An Azerbaijani delegation led by Bahar Muradova, Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, is participating in an international conference in Cairo titled “Harnessing Religious and Media Discourse and its Impact on the Protection and Promotion of Women’s Rights in OIC Member States.”
Organized by Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and the National Council for Women of Egypt under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the event's opening day featured addresses by the OIC Secretary-General, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb, as well as heads of relevant institutions and state officials from OIC member states.
During the working sessions, discussions focused on the protection of women's rights and the influence of media in shaping public perception. In her remarks, Bahar Muradova detailed the large-scale, systematic measures implemented in Azerbaijan to protect women's and children's rights. She emphasized that increasing the representation of women in governance and across the law enforcement, science, healthcare, education, culture, and agricultural sectors is a core component of Azerbaijani state policy aimed at enhancing the quality of administration. Muradova further underscored the importance of education in strengthening the status of women. She highlighted that the country’s historical commitment to women's education – notably the opening of the first secular girls' school in the East in 1901 – marked a significant milestone in legitimizing women's public roles.
The Chairperson also briefed participants on the State Committee’s active educational campaigns across Azerbaijan's regions, which focus on promoting education and mitigating the risks of early and consanguineous marriages.
The two-day conference is set to continue with panels on the role of women in combating ideological extremism, their contributions to peace, security, and the national GDP, and protection against cyber violence.
Shikhali Aliyev
Special correspondent
