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Internet Access and Training Program (IATP)
Citizens Discuss Women’s Role in Development of Local Self-Governance in Eurasia Online
Gunel Gurbanova (left), IATP Program Assistant,
helps Lyudmila Khalilova (right) to type answers during
the online discussion from the IATP main office in
Baku, Azerbaijan
Over 50 citizens from 6 Eurasian countries gathered online to address the problems and prospects for the development of municipalities in their countries and women’s role in local self-governance. The February 9 forum brought together NGO officials, librarians, high school teachers, journalists, and general public from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Ukraine, who had the unique opportunity to exchange their views on gender roles, voice concerns and problems on various women’s issues in their countries, and discuss possible solutions to them.
To begin the online discussion, Lyudmila Khalilova, director of nongovernmental organization Women for Development of Municipalities (WDM), from Baku, Azerbaijan, delivered a presentation about the goals and activities of her organization. Over 20 members and volunteers of WDM, primarily women and girls, have recently completed various IATP courses to obtain necessary computer, Internet, and Web design skills to promote women’s empowerment issues through their organization. Khalilova remarked, “Learning the experience of democratic countries and legislature of our country on local self-governance, we understood the importance of having a new institute for identifying problems at places and immediately addressing them in which the citizen participation is a vital part.” She added, “Currently there are 51 municipalities in Baku with 659 elected members of which only 12% are women. In fact, only two of all municipality chairpersons are women. As you see, the facts reveal that women are largely underrepresented in local self-governance.”
The participants shared views on activities of municipalities in their countries, exchanged experience on women participation in municipalities, discussed problems which they face while working in these entities, and noted the need for improved gender education in society. Maruf Mahmudov, representative of nongovernmental organization Avicenna, from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, asked, “Please share your experience in attracting women to local self-governance as currently there is a new law on self-governance being developed in Tajikistan.” Khalilova replied, “First of all, it is necessary to conduct awareness activities. Women are mostly left aside, because they have little knowledge of their rights and opportunities. Since they have many social responsibilities, they need support and motivation from others.” The event helped participants across Eurasia exchange their views on women’s role in development of municipalities, voice concerns and problems on various women’s empowerment issues in their countries, and discuss possible solutions.
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