BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 17. Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, who is visiting the city of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for the 46th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) of the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations, has delivered a speech at the 2nd Forum of AIPA Women Political Leaders today, a source in the parliament told Trend.
Speaking at the opening of the event, AIPA Secretary General Siti Rozaimeriyanty Dato Haji Abdul Rahman voiced his ideas about the significance of the congregation.
Also, he greeted Gafarova and witnessed appreciation of her participation in the forum.
In her speech, she lauded the constant attention of the AIPA to issues related to women, saying that the discussions about forming more inclusive parliaments that would be sensitive to gender matters aroused the intense interest of all women MPs.
According to the speaker, she, an MP who had investigated gender-related subjects and held various concerns with gender equality and combating violence against women in international parliamentary organizations, had always highlighted the decisive gravitas of one factor in this whole topicality.
She added that it is necessary that the idea of women and men having equal rights become one of the fundamental societal values for success to be attained.
On the other hand, it should be admitted that a strong, prosperous, and sustainable society is impossible to build without women’s equal participation in all the areas of social life and in the decision-making process.
Having recalled in her address that parliament, in general, reflects society's requirements and existing dynamics, Sahiba Gafarova remarked that, at the same time, parliaments have at their disposal powerful means of directing changes, be it within themselves or in society.
Legislative activity, which sets the necessary frameworks of conduct, is one of the most important means of them all.
According to the speaker, the growing participation of women in parliaments provides for a more sensitive approach on the part of legislative authorities to gender issues in the representative and administrative fields.
This causes women’s views to be reflected in the legislative process, making them a key stakeholder in this process.
Thus, all that was said earlier reinforces parliaments’ roles in the promotion of equality and democracy in society whilst also making parliaments more inclusive and prepared for future challenges.
Gafarova also informed the participants of the Forum of Women Political Leaders of the experience and achievements of the Parliament of Azerbaijan and the gender policy-related achievements secured in the country.
She declared Azerbaijan’s utter commitment to the protection of women’s rights and ensuring women’s active engagement in decision-making.
The speaker recalled that Azerbaijan had given women the suffrage back in 1918—earlier than the majority of European states—and, following the election held in September 2024, women won 26 out of the 125 seats in the parliament, a growth from the preceding period.
Women MPs are represented in the majority of parliamentary committees today, which ensures that their opinions are taken into account when all the matters that the parliament regulates are discussed. Also, five out of the 15 parliamentary committees have women as deputy chairwomen.
The Standing Committee for Family, Women’s, and Children’s Affairs is led by a woman MP. This committee has considered 47 draft laws and held 16 public hearings on gender and family topics over the past five years.
The Azerbaijani Parliament, besides, is actively co-operating with the State Committee for Family, Women’s, and Children’s Problems of Azerbaijan, which guarantees efficient interaction between the Parliament and the Government whilst also reinforcing the co-ordination of efforts.
Continuing her address, Gafarova also broached the gender-related initiatives and endeavors of Azerbaijan in international parliamentary organizations.
She said that the Parliament of Azerbaijan, which is closely involved with the work done by inter-parliamentary organizations, tables initiatives to enrich the pertaining agenda and provides a powerful backing to international cooperation across women-related matters.
For instance, the Group of Women Parliamentarians of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States was incepted at the Ninth Plenary Session of the Assembly, held in Baku in 2019.
As the incumbent chair of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, the Azerbaijani parliament has motioned the establishment of the Assembly’s Committee for Women’s Affairs—this motion is being considered by the Member Parliaments.
Furthermore, Azerbaijani women MPs take an active part in the work of a number of other parliamentary organizations as well as of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and the Gender Partnership Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
In conclusion of her address, Gafarova remarked that the discussions of today reiterate the importance of international cooperation—the joint activities of women parliamentarians and exchange of best experience amongst them.
She reminded the assembly of the necessity of such an approach having been emphasized at the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament held in the town of Geneva in Switzerland in July this year as well.
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