There was a meeting at the parliamentary Family, Women’s and Children’s Affairs Committee on 12 October on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child and as part of active young girls’ introductory visits to various governmental agencies and private organisations on 12 October.

That meeting was held as part of the campaign dedicated to the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October and launched by the ‘Regional Development’ Public Association with the financial back-up of the European Union (EU) and with organisational input of both the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Women’s Affairs Agency.

The chair of the Family, Women’s and Children’s Affairs Committee Hijran Huseynova welcomed the participants of the meeting which, he said, was taking place at the suggestion of Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. She congratulated the girls on their International Day and passed on to them the greetings of the leader of the Azerbaijani parliament.

The formation and evolution of the state policy on children in Azerbaijan is associated with the name of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev and this policy is continued successfully by President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva today, according to Mrs Huseynova.

The work done by the Milli Majlis to create and streamline the appropriate legislative frameworks and the laws passed in defence of children as well as gender equality were talked of next.

There is the State Family, Women’s and Children’s Problems Committee in the country. Women play a key role in families and in parenting but it is equally important that they be active in general and in public life in particular. Mrs Huseynova commended on women’s representation in state entities including in senior positions in Azerbaijan.

The deputy chair of the committee Jala Aliyeva and its member-MPs Tamam Jafarova, Sadagat Valiyeva, Sevil Mikayilova and Konul Nurullayeva, too, congratulated the meeting participants on the International Day of the Girl Child and told them the country had available every opportunity for children’s patriotic upbringing and moulding into dignified citizens of the state. Besides, the MPs stressed that it was important that girls should be active in life and education; they recommended that girls should work towards acquisition of knowledge and skills in every area and be active in public affairs as all that would make them confident of their capabilities and lay a foundation for their eventual solid positions in life.

The meeting participants Fidan Khalilova, Latifa Najafova, Gulnur Niftali, Deniz Salimova, Nuriya Yagublu and Leyla Farajova thanked for the kind welcome they had been given, commented on some of their life and education concerns and asked questions.

Hijran Huseynova answered their questions in great detail and wished them success in their lives.

The other participants of the meeting included the head of the Social Legislation Department of the Milli Majlis Staff Adil Valiyev, an UNFPA project manager Sabina Manafova and a ‘Regional Development’ project manager Zarifa Mammadli.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis