The World Bank office in Azerbaijan continues to raise youth awareness about projects supported by the institution and how it all works. Students from the Baku Oxford School were invited to the Yasamal District Court, built as part of a World Bank project in the country, which pioneered the concept of user-oriented ‘smart courts’ for the delivery of more accessible and transparent judicial services.
In front of the Yasamal District Court, supported by the World Bank Judicial Services and Smart Infrastructure Project
The students, who were guided by Mr. Ramin Gurbanov, a judge of the court and coordinator of the project, visited the innovatively designed courthouse - which brings criminal, administrative, and civil courts under one roof.
“As I see, the court building is designed in such a way that it ensures transparent case management and court hearings. Citizens have access to all kinds of information necessary for their cases. We were even lucky enough to sit in a court hearing where a real process was happening. It was satisfying to see that these processes are open to the public, so that anyone can sit and listen,” said Maryam Bagirli, a 10th grade student at the Baku Oxford School.
Mr. Ramin Gurbanov with the outreach program participants inside of the innovatively designed courthouse
Aychin Sultan, another student, noted that the Yasamal Court was like a new world he could discover with peers and that the visit was a unique opportunity to visit each corner of the courthouse and witness innovations in the judicial sector taking hold thanks to the contributions of the World Bank-supported project.
Another visit took place at the Integrated Solid Waste Management Project sites in Balakhani. The project is supporting the improvement of solid waste disposal management, the increase in waste collection coverage, the enhancement of waste data information, and the improvement of financial management capacity in the greater Baku area.
Students visit the Integrated Solid Waste Management Project site in Balakhani
Landfill management practices in the greater Baku area, including at the main Balakhani landfill, have been dramatically improved as a result of the project: waste is no longer being burned, illegal collectors are now being employed by the Government, and waste is being compacted and covered by soil.
Arif Karimov, deputy head of the department of solid waste utilization in Temiz Sheher OJSC welcomes the students
The students were able to witness these results first hand.
“We hardly expected to see so many people working in every division, starting from the sorting of waste - up to its recycling. Looking at the abundance of garbage they work with every day made us conscious about how much we throw away and how much labor is invested in waste management,” mentioned one of the visiting students.
Some of these students, impressed and surprised by the modern and effective waste management systems that they did not know existed in their city, discussed how youth can contribute to these processes in future – making it possible that this initiative will soon translate into these young people getting actively involved in the further development of their country!
