Panel on “Women’s role in human development for climate resilience” held at ECO Women’s Forum

As part of the Economic Cooperation Organization’s (ECO) Women’s Forum held in Lachin, a panel session titled “Women’s role in human development for climate resilience” took place, moderated by Vladanka Andreeva, the UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

During the session, Leman Yenigün, Deputy Minister of Family and Social Services of Turkiye, highlighted her country’s climate change strategy, which was presented at COP29. She emphasized Turkiye’s efforts to increase women’s representation in the green energy sector under the patronage of Turkiye’s First Lady, Emine Erdo?an.

“We are committed to empowering women in renewable energy initiatives,” Yenigün stated.

Juldiz Suleymanova, member of Kazakhstan’s parliament and the National Commission on Women and Family Demographic Policy, spoke about Kazakhstan’s contributions to climate change mitigation under the Paris Agreement. She noted that the country is developing a strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, including new educational programs aimed at training specialists across various sectors of the energy and oil industries.

Elnur Nasibov, Chairman of Azerbaijan’s Education Development Foundation, stressed the importance Azerbaijan places on promoting gender equality. He noted close cooperation between the Ministry of Science and Education and the State Committee on Family, Women, and Children’s Issues. “Currently, 60% of students in Azerbaijan are girls, with 36% of them enrolled in vocational education. Our goal is to increase this number to 40%. Additionally, 61% of education loans are utilized by female students,” Nasibov highlighted.

Professor Mehmet Akif Kireçci, President of the ECO Educational Institute, acknowledged the organization’s substantial investments in education but pointed out ongoing challenges. “Women make up 94% of participants in secondary and other education levels, yet globally, 136 million young girls remain out of school. We must also invest in families,” he said.

Mihaela Ionescu, representative of the United Nations Women’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, praised the professional conduct of last year’s COP29 and marked this year’s anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action. “This is a critically important document. When funds are allocated to women, the entire economy benefits,” she remarked.

Farej Huseynbayov, Senior Project Specialist of the Asian Development Bank’s Azerbaijan Office, emphasized the bank’s ongoing commitment to women’s empowerment through various targeted programs and projects aimed at supporting female development.

The panel session concluded with active discussions among participants.