of the three primary factors of production, also known as inputs in the production function...
, is not subject to the law of diminishing returns, i.e. higher amount of human capital does not imply lower contribution to growth in productivity. That is because it creates positive externalities to society by contributing to its common pool of knowledge, thereby providing opportunities for others to reap benefits without incurring costs.
In recent years, Azerbaijan has experienced spectacular growth, but because this has been based primarily on hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....
sales, this boom may prove short-lived absent important economic diversification, and that will be impossible without an adequate supply of highly skilled workers. Unfortunately, the level of human capital now fails to meet even the demand of the currently small non-energy sector, let alone those of a largely diversified economy. As a World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
study notes, the current state of the educational system, particularly at the tertiary level, is poor, and at the same time, there is a serious mismatch between degrees granted by local universities and skills demanded by the changing economy.
The government of Azerbaijan has acknowledged the need for human capital development. Over the past few years, it has built or renovated more than 1200 schools, it has invested in the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy
Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy
Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy is a school of international relations established under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan in January 2007. Its main objective is to train specialists for a diplomatic career in Azerbaijani foreign affairs and its founding rector is Dr...
, and it has created a Science Development Foundation. Another important effort was begun in 2007 with the adoption of the State Program on Education of Azerbaijani Youth Abroad. It funds training of Azerbaijani students in the leading world universities. As of the end of 2009, the number of Azerbaijani young people receiving such support totaled 483 persons, a number slated to reach 5000 by 2015.
ASAIF was created by and aims to work with foreign-educated Azerbaijanis. In broadest terms, the organization serves as a facilitator
Facilitator
A facilitator is someone who helps a group of people understand their common objectives and assists them to plan to achieve them without taking a particular position in the discussion...
, organizer and catalyst in attracting foreign-educated Azerbaijanis to engage in human capital development issues in Azerbaijan, among other goals. It works to facilitate technological transfer by providing medium of communication and interaction both within professions and among them.
ASAIF can also contribute toward the goal of reversing the brain drain. Foreign-educated young people are often skeptical about developments in Azerbaijan. They think there are few employment opportunities in the country and that jobs there offer low salaries. Many of these assumptions are simply wrong, the product of an information gap. While the overall unemployment picture may be bleak, the demand for high-skilled specialists is considerable, and ASAIF forums and other activities can help close this information gap.
Job search
One of the main goals of the organization is to help alumni find a decent job in Azerbaijan. Therefore if members of ASAIF fill the online form and send to ASAIF office, this will help them to find an appropriate job.Organized events
- "Azerbaijan 20 - Vision 2020" - International Forum of Azerbaijani students and alumni in Europe, March 11–12, 2011 (StrasbourgStrasbourgStrasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
); - "Towards perfect medicine" - First forum of young Azerbaijani medics, April 9–10, 2011 (MannheimMannheimMannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
); - Meeting with Azerbaijani youth from US network, event in from of the White House to celebrate Republic DayAzerbaijan Democratic RepublicThe Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
, May 28, 2011 (USA, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
); - Meeting with US ambassador's advisor in the office of ASAIF, April 14, 2011 (Baku, Azerbaijan);
- "Azerbaijan night" in Manchester, November 13, 2010 (EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
); - VIII International Forum, August 20–21, 2010 (AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, BakuBakuBaku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, GabalaGabalaGabala can be either of the following:* Gabala , a genus of nolid moths* Gabala, a town in Angola* The Spanish languageIt also is a variant spelling of:* Jabala, a Christian city in Syria during the Middle Ages...
); - Preparation of suggestions for the state program “Azerbaijani youth in 2011-2015”;
- Interviews of ASAIF activists (Orkhan Akberov, Parviz Akberov, Rufat Azizov, Mikail Yusifov Elchin Khalilov, Ülkər İsayeva, Ramin Hakimov, Fidan Azmammadova, Rashad Mehbaliyev, Dayanat Rzayev, Ramiz Babayev ) on mass media;
- "Baku Youthland Forum", IX Summer Forum, August 26–27, 2011 (planned).
The information about the events organized by ASAIF are published by mass media periodically.
Joining ASAIF
In order to become a member of ASAIF it’s crucial to accept the rules below:- Current student (bachelorBachelorA bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
, mastersMaster's degreeA master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, postgraduate, PhDPHDPHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
or researcherResearcherA researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
) at an institution abroad; - Alumna/alumnus (bachelor, masters, postgraduate, PhD or researcher) of an institution abroad;
- Participant of an education program at an institution abroad (minimum 6 months, language courses do not apply);
- Alumni of an education program of an intuition abroad (minimum 6 months, language courses do not apply);
- Note 1: Special cases are possible with the decision of the board of directors;
- Note 2: Membership of foreign citizens is decided by the board of directors;
- Note 3: Canceling the membership is decided by the board of directors and the person is notified about this decision.
It is also possible to become member of ASAIF using online application form on the web-site.