On November 4-5, 2022, Azerbaijan will be represented by Mrs. Bahar Muradova, Chair of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs (SCFWCA), at the "V International Women and Justice Summit" organized by the Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Services, Women and Democracy Association in Istanbul, Turkey.

The summit started with the opening speech of the President of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, followed by Dr. Saliha Okur Gümrükçüoğlu, the head of KADEM, and Mrs.Derya Yanık, the Minister of Family and Social Services.

Furthermore, the speeches of Mrs. Darya Yanık, Turkey's Minister of Family and Social Services,  Mrs. Bahar Muradova, Chair of the SCFWCA of Azerbaijan, Mrs. Kaouter Krikou, the Minister of National Solidarity, Family and Status of Women of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria,  Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of Social and Family Development of Singapore, Dorothy Onesphoro Gwajima, Minister of Social Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups of Tanzania, Wafaa Abu Bakr Muhammad Al-Kilani, the Minister of Social Affairs of Libya, and Amal Hamad, the Minister of Women's Affairs of Palestine were heard at the Leaders' Meeting on the theme "Towards more justice: women as objects of change", which was moderated by Mrs. Alia El-Yassir, the UN Regional Director for Women, Europe and Central Asia and the Representative of Turkey.

Mrs. Bahar Muradova, Chair of the State Committee, speaking at the Leaders' Meeting, expressed her satisfaction to be in the brotherly country once again. She greeted everyone on behalf of the people and government of Azerbaijan, who proudly celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the historic victory over Armenia, and wished success to the work of the Summit.

She noted that the agenda of this prestigious Summit held on the theme "Cultural Codes and Women" creates ample opportunities for a comprehensive discussion on the effects of the transformations taking place in our countries and the world in general on women's lives.

B. Muradova pointed out that the state of Azerbaijan attaches special importance to the provision of women's rights, and carries out a policy aimed at ensuring gender equality and equal participation of women in all spheres of social and public life. "Over time, in Azerbaijan, which is one of the first countries in the East to take care of girls' education, the superiority of women in the fields of health and scientific activities, the share of participation in the socio-economic and political life of the country, their representation in parliament and municipalities, and the percentage of participation in technical and emerging fields of activity is also increasing," she added. She pointed out that important measures have been taken by the government of Azerbaijan, especially in the regions, to promote the active participation of women and girls in social and political life and to expand their opportunities for access to health care.

The Chairperson drew attention to Gender Commissions established in municipalities and gender-responsible persons operating in most state, private enterprises and organizations in order to implement systematic work related to gender issues. She also noted that the Gender Azerbaijan portal has been launched in order to ensure the transparency of activities by strengthening coordination and efficiency among them.

Stating that today, traditional and digital media as both information and opinion-forming sources make important contributions to positive changes towards ensuring gender equality, the Chair of the Committee noted that a "gender-sensitive approach" should be applied in the media, and the fight against negative stereotypes should be given ample space. At the same time, she said that special importance is attached to cooperation with civil society organizations in the fight against negative stereotypes.

She emphasized that for the reliable protection of women's rights, it is important to reduce their economic dependence and expand employment opportunities, and this results in a wider representation in the labor market, management, business and government structures. She added that these mechanisms affect the level of various types of crimes against women, especially domestic violence. The chairperson said that the Law "On Prevention of Domestic Violence" and the relevant Action Plan in Azerbaijan create more opportunities for effective and comprehensive activities in this direction.

While speaking about violence against women, B. Muradova drew attention to the consequences of armed conflicts, at a time when the world was fighting the pandemic, Armenia's next military aggression against Azerbaijan and the 44-day-long Patriotic War, concentrating all the strength of Azerbaijan into one fist, and with the political and moral support of our brother Turkey Azerbaijan released its territories from occupation and noting that historical justice has been restored. The chairperson added, "Azerbaijan, continuing its loyalty to the political path and statehood traditions of its founding leader, brilliant politician Heydar Aliyev, acts as a supporter of peace and stability in the country and the region, and demonstrates that it attaches importance to multicultural values."

Paying attention to the implementation of restoration and construction works aimed at the return of IDPs to their homelands in the territories freed from occupation, the Chair of the Committee said that the massive pollution of those territories with mines, which were completely destroyed during the occupation, seriously hinders the implementation of the large-scale construction plans of the state. She said, "We highly appreciate the comprehensive participation and support of brother Turkey in our activities to restore the rights of 100,000s of women affected by conflict and aggression, who have lost their relatives and loved ones."

At the end of her speech, Mrs. Bahar Muradova noted that we should evaluate the ever-present challenges in the context of the demands of the time and our national interests, we should be open to modern development trends, along with protecting the values that our cultural codes have passed on to us.

The V Women and Justice Summit will continue on November 5.