Raised at the ECO Women&#rsquo;s Forum:
Iran&#rsquo;s Proposals to Strengthen Regional Cooperation in Women&#rsquo;s Empowerment / Tehran Declares Readiness to Host High-Level ECO Women&#rsquo;s Summit Next Year
Mr. Behzad Azarsa, Head of ECO and Multilateral Economic Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of IRI, attended the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Women&#rsquo;s Forum in Lachin, Azerbaijan, where he delivered a speech on behalf of the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs at this important event.
According to the Public Relations Office of the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs, Iran’s representative addressed the damage caused by the recent aggression of the Zionist regime against Iran. This blatant violation of Human Rights resulted in the injuries of over 5,000 people and the martyrdom of more than 670 civilians, with 102 women, 38 children, and four pregnant mothers among them. In addition to these human losses, over 70 industrial and production centers were severely damaged. These attacks not only endangered lives but also hurt small businesses, women’s home-based enterprises, daily wage workers, digital entrepreneurs, and other local economic activities.
Iran’s representative then outlined more details about policies and actions concerning women’s empowerment. He highlighted outstanding achievements in this area, including increasing women’s representation in government leadership roles, boosting their involvement in science and technology, supporting women’s rural cooperatives and businesses, and offering financial facilities and training to enhance their skills. These measures show Iran’s comprehensive approach to ensure women’s active participation in economic and social development.
Additionally, the Islamic Republic of Iran shared several proposals to expand and strengthen regional cooperation regarding women’s empowerment, including establishing an ECO Regional Women’s Platform for Sustainable Development, launching a Virtual Network for Women’s Business Partnerships, Organizing workshops on digital skills and green development, allocating an ECO Green Credit Fund for Women to support projects, Providing financial support for women-led initiatives in renewable energy, smart agriculture, and sustainable tourism, and holding annual high-level meetings of women representatives from ECO member states.
In conclusion, Iran announced that it is fully prepared to host the first annual High-Level ECO Women’s Summit next year and emphasized the importance of unity and cooperation among member states in facing common regional challenges.