As prepared for delivery

Distinguished guests,

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Mr. Mahir Guliyev, Head of Local executive authorities

Dear Ms. Hijran Huseynova, Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs

Dear Mr. Lawrence Meredith, Director, DG NEAR, European Commission

H.E. Mr. Kestutis Jankauskas, the EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan

Dear Ms. Shahnaz Babayeva, Deputy Head of Sabirabad Executive Authority, Head of Social-Political and Humanitarian Affairs Department

Dear Ms. Gultakin Sadigova, Deputy Head of Neftchala Executive Authority, Head of Social-Political and Humanitarian Affairs Department

Dear NGO colleagues,

Distinguished delegates,

Today we mark the conclusion of a journey UNDP took together with the Government of Azerbaijan and the EU Delegation towards advancing the gender equality and women’s rights in Bilasuvar, Sabirabad, Neftchala and Baku. Two years ago, we all came together to launch a joint project on ‘Enabling civil society to play a greater role in advancing gender equality and women rights’. Bringing the total of EUR 444,000 into this new partnership, the EU and UNDP teamed up with the State Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs (SCFWCA) and a prominent local NGO –the Women’s Association for Rational Development.

This joint action aimed to boost the role of civil society in advancing women’s rights and to promote participatory involvement of women in civic activism. Collectively, we enhanced local capacities of women and organisations in urban and rural parts of the country and advanced the economic liberalisation and gender equality agenda. Emphasising a human rights-based approach, thousands of women and girls have expanded their horizons with hands-on training and learning experiences. Women who never imagined themselves in business before are now financially independent and successfully lead businesses of their own.

During this journey we enjoyed an exceptional support and collaboration from the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, which we see as the strongest standard-bearer for promoting women’s rights and participation in all areas of socio-economic life in Azerbaijan. We have been fortunate to have the Committee as our partner and as a loyal friend, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Hijran Huseynova and her brilliant team for their unwavering commitment to women’s cause in this country.

Speaking of partnership with the Government of Azerbaijan, I would also like to thank the Administrators of Regional Executive Authorities of Sabirabad, Bilasuvar and Neftchala, who accepted our project and assisted us with reaching out to as many rural communities as possible. I would like to thank Mr. Mahir Guliyev, the Head of Bilasuvar Regional Executive Authority, for hosting us today at this event.

I would like to sincerely thank Ambassador Jankauskas for the EU Delegation’s invaluable contribution to the project through their partnership with UNDP and the Government of Azerbaijan to advance women’s economic rights and civic participation in the regions.

Today, at the conclusion of our two-year journey, we take stock of our results and are happy to attest to a fruitful collaboration.

Let me make an important point here. As nations and governments around the globe have united to accelerate the achievement of the Global Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals (or the SDGs), we are committed to bringing all our interventions across the development profession in line with the SDGs. In this particular project, in fact, in all of our efforts we acted with SDGs in mind. As such, we have effectively contributed to Global Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; Goal 8: inclusive economic growth and decent work for all; and Global Goal 10: reducing inequalities.

We have improved the livelihood skills of 355 women through trainings on accounting and computer literacy, financial literacy, job searching, business development, and so on. Over 1,600 women, school children, teachers and parents have learned about the negative impacts of gender-based violence in society. 345 women participated at networking events to ensure greater contribution to community activism and gender equality. 28 rural women were awarded with a kind-contribution and were able to start or improve their businesses. Together, through their new business establishments they now employ 42 women. During these two years, 16 NGOs have increased their capacity to be able to monitor and report on the progress of implementation of CEDAW norms in Azerbaijan.

Moreover, we established a new Women Resource Centre in Bilasuvar and revitalized WRCs in Sabirabad and Neftchala. These WRCs have mobilized about 500 rural women, helping them strengthen their presence, engagement and productivity in community life. Also, these WRCs have been officially registered as women-led local NGOs and they have already received several grants for independent work towards women’s rights and community development. For us, this is an excellent indication that our project’s legacy will stay alive for quite a time.

Looking back at what we managed to accomplish together, I can tell with absolute confidence and pride that this project has become the road to financial independence for women across the capital Baku and suburban Sabirabad, Neftchala and Bilasuvar. It is our shared success story –the story of human lives that we helped change for the better. Today, we proudly talk about the important milestones and achievements of all these women who, in my honest view, are a walking inspiration to all those who do not believe that one person can change the world. Look at these courageous women who had the guts to start a new business from the scratch and –what’s even more fascinating –to bring employment opportunities to other individuals and households in their communities. They can and they do change the world around them, and we are happy that their stories can reach broader audiences as they are now exhibited at various events, including internationally. 

As such, the project on ‘Enabling civil society to play a greater role in advancing gender equality and women's rights was recently nominated to be showcased at this year’s edition of the European Development Days and was the only project representing Azerbaijan at this high-level event taking place on 5-6 June 2018 (in fact happening now) in Brussels, Belgium. Often referred to as the ‘Davos of Development’, this prominent international forum is organised by the European Commission in the quest to bring the development community together and offer a hands-on platform for knowledge sharing and exploring partnership opportunities and innovative solutions to global development challenges.

Earlier in June, the project was also featured at the EuroVillage 2018 festival organised each year by the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan and the embassies of the EU member states in the country. Launched in the National Seaside Park in Baku, this year’s chapter of the festival was devoted to the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first secular democracy in the Muslim world, which also coincided with the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Azerbaijan.

In my concluding remarks, once again, I would like to thank all our partners for this collaboration, and express our commitment that we will continue assisting the Government of Azerbaijan in developing and implementing national development policies that uphold gender equality and help the women of Azerbaijan to have their voices heard and acted upon.

Thank you!