LOCAL
ACHIEVEMENTS AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES
UNIFEM
Launches Global Report
Progress
of the World Women 2005: Women, Work & Poverty” in
Azerbaijan
25
May,
Baku, Azerbaijan – Findings and
recommendations of 2005 UNIFEM Report “Progress of the World’s Women” were
discussed today at the conference “Local Achievements Meeting Global Challenges”
in Baku.
The
conference was officially opened by Ms. Hijran Huseynova, Chair of the State
Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Issues for the Republic of
Azerbaijan. More than eighty participants of the conference included government
officials, deputies of Azerbaijani Parliament, international and national
experts, representatives of UN agencies, international and non-governmental
organizations, leaders of women networks, and academia. In addition,
international and national media were in attendance.
Participants
of the conference discussed global challenges, regional aspects and national
strategies to address the feminization of poverty, promote the economic security
of women and strengthen their economic opportunities. At the conference,
international and national decision makers and the UNIFEM partners had an
opportunity to get acquainted with Fund’s activities at the global level, in the
CIS region and in Azerbaijan to promote and protect gender equality.
Ms. Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the United Nations
Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) visiting Azerbaijan currently took part in
the event with the statement “Progress of World’s Women – Global Challenges in
the 21st Century”.
“Within the informal
economy, women are concentrated in work that is insecure and badly paid, with
high risks of poverty”, - Ms. Heyzer stressed at the conference. “The creation
of opportunities for decent work for women is therefore not only a basic human
right; it is critical for reducing poverty and gender inequalities”, - she said.
Launched
in August 2005 in anticipation of the 2005 World Summit, the UNIFEM Global
Report argues for closer attention to the role of women, particularly working
poor women, in the informal economy, and the impact of this on meeting the
Millennium Development Goals. Since the Report is focused on employment,
especially informal employment, and the potential it has to either perpetuate or
reduce poverty and gender inequality specific issues of women employment in
Azerbaijan were discussed at the conference in Baku.
In
addition, the achievements of the UNIFEM project “Women for Conflict Prevention
and Peace Building in the Southern Caucasus” were presented. From assessing the situation of IDP
women, supporting women leaders to work on gender equality and conflict
resolution, to mobilizing youth on gender and peace – the UNIFEM project has
been active in Azerbaijan since 2001.
For more
information, please contact: Olga
Grebennikova, Communication Specialist, UNIFEM Regional Project “Women for
Conflict Prevention and Peace Building in the Southern Caucasus”; (994 12) 498
98 88, mobile (994 50) 594 60 33, email olga.grebennikova@unifem.org
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UNIFEM
is the women's fund at the United Nations, providing financial support and
technical assistance to innovative programs promoting women's human rights,
their economic and political empowerment, and gender equality in over 100
countries. For more information, visit www.unifem.org
Azerbaijan Gender Information
Center
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