Press Release for the Video-Conference “Women for Peace”

On 24 November, the International Video Conference “Women for Peace” will bring together international experts from Latvia, Azerbaijan, the Netherlands, Lithuania as well as the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, UNDP and NGOs to discuss and share experience on the prevention of family violence during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Other topics for the conference: - women role in decision making process; - gender equality; - women rights.

Latvia will be represented by one of the Latvia’s National Action Plan Ambassadors, Ms Ilze Rūse, who is very experienced diplomat and currently holds position of Director of the International Organizations and Human Rights Department at the MFA of Latvia, Head of the NGO “Marta”, Ms Iluta Lāce which already has experience in Central Asia.

Azerbaijan will be represented by Ms Sadagat Gahramanova, First Deputy Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Woman and Child Affairs, and Ms Shahla Ismayilova, leader of Azerbaijani NGO “WARD”.

Ms Simona Gatti, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, and Ms Pascalle Grotenhuis, Ambassador Women’s Rights & Gender Equality from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Netherlands will also share their views on this topic.

Ms Jolanta Reingardé from the European Institute for Gender Equality from Vilnius (Lithuania) will give a presentation on Gender Equality Index 2020: Can we wait 60 years

The closing of the Conference will be delivered by Ms. Shamsiya Mustafayeva, Coordination Officer at the UNDP Mission in Azerbaijan.

This year is dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Its adoption was a historic milestone which was directly addressing the impact of warfare on women, as well as the role of women in resolving armed conflicts and maintenance of peace. It also underlined the need to consider women’s interests in the post-conflict environment and achieving higher representation of women at all levels of decision-making.

The Embassy of the Latvia in Azerbaijan is organizing the Conference “Women for Peace” in cooperation with the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan within the framework of the International Festival of Contemporary Art “Maiden Tower. To Be a Woman" on 16-24 November 2020.