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on the institution of the State Committee on the Problems of Women. It gave additional powers to 
women, a special state institution was set up for dealing with their problems. This document is the 
indicator of the highest state policy which supports the more active participation of the women in 
the life of the country, their occupation of more signifi cant posts in all the spheres of the society 
in all its senses.
On January 14, 1998, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev signed a resolution 
«On the Measures Aimed at Increasing the Role of Women in Azerbaijan». The Resolution charged 
the Cabinet of Ministers to develop proposals on the foundation of the state policy in relation to 
women, their participation in the work of state structures, in the public life of the country, on 
strengthening their social maintenance and others. 
Determination of the basic principles of the state policy in relation to women in Azerbaijan is 
connected with the name of Heydar Aliyev, national leader of Azerbaijan. In all the periods of his 
rule in Azerbaijan he paid a special attention to the problems of women policy. The congresses of 
women were also held in Azerbaijan on the initiative of Heydar Aliyev. 
Though the Congress of the Azerbaijani women held on September 16, 1998, was considered 
the Fifth Congress from historical point of view, still it was the fi rst congress of the Azerbaijani 
women of the independent Azerbaijan. The National leader Heydar Aliyev made an extensive 
speech at the congress and highly appreciated the role of women in the society in Azerbaijan. 
This what he said: «…..The 20
th
 century, which is coming to an end, has been a century of great 
achievements, events and changes for the Azerbaijani women. The most important achievement 
has been their liberation. The emancipation of the Azerbaijani women is a historical event, a great 
revolution».
Heydar Aliyev attached great signifi cance to the role of the women in the establishment of a 
civilized society. To ensure the equality of women and men, particularly their representation in the 
administration of the state on a due level and constructively, on March 6, 2000, he issued a decree 
«On the Implementation of the State Policy on Women in the Republic of Azerbaijan». This 
decree was exceedingly important for the women from the point of view of realization of their 
potentials. The decree reviewed the strained and uneven road of struggle of the women up to the 
present state of development, highly appreciated the activity of the reliable and glorious women 
movement in the republic. The decree stressed particularly that the representation of women in the 
administration of the country on an equal level with men had to be ensured in all the state bodies 
by taking into account the kind of activity. 
In his congratulation on the occasion of the International Women Day on March 8, 2003, President 
of the Republic of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev expressed the present status of the Azerbaijani women 
in the society more correctly like this: «The Azerbaijani women, who have covered a complicated 
and uneven road of life, stood the tests of the history bravely and honestly, have got the chance to 
live as active members of the democratic society established in our democratic republic». 
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev-new stage of women policy. The women 
In the Name of the Azerba  ani Woman

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In the Name of the Azerba  ani Woman
policy is one of the priority directions in the activity of Ilham Aliyev, elected President of 
the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 15, 2003. At the meeting with the participants of the 
international conference on the topic «The Role of Women in Conditions of New Security: The 
Strategic Importance of Gender Policy» on September 27, 2005, President Ilham Aliyev said: 
«The role played by women in the establishment of relations among the countries and peoples is 
very important. We pay great attention to the problem of gender in Azerbaijan, and the level of 
presentation of women in our parliament and other organizations is suffi ciently high. The women 
are very active. It is the manifestation of the normal democratic development of our country».    
Taking into account that it is necessary to solve the problems of family and children in connection 
with each other, in the form of a complex, President Ilham Aliyev issued a resolution on February 
6, 2006, on the reformation of the Committee on the Problems of Family, Women and Children as 
a body which executed the state policy in the fi eld of gender.
The law «On Ensuring Gender (men and women) Equality» adopted by the parliament in the 
December of 2006 due to the legislative initiative of the President of Azerbaijan acquires a special 
importance from this point of view. The document refl ects the mechanism of legal regulation 
of the protection of gender balance. The law provides equal chances for men and women in the 
public, political, economic, social and cultural life and in other spheres, removal of all the forms 
of gender discrimination. The law also defi nes the main directions and objectives of the state 
policy connected with the assurance of the gender equality. All this strengthens the socio-political 
activity of the Azerbaijani women, increases their role in the development of the society and in 
the process of state building. 
As a logical conclusion of this law, a republican conference was held on October 13, 2006, on 
the topic «Development, Strategy and Perspectives of Women entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan». 
The goal of the conference was the elaboration of proposals and their submission to the state 
structures for the development of entrepreneurship of women and for removing the obstacles in 
this sphere. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent his congratulations to the 
conference.
On November 27-28, 2006, the International Conference of the Women Lawyers was held. 
It was held on the initiative of the Baku Offi ce of OSCE and the Association of Lawyers of the 
United States and with the support of the State Committee on the Problems of Family, Women 
and Children, and the Ministry of Justice. The goal of the conference was to exchange views 
on the international practice and to reveal the differences in assurance of gender equality in the 
legislation of various countries. 
On September 26, 2008, the Third Congress of the Women of Azerbaijan was held. It had the 
goal of reviewing the women movement at the qualitatively new stage of social-economic and 
democratic development of the country, summing up the work in this sphere in the recent years, 
as well as identifying the future objectives in the gender policy. 
President Ilham Aliyev, who treats the activities of women with care and attention, wrote in the 

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