Azernews.Az

By Gulgiz Dadashova

Azerbaijan's capital Baku will host First Club de Madrid South Caucasus Forum on Inclusion, Promoting Women's Empowerment and Building Shared Societies on May 6-8.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Club de Madrid Members, Nizami Ganjavi International Center Members, and over 400 high level experts, stakeholders, scholars and civil society representatives will participate in the forum.

They will address democracy-related issues like inclusion, shared societies and women's economic, social and political empowerment.

The Nizami Ganjavi International Center, a cultural, non-profit, non-political organization dedicated to the memory of Azerbaijan poet, Nizami Ganjavi, with the support of the State Committee for the work with Diaspora of Azerbaijan, Library of Alexandria, Fundacion Cultura de Paz and Ganja city Mayors office has invited the Club de Madrid, the largest forum of democratically elected former Presidents and Prime Ministers, to co-organize this first "South Caucasus Forum on Inclusion; Promoting Women's Empowerment and Building Shared Societies in Azerbaijan" which is aimed at sharing the experience and vision of the Members of the Club de Madrid with that of authorities and stakeholders in Azerbaijan, particularly on the issues of Shared Societies and women's empowerment. This will be the first Club de Madrid forum in the Caucasus.

Queen Noor of Jordan, Greece's ex foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis, Israel's ex prime minister Ehud Barack, President of Jordan Senate Taher al- Masri, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General Nafis Sadik will join Nizami Ganjavi International Center Members --Director of the Library of Alexandria Ismail Serageldin, Latvia's ex president Vaira Vike Freiberga, Finland's ex president Tarja Halonen; former Director General of UNESCO Federico Mayor Zaragoza, and democratic former Heads of State and Members of the Club de Madrid, Wim Kok, Jorge Quiroga, Ricardo Lagos, Cassam Uteem, Jennifer M. Shipley, Cassam Uteem, Micheline Calmy-Rey and influential personalities as Susan Sher former chief Michelle Obama staff, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO Marianna V. Vardinoyannis and special guests as Oscar winning actress Mira Sorvino, best selling Benelux singer Lara Fabian and others.

The most important session of the forum will be held in Baku on May 7-8. This gathering of 60 former head of states and governments and scholars from 70 country will allow for the presentation of key messages and commitments of the Club de Madrid's Shared Societies Project and thus raise awareness and contribute to building a shared society in Azerbaijan.

The Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC) was established in Azerbaijan in 2012 under the auspices of the Council of Patrons with their Excellencies Vaira Vike -Freiberga (former President of Latvia), Roza Otunbayeva (former President of Kirgizstan), Suleyman Demirel (former President of Turkey), Ismail Serageldin (director Library of Alexandria), Tarja Halonen (former President of Finland).

The NGIC is a cultural center dedicated to Nizami's memory and to make better known his works which have inspired operas, ballets and modern plays as well as endless discussions and writings. But the NGIC also wants to keep his legacy alive by arranging intercultural events, both international and local, that promote the values of tolerance and understanding that he made famous.