GAKH – On June 5, the USAID-supported Women’s Participation Program in partnership with the State Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Affairs of Azerbaijan organized a national conference dedicated to strengthening women’s participation in local self-governance.

The conference brought together key representatives from government, international organizations, civil society organizations and media outlets to discuss the mechanisms of strengthening women’s participation at both national and local decision-making levels.

In her welcoming speech, Deputy Chairwoman of the State Committee Sadagat Gahramanova stressed the constructive dialogue between the governments of the United States and Azerbaijan, and their ongoing conversation on supporting women’s initiatives and women’s participation in decision-making processes.

Head of Gakh Executive Committee Musa Shekiliyev presented the results of the latest municipal elections, highlighting the increase of women’s representation at municipal councils.

In his speech, USAID/Azerbaijan’s Director of Democracy and Governance Office Christopher Schaffer highlighted the importance of equal participation of women in local decision-making processes, stating that women’s participation is critical to strengthening democracy and the empowerment of all of society. He appreciated the engagement of the Azerbaijani government, civil society,  international donors and media outlets in their commitment to cross-sector partnerships on gender issues, stressing that the conference serves as an important forum for strengthening dialogue and collaboration.

Ilgar Agassiyev, Counterpart International Chief of Party in Azerbaijan, shared the achievements of the Women’s Participation Program  with conference participants. To date, the program has trained hundreds of women on effective participation in decision-making and local governance.  

The participants also discussed various mechanisms to  expand women’s participation  in local decision-making, resources to help plan municipal budgets, the role of municipalities in combating gender stereotypes, activities to support the prevention of gender-based violence, the need to expand access to education for girls and other gender equality issues. From these discussions, participants identified and adopted a number of recommendations designed to help the government strengthen women's participation in governance.

The Women’s Participation Program, implemented by Counterpart International in partnership with the State Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Affairs, is funded by USAID and aims at improving the status of women in Azerbaijan and involving more women in decision-making processes.