In the modern era, the comprehensive solution to numerous ecological problems primarily lies in the balanced development of the economy, its effective environmental management, and most importantly, ensuring its protection and safety. The Ministry of Emergency Situations employees have undertaken this significant and responsible task. 
   
The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a Decree establishing the Ministry of Emergency Situations on December 16, 2005. According to the Presidential Decree dated December 8, 2006, December 16 of each year is celebrated in our country as the professional holiday of the Ministry of Emergency Situations employees.  
 
Over the years of its operation, the ministry has implemented comprehensive measures in various areas to ensure the timely detection, prevention, and elimination of emergencies, the creation of a reliable network in the field of emergency situations, civil defense, protection of the population and territories from natural and man-made disasters, possible terrorist actions, as well as ensuring the safety of the population in fire and water reservoirs, industry, mining, construction, and other fields. 
         
The geographical position, relief, climate diversity, and diverse landscapes of the Republic's territory not only create favorable conditions for human life but also give rise to natural emergencies. The majority of disruptive events are related to the natural occurrence, development, and conclusion of processes. Human intervention can either accelerate or slow down these processes and reduce their impact.   For this purpose, there is always a need to extensively research the contributing factors of natural disruptive events, implement measures to combat them, and work on scientific forecasts. To forecast the actions of nature's disruptive forces, reduce their power, or engage in a complete struggle against them, it is essential to attract specialized scientists working in relevant institutions to research a range of scientific problems.  With this in view, President Ilham Aliyev signed a Decree on March 2, 2016, regarding the publication of the "Atlas of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Azerbaijan." The composition of the editorial board and the draft program were approved in the document. The main executives are the Institutes of Geography, Geology and Geophysics of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. During the preparation of the draft program, relevant atlases of several advanced countries were reviewed, and their positive experiences were applied to the current project. To benefit from the expertise of foreign specialists, they were invited to conduct workshops in our country. More than 200 maps were compiled for the preparation of the atlas. 
        
Also, thanks to the Head of State's attention, the ministry's material-technical base has been strengthened, and achievements have been made in organizing personnel training, conducting information exchange, and other areas. State-of-the-art equipment, firefighting equipment, special clothing, technical tools, and devices have been procured. Regional centers have been established within the ministry, and new administrative buildings have been constructed and put into operation. All of these played a crucial role in successfully eliminating the consequences of the floods that occurred in 2010 in the Kur River and the earthquake that happened in 2012 in the western part of the country. Today, our lifesavers are carrying out rescue missions in foreign countries. Rescue teams of the Ministry of Emergency Situations actively participated in extinguishing forest fires in Israel, Georgia, and Türkiye. 
      
From the first day of its establishment, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has defined international cooperation and partnership as one of the main principles of its activity. Mutual relations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations with relevant state institutions of foreign countries and influential international organizations are being developed. In a short period, relations with Russia, Turkey, France, Belarus, Korea, Germany, Romania and other countries have been strengthened, and collaborative ties with international and regional organizations have been established. Furthermore, the Ministry of Emergency Situations conducted joint training sessions with the Ministries of Defense, Internal Affairs, Health, the State Border Service, as well as other state institutions. 
        
The technical equipment of all institutions of the Ministry has been enriched with the most modern and diverse-purpose vehicles and mechanisms available worldwide. Measures have been taken for the creation and development of the information technology infrastructure of the ministry, the organization of electronic services, and the compilation of statistics on natural and man-made changes that occurred in the territory of the republic. 
 
The Academy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, established based on the Decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev in 2008 on increasing the personnel potential of the Ministry and taking significant measures in this direction, holds great importance in this regard. The academy, which has been operating since 2009, is a special-purpose educational institution that provides the training of highly qualified personnel who meet modern requirements, the implementation of additional education in the areas of activity of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the conduct of fundamental and applied scientific research. Equipped with all necessary facilities, including specialized classrooms and auditoriums for various fields in the emergencies sector, the academy has established a professional training and special preparation complex. This complex covers areas such as firefighting, medical training, diving and mountaineering training, alarm systems and other specialized training classrooms.

During the Patriotic War, all structures of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, closely united around the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief and made significant contributions to the victory. The ministry's forces demonstrated courage in protecting residential areas exposed to heavy enemy artillery and missile attacks, as well as in firefighting and rescue operations.

To ensure the safety of the population in emergencies, a State System for disaster prevention and response has been established in the country. The leadership of the State System for emergency situations is entrusted to the Republic Emergency Situations Commission and the Ministry of Emergency Situations by the decree of the President of the country. The territorial and sectoral branches of the system are delegated to the city and regional executive authorities, relevant commissions of ministries, and public utilities organizations. The implementation of decisions adopted by the Commission is mandatory for all executive authorities, ministries, enterprises, and institutions, regardless of their form of ownership and organization, throughout the country.
 
The staff of the Ministry of Emergency Situations is doing everything possible to ensure the safe living, work, and recreation of our citizens. The forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations demonstrate a high level of professionalism in eliminating disaster situations and conducting various rescue operations in the territory of the republic. The personnel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations qualitatively and promptly fulfill the tasks set by the country's leadership.

Recommended literature:

1. İmanov, Kamran Sultan oğlu. Fövqəladə hallar, əqli mülkiyyət hüquqları ilə qorunan mədəni dəyərlər və insan hüquqları = Emergency situations, cultural values protected by IPR and humnan rigts / K. S. İmanov ; Bakı Beynəlxalq Multikulturalizm Mərkəzi, Azərbaycan Respublikası Müəllif Hüquqları Agentliyi. - Bakı : n. y., 2016. - 75 s.
2. Ocaqov, Həbib Osman oğlu. Fövqəladə halların idarə olunması : dərslik / H. O. Ocaqov. - Düzəliş və əlavələr edilmiş II nəşri. - Bakı : Təhsil NPM, 2011. - 232 s.
3. Süleymanov, Pənah Hüseyn oğlu. Fövqəladə halların iqtisadiyyatı : metodiki vəsait / P. H. Süleymanov, C. Q. Həsənov ; elmi red. H. B. Rüstəmbəyov ; Azərbaycan Respublikası Fövqəladə Hallar Nazirliyinin Akademiyası. - Bakı : CBS Polygraphic Production, 2016. - 80 s.
4. Nəbibəyli, Ziyadxan İsrafil oğlu. Ekologiya və fövqəladə hallar / Z. İ. Nəbibəyli ; elmi red. İ. Cəlilbəyli. - Bakı : AzTU, 2012. - 380 s.