The Republic of Benin
Bilateral diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Benin
A protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Benin was signed on the 14th of October 1999. On the 9th to the 17th of June 2013, the Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in co-operation with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), conducted a humanitarian action in the Benin’s capital of Cotonou, as part of the “Alliance to Fight Avoidable Blindness” (AFAB) campaign in the African OIC member-states.
Thousands of people had free eye examinations and 315 people, who lost their ability to see, underwent eye surgery at no charge in Benin.As part of the “Alliance to Fight Avoidable Blindness” (AFAB) campaign in African countries, and guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 (UN SDG 3), the Azerbaijan International Development Agency, AIDA, is co-sponsoring the campaign; in the first stage of the programme (2009-2016), over 300,000 people were examined for free, and above 56,000 people, who completely or partially lost their ability to see, restored their vision through cataract surgeries, and regained their health in Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Libya, Mozambique, Mali and Niger. At the same time, further vocational trainings were held to improve the qualification of 177 local doctors.