State women policy

Throughout history, Azerbaijani women have been closely involved in the defense of their homeland, and have shown real examples of patriotism in the field of political and state building. The courage of Azerbaijani women on the battlefield in the epos "Kitabi-Dada Gorgud", the oldest written masterpiece of Azerbaijani folk literature, as well as the heroic activities of Azerbaijani leading women such as Momina Khatun, Sara Khatun, Nushaba, Tomris, Nigar, Hajar, Tutu Bika historically has been a clear example for this.

If we look at the history, we see that for the first time in the East, women were given the right to vote in 1918 in the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. This progressive step was a clear indication of the determination of the first independent republic of the East at that time to build a state governed by the rule of law, as well as to ensure gender equality in the country.

It is a historical fact that the definition of the main principles of state women's policy in our country and its promotion to the state level is associated with the name of National Leader Heydar Aliyev. He has always promoted women's advancement in all areas of governance, decision-making and social life.

Protection and promotion of women's rights in Azerbaijan, increasing women's participation in the implementation of state policy and adoption of laws are an integral part of state policy.

The adoption of many laws, decrees and orders to address issues related to women, the application of important documents in the Republic of Azerbaijan as a member of international organizations promoted progress towards the realization and promotion of women's rights.

According to the Constitution, which is the highest legal document of the Republic of Azerbaijan, equality of rights and freedoms is guaranteed to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, language, sex, origin, property status, position, beliefs, membership in political parties, trade unions and other public associations. The Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan guarantees equal rights for women and men, the right of everyone to freely choose their type of activity, profession, occupation and place of work on the basis of their ability to work. This is the legal basis for women's participation in building a democratic society. All these processes, in turn, have led to the strengthening of gender policy in all spheres of socio-political life.

Azerbaijan has joined a number of international organizations, adopted conventions and protocols, and improved the topic of women's rights in national legislation. The Republic of Azerbaijan ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1995, as well as the International Labor Organization's (ILO) Law on Women's Labor in Underground Work, and Equal Rights for Men and Women for Equal Labor, Conventions on the Protection of Motherhood, on Discrimination in Labor and Employment, and on the Citizenship of Married Women.

At the IV World Women's Conference held in 1995, Azerbaijan, like 189 countries around the world, adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The main goal of the platform is to improve the political, economic and social situation of women. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action stated that the rights of women around the world will be protected and that obstacles to their close participation in development processes to achieve peace and gender equality will be removed.

In 1998, the Decree on Enhancing the Role of Women in Azerbaijan was signed and the State Committee for Women's Issues was established. The Committee has done exceptionally important work and taken measures to protect women's rights.

Congresses of Azerbaijani women have been held every five years since 1998. These congresses are considered to be one of the most significant and major events in the field of state women's policy.

The Decree on the Implementation of the State Women's Policy in the Republic of Azerbaijan, signed in 2000, led to the further strengthening of women's policy in the country. According to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 176 dated September 26, 2000, approved in order to ensure the implementation of the Decree, people responsible for gender issues were appointed in accordance with the requirements of gender policy within ministries, committees, companies, concerns and other state enterprises and organizations. This decision allows to improve the activities of all government agencies (institutions) and other organizations to ensure gender equality, to include the gender factor in their policies.

At the same time, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan adopted the “National Action Plan on Women's Issues in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2000-2005”. The National Action Plan covers the political, economic, social, cultural, educational and health sectors, as well as the problems of refugee and IDP women, taking into account national priorities.

Women's rights are also enshrined in a number of codes (Family, Civil, Criminal, Administrative Offenses, etc.). A number of adopted state programs, including “State Program on Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2008-2015”, “State Program on Implementation of the Employment Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2011-2015”, “State Program on Socio-Economic Development of the Regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan” are important in increasing the role of women in the political, social, economic and cultural life of the country.

Today, the state women's policy is being continued at a high level, enriched by President Ilham Aliyev with new criteria. Under the leadership of the President, the Republic of Azerbaijan, which has developed rapidly into a new political and economic system and has become a leader in the region, has also made innovations in the implementation of gender policy. Protection of women's rights and expansion of all opportunities created for them are include the priorities set by President Ilham Aliyev in his state policy.

Laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Ensuring Gender Equality"(2006), “On prevention of Domestic Violence” (2010) were adopted in order to conduct a more organized and consistent work on women and to improve the legal framework for ensuring equal rights in all spheres of public life. The adoption of these laws has given rise to a new way of thinking, changing people's minds and breaking many stereotypes.

In order to improve the legal framework and ensure equal rights, Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, the First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation raises the prestige of Azerbaijani women in the country and internationally. Following her example, the image of an intelligent, professional politician, humanist Azerbaijani woman with deep knowledge and intellect is formed and presented to the world.