On 17 May 2021, the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs organized the first public discussion concerning the draft of Family Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2021-2030 years.

The event was attended by the leadership and staff of the State Committee, the Public Council under the State Committee, the National Academy of Sciences, Child and Family Support Centers, representatives of various universities, experts and civil society organizations.

Opening the event, the Chairperson of the State Committee, Mrs. Bahar Muradova, welcomed the participants and congratulated everyone on International Family Day, as well as on the "Haribulbul Festival" held these days after a long break.

She noted that based on the objectives set by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the development concept "Azerbaijan 2020: Vision for the Future" and the document "Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development", there is a serious need to ensure family rights, public policy priorities in this area and the development of new documents in line with the current challenges, and recently the public has paid special attention to these issues.

The Chairperson of the Committee also noted that serious work has been done regarding family law, as well as increasing parental responsibility and eliminating cases of forced marriage.

Stressing that a working group made up of staff from the State Committee had drafted the Strategy, Mrs. Muradova pointed out that the document aimed to monitor the current situation and take measures to change it.

Mrs. Taliya Ibrahimova, made a comprehensive presentation on the goals, priorities and results of the Strategy, noting that the document was prepared based on best international practices, taking into account the current situation. She noted that the strategy envisages 5 main goals and 62 priority areas and the results of the strategy include the improvement of family legislation, the adoption of the Law on Reproductive Health, the establishment of the Institute of Family Psychologists. At the end of her presentation, Mrs. Ibrahimova commented on the proposals submitted by members of the Public Council.

Mr. Ahmad Gashamoglu, the poet, publicist, sociologist and public figure praised the work of the staff involved in the preparation of the strategy and the document, and spoke about the modern methodology and philosophy of preparing such documents. Speaking about the formation of clear ideas of the youth about family values, common interests, public condemnation of the problems in the family, the sociologist voiced his views on the issues reflected in the Strategy.

Then Mr. Sahib Mammadov, head of the League for the Protection of Citizens' Labor Rights, chairman of the Public Council under the State Committee, made proposals to increase the effectiveness of measures taken to protect the family, reproductive health, touched upon issues related to development of nursing institutions, kindergartens, mediation procedures.

Speaking at the event, Professor Rena Mirzazadeh stressed the importance of relying on nationalism, tradition and international experience in modern documents.

Mrs. Irada Alili, Chairperson of the “Support to the Development of Vocational Education” Public Union, Mrs. Zulfiya Aliyeva, Honored Teacher, Mrs. Ziba Nabiyeva, Chairperson of the “Women's Initiative for Development” Public Union, Mrs. Naila Ismayilova, Chairperson of the “New Life Humanitarian and Social Support” PU, Mrs. Mehriban Zeynalova, chairwoman of the Pure World Women's Public Union, Farida Hijran, folklore scholar, Kamala Ashumova, chairwoman of the Hopeful Future Social Initiatives Public Union spoke about the Strategy, strengthening our families, ensuring their health and promoting family values. The participants expressed confidence that the document will contribute to strengthening the Azerbaijani family.

Commenting on the views expressed at the end of the event, the Chairman of the Committee stressed the need for the state, people and civil society to work together to prevent negative trends and thanked the participants for their participation in the discussion, valuable suggestions and comments.