The one-year project managed by the International Rescue Committee Azerbaijan (IRC) will involve partnering with five national NGOs (NNGOs) to increase their capacity to manage and implement community-based development projects while simultaneously mobilizing 24 additional pipeline affected communities to assess and address their priority needs. These 24-targeted communities will join the 82 communities already being supported by the BTC/SCP Community Investment Program (CIP), implemented along the communities affected by BTC/SCP Pipelines.


The project design combines training, community-level project implementation, mentoring, technical assistance, and relationship building to foster a stronger NNGO community in Azerbaijan. Five Community Investment sub-grants ranging from $60,000 to $80,000 have been awarded to each NNGO partner to implement community development micro-projects in four or five target communities located along the BTC/SCP Pipelines 4 km CIP corridor in Kurdamir, Ujar, Yevlakh, Shamkir, Tovuz and Agstafa districts.

A review panel of international and national representatives from IRC and other organizations conducted the Partner NGOs selection process. The selected national NGO partners are:

• Azerbaijan Community Development Research Training and Resource Center
• Ganja Regional Organization of the Educational Society ‘Bilik’
• Social Strategic Research and Analytical Investigations Public Union
• ‘Sulh’ Humanitarian Organization
• Young Enlighteners Youth Union

These NNGOs will provide the affected communities with training and access to resources to help in addressing their development needs; provide a link between community-based organizations and the larger donor environment; and enable on-going programming in these communities from a variety of public and private sector sources.

The IRC in Azerbaijan 
IRC has been operational in Azerbaijan since 1994. From 1994 to 1997, IRC implemented emergency water, shelter and health operations in areas of internally displaced person (IDP) and refugee settlements adjacent to Nagorno Karabakh and other occupied territories. In 1998, IRC shifted its focus to increasing the development capacity of communities, municipalities and national NGOs by providing them with the skills and assistance to address their own priority needs and find sustainable solutions to local economic, health, agriculture, infrastructure and social problems through a participatory community development approach.

IRC is currently a BTC/SCP CIP Implementing Partner conducting an integrated community-based development program in 34 communities along the eastern segment of the BTC/SCP pipeline. This program involves mobilizing communities, establishing community action planning groups and implementing micro-projects and civic initiatives, as well as training municipal councillors, farmers and businesses, and forming a Development Resource Centre. IRC’s CIP activities serve approximately 159,135 beneficiaries in cooperation with three national NGO partners.

To get an update on the programme please refer to the “Latest News” Section.