Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova has taken part in the 2nd Session of the Women’s Parliamentary Forum of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean in Abu Dhabi as part of her working visit to the United Arab Emirates, the Press and Public Relations Department of the Milli Majlis told APA.
In her speech at the opening ceremony of the Session, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova remarked that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean is a forum for dialogue, solidarity and mutual understanding. According to her, the special attention given to gender equality and empowerment of women demonstrates vividly the Assembly’s unwavering commitment to collective action aiming to achieve common goals.
It was recalled that the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan had submitted an official application for observer status in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. Sahiba Gafarova said at that that she was certain supporting that application would give rise to new opportunities of yet closer co-operation and more efficient joint activities. As she put it, we are interested in promoting the links between the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, currently chaired by the Milli Majlis, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. The participation of an Assembly delegates in the 4th Conference of the Network in Tashkent in April last year was high-lit. The Speaker of the Milli Majlis stated that the building of institutional bonds between the two entities via granting observer statuses reciprocally and signing a co-operation accord will contribute dramatically to the shared goals of parliamentary diplomacy.
As she was voicing her thoughts about the significance of the topic of the event in her speech, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova remarked that gender equality and empowerment of women had rightly been adopted as one of the Sustainable Development Goals. Not only those goals desirable but they are also necessary for building a fairer world and securing a better future for the coming generations. Having mentioned the persistent serious challenges, however, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis pointed out that those challenges were not confined to any one country and any one region but, rather, were global in character. Progress is therefore possible through not only national endeavours but also thanks to sustained and co-ordinated activities on the national level. Given that, today’s deliberations once again draw attention to the importance of international co-operation, especially, amongst parliamentarians as representatives of our nations.
According to Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, a real and sustained progress firstly depends on modifying the societal mindset. The principle of the equality of women and men by their essence ought to be formed and affirmed as an underpinning social value. On the other hand, no strong, prosperous and sustainable society is buildable without women’s complete and equitable involvement in all facets of society life and decision-making process. In her opinion, any initiative ignoring the rights and the potential of half the society will be unsteady inevitably.
As she was informing the event participants of the gender equality situation in Azerbaijan, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova announced that women have always been central to forming family as the crucial minor societal cell and in communicating the values to the future generations in the Azerbaijani society which is based on solid familial and cultural traditions. Women have invariably been regarded socially as equal partners and have always exerted a decisive influence on its development. The Speaker of the Milli Majlis mentioned the opening in Baku in 1901 of the first secular girls’ school in the Muslim World and the suffrage having been granted to women in 1918, which reflected that approach and which once again confirms women’s important role in the Azerbaijani society. Now, Azerbaijani women are actively represented in politics, economy, science and education, health care and other areas. Women occupy elevated positions in the legislative and executive authorities, within the court system and in the diplomatic field. The adoption of the 2026-2028 National Gender Equality Action Plan is a continuation of the steps in this area that the Government of Azerbaijan is taking consistently.
Pointing up the active role of the Azerbaijani Parliament in drafting and improving continually improving the legislative frameworks to match the changing demands of society in this process, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova remarked said that the Milli Majlis of the last convocation had discussed 53 gender equality and family policy draft laws and had held 17 relevant public hearings. Gender equality is promoted energetically on the institutional level whilst women MPs are on the majority of the parliamentary committees, thus making certain their views are included in legislative discussions. With all that, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova continued, the Parliament of Azerbaijan supports international co-operation to promote gender equality and empowerment of women, and is actively engaged in the work of various international platforms. She expressed a hope that this Forum’s discussions would bring forth tangible outcomes and would contribute to the advancement to such a common goal as empowerment of women as the key prerequisite to the strengthening of social cohesion, sustainability and progressive development in our region.
