The ECO delegation, led by Deputy Secretary General Mr. Kashif Zaman participated at the Non-Aligned Movement Conference on “Advancing Rights and Empowerment of Women” on November 21 in Baku. The two day conference was co-organized by Azerbaijan, the current Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, along with Uganda and Uzbekistan, the next chairs of the organization.
More than 60 delegations involving representatives of the NAM Member States, international organizations and high-ranking officials attended the conference. The discussions revolved around topics such as the development of women’s rights and empowerment of women as well as women’s role in sustainable development, economic growth and peace and security.
The Deputy Secretary General reaffirmed ECO’s commitment to the cause of advancement of women rights in line with ECO Vision 2025 and Agenda 2030. He apprised the delegates about various initiatives ECO has been taking to uplift the status of women in Member States through socio-economic projects aimed at enhancing women’s standard of living, quality of life and the economic well-being. He said the result of those initiatives were reflected in the Global Gender Gap Index 2023 which showed marked improvement in the status of women with respect to health, education and their participation in decision making. He said there had been significant progress in the elimination of gender disparities around the world but various challenges remained.
The Deputy Secretary General also held bilateral interaction with the visiting delegates on issues of mutual interest and apprised them about ECO’s programs and activities.
