DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT “AZERBAIJAN - 2020: OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE” Project of this sphere, and the average annual growth rate in the non-oil sector over the past 10 years reached almost 11 per cent. In 2011, the real GDP increased threefold compared to 2003. According to the results of 2011, Azerbaijan owned more than 70 per cent of added value in the South Caucasus and strengthened its positions as a leading state of the region. Over the past eight years, the country’s strategic currency reserves increased by more than 22 times and reached 41 billion US dollars at the end of 2011, which is about 10 times higher than the state’s foreign debt. Along with that, the opening of new production spheres and the creation of new jobs in the non-oil sector, the unprecedented development of the transport and communal infrastructure, the creation of modern social infrastructure enterprises, including the construction of new education, health and sports facilities formed the basis of the general dynamic and sustainable progress of our country in this period. It must be especially noted that during these years, Azerbaijan secured significant progress in the effective resolution of social problems, and the system of social security was established anew in compliance with advanced international standards. A new pension system was launched, and a system of targeted social assistance and social allowances was established and developed. As a result of the successful social policy, the level of poverty declined from 49 per cent in 2000 to 7.6 per cent in 2011, while salaries and pensions increased several times over. As the economic potential of the republic increased, favourable conditions were created for the development of the health system and problems in protecting the population’s health started to be resolved consistently. The budget allocated to the health system increased by more than 10 times over the past 10 years and now exceeds 650 million manats. Over the past 10 years, more than 400 health institutions, most of which are located in regions of the country, were built or refurbished, and all the health institutions were provided with modern hardware and equipment. Important measures have been taken to protect the health of the republic’s population and improve the quality of medical services. Significant achievements were gained in the fight against infectious diseases, and this sphere is always in the focus of attention as a priority sphere of practical medicine. The significant achievements in the sphere of education are directly linked to the socio-economic policy directed at modernizing our country in recent years. Suffice it to say that in 2011, the total amount of budget funds allocated to the education sphere increased by more than five times compared to 2003 and reached 1.5 billion manats. Over the past 3