June 23 is celebrated as the professional holiday of civil servants in Azerbaijan. This holiday was set up by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the establishment of the professional holiday of civil servants dated May 25, 2006". 
 
The United Nations General Assembly designated 23 June as Public Service Day in 2003, by adopting a resolution dated December 20, 2002. In that resolution, the member states of the UN were recommended to establish a special day to better highlight the contribution of public service in the development process of states. Considering the importance of public servants in the life of the state, society and citizens, the role of public service in the process of building a democratic, legal and secular state, as well as the fact that June 23 was declared by the UN General Assembly as the United Nations Public Service Day, the holiday was also established in Azerbaijan by the Presidential Decree.

The national leader Heydar Aliyev’s contribution to the formation and development of the modern civil service system in Azerbaijan, as well as in democratic, legal and secular state-building, is inestimable. Essential reforms in the field of civil service were launched under the leadership of Heydar Aliyev. The Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, drafted under the leadership of the national leader and adopted by popular vote in November 1995, established the principles of state administration capable of addressing national interests and meeting modern requirements. In 1996, the Law Reforms Commission was set up, and in 1998, the State Commission for Reforms in the State Administration System was established. The work done by both commissions is mainly focused on the development of democratic processes in the country, laying down the laws according to international standards, and modernization of the state administration system. Most of these legislative acts are directly aimed at the development of the state administration system, the organization and improvement of civil service, and the provision of social protection for civil servants. In that way, the necessary legislative framework regulating the civil service has been formed in our country.

One of the most significant results of the implemented reforms in the field of civil service in Azerbaijan is the adoption of the Law on Civil Service on July 21, 2000. With that law, the basis for the formation of a unified state policy in the field of civil service in Azerbaijan was laid, the main principles of personnel policy in this sphere, the place of civil servants in society, their rights and duties were defined. The Law "On Civil Service" has been regularly updated since its approval. The concepts of "civil service" and "civil servant" were placed on the agenda exactly with this law.

The civil service policy founded by the national leader Heydar Aliyev is successfully continued today by President Ilham Aliyev and special attention is paid to the development of the civil service. Under the leadership of the head of state, important state programs have been approved in this sphere, a progressive normative legal framework has been formed in the field of civil service, and special attention was paid to the creation of an executive-control mechanism ensuring the improvement of work efficiency and timely elimination of existing obstacles.   In this regard, it is necessary to mention a number of measures defined in 2019 in accordance with the "Strategy for Civil Service Development in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2019-2025" approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated November 23, 2018, including the implementation of the Action Plan.
  
The reforms carried out in the field of civil service increase the responsibility of civil servants day by day, as well as defining their rights and duties, and regular work is being done to eliminate the gaps in this field. In this respect, it is necessary to mention the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated May 16, 2019, on the approval of the "Sample of the employment contract concluded with the person recruited to the permanent civil service". This document plays an important role in protecting the rights of civil servants and increasing their responsibility.

In general, civil servants, who make up a very small part of the population, are closely involved in the protection of social and political stability in the republic, in the establishment of democratic values, in the acceleration of economic development, in ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens, in solving their daily problems, and they fulfill their commitments with honor.

Recommended literature:

1. Azərbaycanda dövlət qulluğu və yeni əsrin tələbləri / S.A. İsmayılov. - Bakı : Azərbaycan nəşriyyatı, 2004. - 84 s.
2. Yanq, Ronald. Dövlət idarəetməsində islahatlar : nailiyyətlər, problemlər, perspektivlər / R. Yanq, E. H. Azadov ; tərc. A. A. Gədirli ; elmi red.: Ə. X. Nuriyev, Ə. Z. Abdullayev ; Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti yanında Dövlət İdarəçilik Akademiyası. - Bakı : CBS Polygraphic Production, 2004. - 340 s.
3. Azərbaycanda dövlət qulluğunun və idarəetmə sisteminin keçmişi, bu günü və perspektivləri / S. A. İsmayılov. - Bakı : Oğuz eli, 2013. - 216 s.
4. Hüseynova, Nazənin Şahin qızı. Dövlət qulluğu və kadr siyasəti : monoqrafiya / N. Ş. Hüseynova ; elmi red. Ə. Abdullayev. - Bakı : Adiloğlu, 2013. - 476 s.
5. Davamlı inkişaf naminə kadr potensialının təkmilləşdirilməsi: Azərbaycan modeli / Ç. İsmayılov, Ə. Abdullayev, G. Qurbanova [et al.] ; elmi red. U. K. Ələkbərov ; Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti yanında Elmin İnkişafı Fondu. - Bakı : Elmin İnkişafı Fondu, 2018. - 252 s.
6. Rzayev, Əli Heydər oğlu. Dövlət idarəetməsi: nəzəriyyə və praktika : monoqrafiya / Ə. H. Rzayev ; elmi red. M. F. Məlikova ; Bakı Dövlət Universiteti. - Bakı : Elm, 2021. - 364 s.