On the eve of the new school year the national stage of the international contest "Eco Picture Diary 2014" was launched. On September 10, the presentation of the contest has been held in Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku.

During the event, the representatives of Heydar Aliyev Center, The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Action) Public Union, the Ministry of Education, and Panasonic Marketing CIS (PMCIS) have made speeches about the importance of the project.

In the event, it has been emphasized that according to the charter of Heydar Aliyev Center, which has been approved by the decree of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, along with the in-depth study, extensive research, preservation and comprehensive development of nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev’s heritage, his statehood politics and Azerbaijanism ideology, the Center also functions in the direction of support to science, education, culture, economy, environment, and so on.

It has also been mentioned that the presented project is future-oriented in the field of environment and education.

At the initiative of Mrs. Leyla Aliyeva, the Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of IDEA, in 2013 Azerbaijan has joined the project, which is implemented under the auspices of UNESCO with participation of up to 50 countries.

The purpose of the project is to promote green thinking among children at early ages, mobilize them for the sake of ecological protection, and formulate an active civil stance on environmental and healthcare protection.

It has also mentioned that, the contest is to be held in Baku and Ganja cities. On September 9, an event dedicated to the contest was held in Ganja.

On September 15-16, 5000 Eco Diaries will be distributed to the schoolchildren of Baku and Ganja cities. Schoolchildren from younger age group (6-11 years) and upper age group (12-15 years) are eligible to take part in the contest.

Schoolchildren should fulfill the Eco Diaries, which include 3 main pages to symbolize 3 days, by describing environmental problems by the mean of paintings and texts to explain them. The Diaries must be submitted no later than September 25.

The jury of the contest, that includes the representatives of IDEA Public Union, Heydar Aliyev Center, The Ministry of Education, The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, UNESCO, Panasonic, as well as Media and NGOs, will estimate the submitted Diaries.

 At the end of the contest 20 finalists (10 in each age group) will be awarded. One of the finalists will be declared the winner of the national stage of “Eco Picture Diary 2014”, and his/her Diary will be sent to the international panel of judges in Japan.

It should be mentioned that last year, 3032 pupils took part in the national stage of the competition. Baku European Lyceum student, 11-year-old Fuad Sultanov was selected as the national winner.