Baku hosts opening ceremony of international conference on "Amplifying women's voices across CICA for Sustainable Growth"

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.

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.