In accordance with the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev, reforms aimed at developing the pension system and improving the insurance and pension system are underway. Although in the world practice pension reforms are mainly aimed at strengthening the strict principles of insurance, in Azerbaijan these reforms primarily serve the interests of pensioners, the sustainable growth of pensions, the strengthening of humane approaches to the social security system.
According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, as an indication of this, significant increases were made in pensions last year and at the beginning of this year, and from the beginning of 2019, those with the smallest amount of pension capital in their personal accounts were awarded 25 years of social insurance. The pension increases of the last year alone envisage the payment of more than 1 billion manat annually to our pensioners. In the first eight months of this year alone, about 3 billion manat was spent on pensions, which is 576.5 million manat (24%) more than in the same period last year. Also, over the past year, the average monthly pension increased by 30% to 300 manat, the average monthly amount of old-age pension increased by 25.2% to about 330 manat.
Also, since the beginning of 2020, those who have reached retirement age, but do not have the right to a pension, have the right to receive old-age benefits, and more than 20,000 people have already benefited from this right. At the same time, for families who have lost a head of family, from the beginning of 2020, choose two types of benefits - a pension for the loss of the head of the family or a higher amount for the loss of the head of the family. and the right to receive a pension.
At present, the radical changes envisaged in the pension legislation also serve to more fully ensure the rights of citizens in the field of social security, social protection of pensioners, to create conditions for them to receive higher payments. For example, the current reforms:
to allow the pensioner to switch to any other type of pension he / she is entitled to at his / her choice, including from old-age pension to disability pension;
granting the person who has lost the head of the family the right to choose a higher pension or social benefit,
distribution of the amount of pension received by a family member entitled to a pension for the loss of the head of the family, ie the share of the pension received for the loss of the head of the family, to other family members;
Increasing access to preferential pensions for workers with harmful and difficult working conditions,
Application of a mechanism in the interests of pensioners in the recalculation of pensions,
Expansion of proactive services in the field of pension appointments and automation of pension recalculation, etc. covers areas such as.
It should be noted that the draft amendments to the pension legislation in connection with the current reforms do not contain any proposals on the pensions of persons entitled to pensions on special terms (servicemen, special ranks, etc.).
If there are any initiatives and proposals related to the provision of pensions to persons appointed on special terms, the pension will serve the interests of those persons, the sustainable increase of pensions. If there are any proposals on these issues, they will be announced and considered in the context of public discussion.
The current reforms are aimed at increasing pensions and ensuring a decent pension for everyone, which is one of the main priorities of the state's social policy.