IsDB: Azerbaijan’s DOST social services model can be replicated abroad

Azerbaijan's DOST model (Agency for Sustainable and Operative Social Provision) could serve as an example for other countries seeking to strengthen social protection systems, Ahmed Faruk Diken, a manager at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, said on Friday (June 19).

Speaking at a panel session during the IsDB Group's annual meeting in Baku, Diken said Azerbaijan had integrated labour, employment and social protection services into a single citizen-centred platform through the DOST model, delivering services via service centres, mobile units and digital channels, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Citizen satisfaction with the platform has consistently exceeded 98%, while waiting and processing times are measured in minutes rather than hours, he said.

More than 3 million citizen requests have been handled since the first DOST centre opened in 2019, Diken said, adding that the model had already begun to be adopted in other countries.

Diken also highlighted a persistent global gap in social protection, saying around 3.8 billion people still lacked access to basic support mechanisms and that building sustainable social protection systems remained a key challenge for many countries.

By Aghakazim Guliyev