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Azerbaijan demonstrates commitment to gender equality

27 February 2018 15:49 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan demonstrates commitment to gender equality

By Kamila Aliyeva

Azerbaijan is one of the countries ready to demonstrate commitment to gender equality in all spheres and at the highest level, according to Zoltan Hernyes, Head of Office of the Council of Europe in Azerbaijan.

He made the remarks at a meeting dedicated to gender equality in the media in Baku on February 27.

Azerbaijan is one of the first states to give voting rights to women not only in the east, but also in Europe and the world, Hernyes said, adding that today, Azerbaijan demonstrates its commitment to gender equality, supporting the efforts of various structures and organizations in this direction, as well as projects like those we are discussing today, on gender equality in the media.

Vugar Salimov, an employee of the Department of Public and Political Issues of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, for his part, noted that the Presidential Administration actively supports projects of the Council of Europe on gender equality.

“Equality is one of the main directions of development for us,” Salimov said.

Head of EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas noted that Azerbaijan is on the way to ensuring a full balance in terms of gender equality.

“There is no need to mention how important the role of the media is in the world. Gender equality should be observed at all levels of working structures,” he noted, adding that Azerbaijan pays due attention to gender equality by putting efforts to provide women with all rights and freedoms, both in the media and beyond.

Addressing the event, Representative of EU Delegation’s Media Division Lejla Dervisagis said that Azerbaijan is taking all the necessary steps to ensure gender equality.

One of the projects actively supported today by the Council of Europe in Azerbaijan is dedicated to strengthening the rights of women and further ensuring their freedoms, she said.

Dervisagis noted that the new project, supported by the Council of Europe and EU missions in Azerbaijan, aims to increase the role of women in the media structures as well as to shape a new code of media ethics in Azerbaijan.

She added that higher educational institutions play an important role in promoting the idea of gender equality in the media.

Representative of the Azerbaijani parliament Aflatun Amashov and Head of the Office of Ombudsman Aydin Safikhanli also delivered speeches at the meeting.

In 1918, Azerbaijan became the first country in the Muslim world which granted women right to vote.

Azerbaijan has joined a number of conventions on gender equality. The country strives to ensure gender equality and empower women in public and social life.

The proportion of women among entrepreneurs reached 21 percent in early 2017. The proportion of women in the Azerbaijani Parliament is 188 percent. Deputy Heads in 71 executive powers out of the 78 are females.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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