BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 14. The opening
ceremony of the international conference on “Amplifying women's
voices across CICA for Sustainable Growth” of the Conference on
Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) was
held in Baku, Trend
reports.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Bahar Muradova, Chair of the
State Committee for Family, Women, and Children Affairs of
Azerbaijan, emphasized that the country’s contributions to the
regional security initiatives testify to its growing role across
the CICA region.
“In the modern era, enhancing women's economic participation,
expanding their entrepreneurial opportunities, and ensuring social
inclusion serve as vital driving forces for sustainable economic
development,” she noted.
According to Muradova, women entrepreneurs’ involvement in
regional development initiatives holds particular importance.
Speaking at the event, Leyla Aliyeva said that today, progress
of society largely depends on participation of women. “They are
successful entrepreneurs, scientists, artists and leaders,” she
noted.
“In Azerbaijan, role and contribution of women have always been
recognized and highly valued. Respect and appreciation of women
have always been part of our culture and traditions.
Today, across Azerbaijan, women are building businesses, leading
community initiatives, and creating real impact.
Only last year, women were around 50% of employed population in
Azerbaijan, reflecting their active and essential role in our
economy,” Leyla Aliyeva mentioned.
Noting that she is delighted to see that Azerbaijan’s
chairmanship of CICA actively supports voices of women in
sustainable growth and decision making, Leyla Aliyeva stated that
the establishment of CICA Women Council is an important initiative.
“I wish this platform every success in transforming meaningful
ideas into actions,” she added.
In his remarks, Kairat Sarybay, CICA Secretary General, said
that international and regional organizations serve as important
partners in global efforts to empower women. “Multilateral
platforms, including the Conference on Interaction and Confidence
Building Measures in Asia (CICA), help shape norms, facilitate
dialogue, and enable the exchange of best practices among member
states,” he noted.
“Despite significant progress in Asia over the past decades,
women's voices are still underrepresented in politics, economic
leadership, peacebuilding, or discussions on climate change, as
well as across many areas of decision-making, which makes the topic
of the conference even more relevant,” the CICA Secretary General
added.
Sima Sami Bahous, UN Women's Executive Director, addressed the
event through video message, hailing the establishment of the CICA
Women Council.
The conference will feature panel discussions on topics such as
"Women's Entrepreneurship in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses:
Opportunities for Artificial Intelligence and Digitalization" and
"Women's Leadership in Environmental Protection and Strengthening
Sustainability."
The event will be followed by the First Meeting of the CICA
Women Council and the formal execution of its mandate, which will
focus on coordination, dialogue and exchange of experiences among
member states.
