On April 14, an international conference titled “Amplifying Women’s Voices for Sustainable Development in the CICA Region” and a side event entitled “Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship and Improvement of Legislation” were held

On April 14, an international conference titled “Amplifying Women’s Voices for Sustainable Development in the CICA Region” and a side event entitled “Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship and Improvement of Legislation” were held within the framework of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

The event brought together government officials, members of parliament, representatives of the private sector, as well as the Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan-Turkiye Businessmen Union (ATIB), Mursel Rustamov, and the Head of the Secretariat, Mehriban Asadli.

Speaking at the side event, Chairperson of the Family, Women and Children Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Hijran Huseynova; Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, Bahar Muradova; Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities for Women and Men Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Cigdem Erdogan; Secretary of the Committee on Social and Cultural Development of the Mazhilis of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nurgul Tau; Chairperson of the Board of the Association for the Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan, Sakina Babayeva; and Chairperson of the Azerbaijan Rural Women’s Association, Gulbaniz Ganbarova, emphasized the importance of developing women’s entrepreneurship for economic growth, social inclusion, and gender equality. They noted that expanding women’s access to financial resources, improving legal and institutional mechanisms, and strengthening international cooperation are among the key priorities for advancing this field.

The international conference subsequently commenced. In their opening remarks, Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs Bahar Muradova, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva, and CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay highlighted the importance of promoting sustainable development, increasing women’s participation in economic, social, and decision-making processes, strengthening their role in digital development, innovation, environmental initiatives, and entrepreneurship, ensuring gender equality, and supporting institutional initiatives in this direction.

The conference continued with panel discussions.