Dear ladies,

Dear friends

I would like to cordially welcome all the participants and guests of the 5th Women’s Forum marking the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Azerbaijan. Your forum is taking place on quite important days for Azerbaijan. Our country marks the centenary of a great historic event. One hundred years ago, on May 28, 1918, having adopted the Declaration of Azerbaijan’s Independence, leading political and public figures of our country proclaimed the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. All the attributes of the statehood – coat of arms, flag, anthem, national army and currency – were established in the young republic.

The state structure of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic featured such values of our people as love for freedom, dignity, tolerance and respect for women. For the first time in the Muslim East, a democratic republic with a multi-national and multi-party parliament was created. It was 100 years ago when the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic took a very progressive decision well in advance of its period. For the first time in the Muslim East, much earlier than in the US and many European countries, women in the independent Azerbaijan were granted equal rights to elect and be elected with men.

Dear women, dear friends,

Our people had made a great path for many years to this milestone date – May 28, 1918. In the second half of the 19th century, a process of national revival started among the leading public figures of Azerbaijan, the idea of carrying out progressive reforms, rebuilding the society based on new and contemporary thinking was becoming widespread. Women’s education, the struggle for their social, political and civil rights and expansion of educational opportunities for them was one of the crucial tasks for the progressive-minded public figures of Azerbaijan. In 1901, the first secular school for girls in the Muslim East opened in Azerbaijan, the first newspapers and magazines addressing the situation of women began to be published in the second decade of the 20th century thanks to efforts of oil industrialist and philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. All this created a crucial foundation for the proclamation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and for a historic decision by the leadership of the young republic to grant Azerbaijani women equal voting rights with men.

Unfortunately, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was short-lived. Twenty-three months after its establishment, the republic fell victim to foreign military aggression. Azerbaijan became part of the USSR for a long period that stretched 70 years.

However, progressive changes regarding the status of women continued. Illiteracy was eradicated. Education, healthcare and science experienced great development. Azerbaijani women gained new opportunities for receiving education and realizing their creative potential. They studied new professions and new spheres of activities. Female pilots of civil and military aviation, female physicians, engineers, lawyers and scientists emerged in the country. Measures to ensure social protection of the mother and child were strengthened.

Dear women, dear friends.

These results achieved during the existence of the USSR gathered momentum today. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, our country regained its statehood and independence. The state symbols of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic - its national anthem, coat of arms and flag – were restored.

The modern Azerbaijan is an established and dynamically developing state. Under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, our country has made great strides in terms of social and economic development. Over the past 10 years, Azerbaijan’s economy has grown three-fold, 1.5 million new jobs have been created and thousands of schools, hospitals and sports complexes have been built.

The priority task for the leadership in Azerbaijan, where the equality of rights of women and men was guaranteed 100 years ago, is to ensure the active participation of women in all spheres of public life. This task is a priority for the country’s leadership. Back in March, 2000, national leader Heydar Aliyev signed an order on a new state policy in relation to women, which was aimed at achieving proportional representation of women in power organs, business and economy. Much work is today being done to enhance the social protection of women and improve their social and economic situation under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. Reducing the poverty level from 49 percent to 5.4 percent, raising salaries and pensions, and increasing the social protection of citizens – all this directly applies to our women as well. The issue of women’s employment in Azerbaijan, including the regions, is also being successfully addressed. Their political, economic and public activity is growing.

Dear women, dear friends,

A hundred years ago, in the early days of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the elimination of illiteracy among women, expansion of their access to education and healthcare were the key priorities. The majority of doctors and teachers in Azerbaijan are women. The number of female scientists, civil servants, law enforcement employees, public figures, MPs, members of the Supreme Court, employees of the executive authorities is growing. There is no sphere of activity closed or banned for women in Azerbaijan.

Dear women, dear friends,

Over the past years, Azerbaijan has acquired truly unique experience in successfully ensuring women’s rights, their active participation in public and political life. In a world where discrimination still exists, where majority of women and girls lack access to education and have their basic rights not protected, this experience is still in demand and relevant. I am confident that our combined efforts will help solve the problems that women face in many regions of the world.

Dear women, I wish you all success, peace, prosperity and happiness. I once again congratulate you on the occasion of the national holiday of our country, Republic Day.

Mehriban Aliyeva

First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan