Azernews.Az

President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Gunay Afandiyeva, has addressed the Non-Aligned Movement Conference on Advancing Rights and Empowerment of Women.

In her speech, the current chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, Baku Gunay Afandiyeva, touched upon the social activism of women in Turkic-speaking countries from the past to the present day and the attitude towards women, Azernews reports.

She hailed the achievements of prominent women, including female rulers, diplomats, writers, and poetesses, who left a deep mark in the history of the Turkic world.

The foundation president also highly appreciated the services of the First Vice President of Azerbaijan, the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva, as an example of the leading women of the Turkic world, taking into account the projects, initiatives, and charitable actions carried out under her leadership, which have gained significant influence both within the country and internationally.

Speaking about the activities of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Gunay Afandiyeva stressed that the organisation brings civilizations and people together through international-level projects and events.

The foundation contributes to the further strengthening of interstate and global cooperation and solidarity through cultural diplomacy.

She recalled the foundation's projects, including the book "Poetry Anthology of Azerbaijani Women Poets," published in English, German, Italian, Bulgarian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and other languages, as well as the Seven Beauties Ensemble, named after Nizami Ganjavi's masterpiece.

The ensemble consists of professional female musicians representing seven countries of Turkic origin: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Hungary.

Gunay Afandiyeva expressed the inadmissibility of the deaths of hundreds of women and children during armed conflicts in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and other regions.

She noted that hundreds of women in Africa lost their lives due to hunger, a lack of food, and a lack of necessary health services.

The President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation drew attention to the destruction of historical monuments and handicrafts in Azerbaijan's Garabagh region as a result of the 30-year occupation.

In conclusion, Gunay Afandiyeva called on the world community not to fall into double standards, not to lose objectivity, and not to turn a blind eye to injustice.​

Note that the Non-Aligned Movement Conference on Advancing the Rights and Empowerment of Women was co-organized by Azerbaijan, the current Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as Uganda and Uzbekistan, the next chairs of the organisation.

The event was held on the basis of the initiatives announced by President Ilham Aliyev at the Ministerial Meeting of the NAM Coordinating Bureau held in July this year.

Around 60 delegations, including representatives of NAM member states and the states with observer status under the organization, international organizations, as well as the high-ranking officials invited as special guests participated in the conference.

The conference featured discussions on topics such as the development of women's rights and empowerment of women within the NAM, as well as women's major role in sustainable development, economic growth, peace and security issues and other areas.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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