2 Fevral – Message of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Azerbaijan Youth Day

I warmly congratulate you on the occasion of 2 February – Azerbaijan Youth Day and wish each of you confidence, good health, and ongoing success in the path ahead.

Azerbaijani youth have always been surrounded by the highest attention and care of the state. Youth policy was one of the main objectives of National Leader Heydar Aliyev's thoughtful and forward-thinking strategy. At his initiative, the First Forum of Azerbaijani Youth was organized in 1996, and the introduction of 2 February as Azerbaijan Youth Day starting from 1997 became a visible manifestation of the great value paid to young people.

Today, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is effectively carrying on the National Leader's youth-related political path. Under the leadership of the President, consistent and deliberate measures are being taken to ensure the education, employment, and intellectual and physical development of young people, as well as their active involvement in socio-political processes. The initiatives and activities of First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva significantly contribute to increasing the social well-being of youth and to the formation of a generation that is committed to national and moral values, patriotic, and led by sound thinking.

At pivotal periods that shaped the destiny of our Motherland, young Azerbaijani people have voiced their opinions. The courage, selflessness, and determination of our youth during the Patriotic War will remain forever inscribed in the memory of our people. Our youth contributed significantly to the restoration of our state's territorial integrity by honorably carrying out the historic mission assigned to them in this warfare. This stands as powerful evidence of the commitment to the motherland, sense of responsibility, and national awareness of modern Azerbaijani youth.

You are the present and future of Azerbaijan. Your ideas, energy, creativity, and initiative revitalize our society. Young people's activism is crucial to building a just and powerful civil society and bolstering the rule of law.

Every young person has a crucial responsibility to understand their rights and freedoms, exercise them, and respect those of others. Legally educated young people are better equipped to handle risks, make right decisions, and have the conditions necessary for them to confidently voice their opinions in society. Young people who are aware of their rights and possess legal knowledge take an active role in the advancement of society and the state.

As the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the protection of the rights of young people, legal education, and increasing their access to information are always at the center of our activities. Our goal is to make the voices of young people heard, raise their legal awareness, and ensure their more active and effective participation in the life of society.

I have no doubt that Azerbaijan’s young people who are devoted to their country's spiritual and national ideals, patriotic, well-educated, and have a contemporary outlook will make our nation's future more secure, just, and powerful.

I warmly congratulate each of you once again on this significant day and wish you ongoing achievements in your varied contributions to the development of our state.

May your journey ahead always be open!

Sabina Aliyeva

The Commissioner for Human Rights 

of the Republic of Azerbaijan 

(Ombudsman)