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congratulation to the women of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the International Women Day on 
March 8, 2009: «Our women, distinguished with the devotion to the motherland and country, have 
remained loyal to the national ideology, and today are making their contributions to strengthening 
the Republic of Azerbaijan. The workability, wisdom, high internal culture and devotion to the rich 
moral-spiritual values formed in the course of hundreds of years determine the position and image 
of the present Azerbaijani women, in our-public life». The Heydar Aliyev Foundation as a public 
institution plays an important role in the formation of the women movement in Azerbaijan, in the 
protection of their rights in Azerbaijan. The services of Mehriban Aliyeva, president of the Heydar 
Aliyev Foundation, goodwill ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO, member of the Azerbaijani 
parliament, must be underlined particularly. It should be also stressed that the formation of the 
institution of «the First Lady» in Azerbaijan in its broad sense is connected with the name of 
Mehriban Khanum Aliyeva after the October of 2003. She has been president of the Foundation 
which bears the name of the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev since 2004. She got the 
honorary title of the goodwill ambassador of UNESCO in the August of 2004, that of ISESCO 
in 2006. She is also a member of the parliament, and her versatile activity in the recent years has 
been directed to the dissemination of the ideas in the society which rely on the spiritual values and 
serve the intellectual development. 
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has done a lot in the recent fi ve years for the development of 
science, education, culture, art, music. Along with the said it has paid a special attention to the 
gender problems, to removing the stereotypes contradicting the traditional Azerbaijani family, all 
forms of violence against the women. On January 16, 2008, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the 
Population Fund of the United Nations and the State Committee of Azerbaijan on Family, Women 
and Children Problems signed a joint project on the violence against women in XXI century, 
which is a confi rmation of the said. Within the frames of this project a wide scale enlightenment 
campaign and regional seminars have been organized for learning the international experience by 
drawing international experience, for disseminating information among the population on human 
rights and gender equality. 
Such noble ideas as strengthening peace, widening cross-cultural dialogues, protection of 
women’s rights, gender equality, liquidation of illiteracy, religious and racial discrimination have 
been discussed in high level international forums held in Baku in the recent years on the initiative 
of Mehriban Aliyeva and with the participation of UNESCO.
It is not accidental that Mehriban Khanum Aliyeva, the First Lady of Azerbaijan, was elected 
the Symbol of Mercy at the Third Congress of the Women. She is the symbol of the modern 
Azerbaijani women who takes an active part in the public life of the country, who represents the 
women on a high international level.
When we speak about the women who represent our women on the highest level, it is 
necessary to note particularly the activity of Leyla Aliyeva, chairwoman of the Azerbaijani Youth 
Organization in Russia, editor-in-chief of the magazine «Baku», representative of the Heydar 
In the Name of the Azerba  ani Woman

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In the Name of the Azerba  ani Woman
Aliyev Foundation in Russia. She propagates duly the rich culture, ancient history and national 
traditions of Azerbaijan in Russia, works constructively for the protection of the rights of the 
Azerbaijani youth who live in Russia. 
The work done in Azerbaijan in the direction of gender equality, protection of the rights of 
women, solution of the problems of women in due time show once more that this process which 
was begun by Heydar Aliyev, national leader of Azerbaijan, is successfully continued by President 
Ilham Aliyev, the worthy successor of his political line. The Azerbaijani women have also their 
share in this process. Women are respected and revered very much in the Azerbaijani society. As 
a result of the said, the Azerbaijani women occupy an important place in the Azerbaijani society. 
Today many women occupy important posts in the state structures. Professor Hijran Huseinova, 
chairwoman of the State Committee on the Problems of Family, Women, and Children, Maleyka 
Abbas-zade, chairwoman of the State Commission for the Admission of Students, Bahar Muradova, 
vice-chair of the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Professor Elmira Suleymanova, 
ombudsman of the Republic of Azerbaijan are a few of them. 
Our women are engaged not only in upbringing of the children, they also work successfully 
in the social, political and cultural sphere of the country, in all other spheres of life. Today the 
Azerbaijani women are able to defend their rights, they form a force which takes part actively in 
the process of state building. 

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THE AZERBAIJANI WOMAN - A HISTORICAL REVIEW
The Azerbaijani woman has played an exceptional role in the life of our society, in the formation 
of the system of the national-spiritual values of our people with their will, bravery and courage, 
purity and devotion. Today the names of prominent politicians and stateswomen as Tomris, 
Momina Khatun, Gatiba Khatun, Tuti Bike are commemorated today, too. The activities of these 
women are still being studied by the historians with great interest. 
The growth of the role of the women in the public life in the world in XIX century was felt 
in Azerbaijan, too. The movement of enlightenment in the society was growing particularly. The 
noteworthy activities of such women enlighteners as Khurshid Banu Natavan, Hanifa Khanum 
Malikova, Hamida Khanum Javanshir, Nabat Khanum Ashur beyli-Rzayeva must be noted 
particularly. 
As all the women of the world the Azerbaijani women were also taking steps to defend their 
rights. The women movement in the mid of XIX century which began in Azerbaijan, grew and 
covered all the women enlighteners. Such progressive women as Sh. Efendi-zade, M.Turajbeyli, 
Sh.Akhund-zade were in the fi rst ranks of this movement. 
The school for girls founded by Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev in 1896 in Baku played an exceptional 
role in the enlightenment of the women in Azerbaijan. 
Establishment of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan in 1918 created great chances for 
the Azerbaijani women to become active members of the democratic society. Article 4 of the 
Declaration of Independence adopted by the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan on May 28, 
1918, refl ected the principle of equal rights. 
The Azerbaijani women passed a hard, but an honorable road in the years of the Soviet power. 
In 1921 the First Congress of Women in Azerbaijan was held. After the congress a lot was done 
for the enlightenment of women, for growing their activeness in the public life. On the initiative 
of Jeyran Bayramova the fi rst club for women was set up. In 1922 the fi rst higher teacher training 
school for women was founded. In 1923, a magazine by name of «Sharg gadini» (Oriental Woman) 
began to be published. This magazine gave a strong incentive to the women movement. The 
magazine called the women to take part in labour and socio-political life. 
In the years of the World War II the Azerbaijani women displayed bravery and heroism both 
in the front and in the rear. The women replaced thousands of men, who had gone to the front, in 
the plants and factories, in the fi elds, displayed miracles in labour. The World War II proved once 
more visually that the Azerbaijani women was able to stand all the hard tests bravely. 
After the war Azerbaijan stepped into a new stage, a stage of progress. The women was again 
in the front ranks of this stage. 
The Azerbaijani women were the heroines of the labour front. Twice heroines of Socialist 
Labour Basti Bagirova, Shamama Hasanova, Heroine of Socialist Labour Sevil Gaziyeva and 
In the Name of the Azerba  ani Woman

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