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A conference was held on “The Role of Women in The Post Conflict Rehabilitation in Azerbaijan”

2022-01-31 17:03

A conference titled "Women, Peace and Security: The Role of Women in Post-Conflict Rehabilitation " was jointly organized by the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) and the United Nations Office in Azerbaijan. The event was moderated by the AIR Center Chairman Farid Shafiyev. During his opening remarks he spoke about the role of women in post-conflict rehabilitation and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 adopted in 2000. According to him, due to the new situation in the region, there is a need to involve more women in the process of reconstruction and peace. Assistant to the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, Ambassador Elchin Amirbayov, highlighted that 50 percent of those who became IDPs because of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict are women. According to him, women can contribute to peace and confidence-building measures, and the government of Azerbaijan is ready to create conditions for this.

Elchin Amirbayov added that a new geopolitical reality has been formed in the region, which leads to peace, stability and development, and Azerbaijan believes that there is no alternative to peaceful coexistence with Armenia.

UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Vladanka Andreeva drew attention to the fact that even though 22 years have passed since the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution, there has been no significant progress on social condition of women at the global level. According to her, women should not only sit at the negotiation table, but also take an active part in the restoration work. She added that the UN will support the ongoing efforts of the Azerbaijani government in this area.

Bahar Muradova, Head of State Committee for Women, Family, and Children Affairs, said that in the current situation, it is important to take steps in accordance with the new standards and actively participate in women's business projects. According to her, the Azerbaijani government is preparing an appropriate national action plan for 2022-2026 regarding these issues, and the committee is working on the project considering the recommendations of relevant UN agencies.

Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Women, Family, and Children Affairs Hijran Huseynova also informed that businesswomen had submitted projects related to the liberated territories.

The two panel discussions were held. In the first panel on "Women's Participation" the speakers were Shahla Ismayil, Chair of the Women's Society for Rational Development, Elgun Safarov, Head of the Information and Analytical Research Department of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children, Lamiya Zeynalova, Head of the Department for the Protection of the Right to Information at the Ombudsman's Office. The panelists have informed about the «Women, Peace and Security” agenda and its stages, as well as current state of affairs in Azerbaijan, the normative legal framework and how it has been implemented. During the discussion, the experts discussed UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and its four pillars: Participation, Prevention, Protection and Relief and Recovery, and assessed the current situation in these areas.

During the second panel titled “Relief and Recovery – Reconstruction” British Ambassador to Azerbaijan James Sharp shared his country's experience. Member of the Parliament Vugar Bayramov and, Head of the Regional Projects and Monitoring Department at the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMB) Eldaniz Amirov, spoke about women's safety, mobility, and economic opportunities during the construction of "smart villages" and "smart cities" in the liberated areas and discussed the role of women in the process. The panel discussion was moderated by the AIR Center Board Member Esmira Jafarova.