Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva made a speech at the International Conference on Protection of the Rights of IDP Women

On February 24, 2020, an international conference titled “IDP Women’s call for justice: addressing their needs in peace and security agenda” was co-organized by the Center for International Relations Analysis (AIR Center), the Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the UN Country Office in Azerbaijan. The conference was dedicated to the 20^th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. The event was attended by representatives of government agencies, non-governmental organizations and the media, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps, a number of international experts and internally displaced women.

Speaking at the event, Assistant of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan - Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev, Chairman of the Board of the AIR Center Farid Shafiyev, the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva, Chairman of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs Hijran Huseynova, UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Azerbaijan Gulam M. Isaczai, Head of the Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of of the Republic of Azerbaijan Tural Ganjaliyev, highlighted the importance of the international community’s focus on peace and security and noted the significance of active role of women  in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva stated that the reforms initiated by the National leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev to further strengthen our statehood and effective protection of human rights are successfully developed under the leadership of the President Ilham Aliyev. Implementation of comprehensive measures serves effective promotion and protection of the rights of each group of population, including refugees and IDPs. Thus, an appropriate legislative framework has been created to address social needs, education, health and other rights of internally displaced persons, along with improving their living conditions.

It was noted that the people of Azerbaijan, having a rich historical heritage, always respected the role of the woman in the family and society, and regarded her as a leading force, regardless of socio-economic status, nationality, language and religion. At all stages of the development of society, women, along with men, took an active part in state-building. At present, a number of activities are being carried out in our country to develop the activity of women in various fields, as well as their active participation in governance, decision-making, enhancing women's entrepreneurship and engagement in self-employment programs.

Sabina Aliyeva emphasized that that today, along with the IDPs, each Azerbaijani woman living in the country is making every effort to find a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is the most serious problem for our people. Currently, more than 330,000 of nearly 700,000 IDPs in the country are women. These women take part in development of different research and educational programs in their communities being guided by the domestic laws, UN resolutions and international conventions; thus they contribute to the development of society.

The Ombudsman mentioned that during armed conflicts, many families face difficult economic and social conditions, and in such cases mostly women and children suffer: their access to health and education system is limited. On the other hand, they should be prevented from physical damage, labor and sexual exploitation, becoming victims of human trafficking, and they should also be involved in decision-making procedures, with special attention to not to allow discrimination on the basis of sex in the use of privileges. For this purpose, it is important to develop appropriate programs for women on specific modules, taking into account the modern challenges.

Moreover, the Ombudsman added that the statement regarding the 28^th anniversary of Khojaly Genocide issued by her was sent to the UN Secretary General, the UN Security Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Human Rights Council and other organizations. It was noted that the abovementioned statement enshrined unconditional implementation of the provisions of the UN conventions, UN Security Council resolutions, also the need for restoring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the return of more than one million refugees and IDPs to their native lands, the release of captives and hostages, and ensuring justice for Khojaly in order to achieve the declared principles of the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals, aiming at developing the world by 2030.

The conference continued with panels.