A delegation led by the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board (CMB), Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, participated in events held within the framework of the "2025 Islamic World Year in Belgium and Europe," organized under the high patronage of His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium and jointly by the European Academy for Development and Research (EDARA), ICESCO, the Baku International Multiculturalism Centre, and the Caucasus Muslims Board. The delegation participated in a meeting at the UN Women's Office in Brussels on March 7.
The event, which opened with a welcoming address by Florence Rayes, Director of the UN Women's Office in Brussels, discussed issues arising from the 1995 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Rahima Dadashova, Head of the Press Service of the Caucasus Muslims Board and Doctor of Philosophy in Historical Sciences, spoke at the event, which was organized on the occasion of March 8 – International Women's Day and dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Recalling that the Constitution of independent Azerbaijan, which joined the Beijing Convention, enshrines the equal rights of women and men, R. Dadashova emphasized the high level of representation of Azerbaijani women in all spheres of life – science, education, culture, healthcare, economy, diplomacy, and state institutions.
Evaluating the holding of such an event in Brussels on the eve of March 8 – International Women's Day as significant and important, R. Dadashova specifically stressed the exceptional role of women in Azerbaijan—an avant-garde state of the East—in the formation of the national and spiritual value system of our people through their intellect, dedication, courage, and dignity. Noting that historically, Azerbaijani women have always been at the forefront of Muslim women in the East, distinguished by their high creative potential, enlightened, and charitable characteristics, R. Dadashova drew attention to the remarkable historical fact that Azerbaijani women were the first among the advanced countries of the world, even before the USA, to be granted the right to elect and be elected.
Emphasizing that the "Law on State Women's Policy," signed by National Leader Heydar Aliyev in 2000, provides the legal basis for the activities of Azerbaijani women who actively participate in the democratic state-building process, R. Dadashova noted the existence of the State Committee for Family, Women, and Children's Problems in Azerbaijan. The speaker highlighted the valuable work of the country's First Vice-President, Mehriban Aliyeva, as a political figure in raising the power and prestige of our Homeland and in the process of national state-building, as well as the universal significance of her cultural and humanitarian initiatives, noting that this phenomenon is an exemplary model for Azerbaijani and world women.
R. Dadashova stated that in the worthy preservation of our centuries-old cultural and spiritual wealth and sacred family values, and in the education of the younger generation in the spirit of patriotism, in the light of national-spiritual values, tolerance, and multiculturalism, Azerbaijani women have always been the moral support of our society and have rendered unparalleled services. The Azerbaijani woman showed an example of steadfastness at the decisive moments of our history. R. Dadashova emphasized the contribution of Azerbaijani women to the historical Victory achieved in the victorious Patriotic War under the leadership of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and noted that the head of state congratulates Azerbaijani women every year on the occasion of International Women's Day and highly appreciates their labor
Following this, Gamar Javadli, Deputy Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board and Doctor of Philosophy in Philology, made a speech, giving detailed information about the issues under her supervision as the deputy for women's affairs at the CMB (a religious center), including women's activities within the Muslim community, their education, and so on. G. Javadli highly appreciated the initiative to declare 2025 as the Year of the Islamic World in Belgium and Europe, noted Azerbaijan's representation in the events within the framework of this year as a highly valuable occasion, and commended the event at the UN Women's Office in Brussels.
CMB Press Service