Progress on food security and malnutrition holds significant importance for Azerbaijan, and tackles one of the worst forms of poverty by ensuring access to nutritious food. The main indicators showed limited progress in the past decade, with prevalence of child stunting slightly reduced from 18% in 2010 to 16% in 2020, while prevalence of anemia among women remained high (around 35%), reflecting the persistent and increasing prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity which increased from 6% in 2015 to 10% in 2020 (Target 2.1).

Access to safe and nutritious food improves both health outcomes and benefits educational achievements. Moreover, it is closely linked  to SDG 8, creating employment and contributing to rural economic growth. Guaranteeing women’s rights to access and control of resources (Targets 1.4, 2.4, 5.a) is a key element of achieving this goal.

Progress on food security is also closely aligned with SDG 12's emphasis on sustainable consumption and production, promoting sustainable food systems and waste reduction. By building resilient agricultural practices (Target 2.4), Azerbaijan can mitigate climate change impacts and support climate action (Goal13), while maintaining the viability of ecosystems, especially mountainous ones (Goal 15). Ultimately, food security fosters social stability and promotes effective governance.

In Azerbaijan, SDG target 4.3 aims to ensure equal access to quality technical, vocational and tertiary education. Azerbaijan had a high of 13.5 expected years of schooling in 2021 and a high upper secondary education completion rate (which was around 92% in 2011, latest data available). However, the quality of education and equal access remain concerns.

SDG 4.3 has important interlinkages to reduce the skills mismatch (Target 2.2) and ensuring future-readiness of the people in the workforce. This will promote equal access to the labour market for women/girls and men and to the further empowerment of women to participate in the local labour market (Target 5.5) , including through science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and ICT education (Target 5.b). Quality technical education will equip individuals with skills aligned with labour market demands, fostering decent work and economic growth.

Equal access to technical education, in combination with the above policy choices offers a credible pathway to reduce inequalities, empowering groups and localities left behind and promoting social inclusion.

In Azerbaijan, the majority of the population (96%) is using safely managed drinking water services – but only one in five (21%) uses safely managed sanitation services (Target 6.2), which puts the SDG achievement at risk.

Access to safe and affordable drinking water  is closely linked with the achievement of health targets (Goal 3), both related to communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases. Sustainable water management is closely linked with sustainable urbanization (Targets 1.4,  11.3), sustainable agriculture (Target 2.4) and benefits across industrialization and gender equality and women’s empowerment goals.

However, there are evident trade-offs between SDG targets. Water is actively used in agriculture (81% of total freshwater withdrawal, followed by 4% for industry).

Climate change (Goal 13) makes access to safe and affordable drinking water for all a challenging task. Industrialization, especially mining (Goals 8, 9), increases the risks from toxic and radioactive waste.

Access to affordable and sustainable energy is crucial for Azerbaijan development. The population enjoys universal access to electricity and uses clean fuel, mostly gas (Target 7.1). However, the share of renewables is very small and declining (from 4.2% in 2010 to 1.3% in 2020), and energy efficiency of the economy stagnated during the past decade.

Affordable and reliable energy (Target 7.1) plays a key role in reducing income poverty (Target 1), including energy poverty (Target 1.4), by enabling income-generating activities (Goal 8) and improving living conditions. Affordable and reliable energy plays a crucial role in achieving health and gender equality outcomes.

It is a vital investment for health care facilities (Target 3.8) and access to education (Target 4.1). Moreover, affordable energy drives economic growth, job creation and entrepreneurship opportunities, in rural and urban areas (Goals 10, 11). Sustainable energy sources contribute to mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting renewable energy and supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. Sustainable industrialization will put further demand on ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services, and possible trade-offs  between availability of energy and use of renewables.

SDG 9.2 aims to foster inclusive and sustainable industrialization in Azerbaijan while simultaneously enhancing its economic growth (Goal 8). Despite recent improvements, manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP is relatively low in Azerbaijan (around 5.0% in 2022). Inclusive and sustainable industrialization could promote economic diversification (Target 8.3) and greening of the economy.

In addition to capturing downstream value added from oil and gas refining, manufacturing also embraces tech-intensive industrial activities, enhancing women’s empowerment in ICT (5 Target.b), as well as food processing and other labour-intensive branches, which could promote employment outside of the main cities (Goals 10, 11) and where women are more likely to find employment (Targets 5.5, 5.4).

However, the pursuit of industrialization also entails trade-offs. It requires careful consideration of environmental sustainability as industrial activities can have adverse ecological impacts—affecting ecosystems (Goals 15, 2), potable water (Goal 6) and people’s health (Goal 3). Rapid industrialization could put pressure on energy access (Target 7.2) at the expense of energy sustainability (Target 7.2, 7.3). Ensuring inclusivity in this process is crucial to prevent potential social, gender and territorial inequalities.

By implementing fiscal, wage and social protection policies, Azerbaijan can strive towards reducing income inequality (Target 10.1) and promoting inclusive growth (Targets 8.1, 8.3). This aligns with other SDGs, such as SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), as addressing inequality contributes to poverty eradication (Targets 1.1, 1.2), to more equal access to economic resources and opportunities (Target 1.4) and to sustainable economic development (Goal 8).

Fiscal, wage and social protection policies could be crucial elements for achieving gender equality (Goal 5 Gender equality and women’s empowerment, especially Targets 5.1, 5.4, 5.5, 5.b), and they are closely related to Rule of Law and Responsive Governance. However, pursuing greater equality may require trade-offs, such as making adjustments in fiscal priorities and resource allocation (Goal17), in ensuring effective governance (Goal16) and in balancing protection and employment incentives (Target 8.3). Balancing these trade-offs is crucial to ensure that policies aimed at achieving SDG 10.4 are effectively implemented, leading to a more equitable and prosperous future for Azerbaijan.