AZERBAIJAN: WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH AND

UNCLAS BAKU 000379

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR S/WE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM KPAO OIIP IWI AJ
SUBJECT: AZERBAIJAN: WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH AND
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY PROGRAMMING REPORT

REF: A. STATE 198968


B. STATE 19118


1. Per reftel requests, throughout March the Embassy
concentrated programming on women's empowerment issues. In
formal and informal settings, the Ambassador, Emboffs, and
American visitors to Azerbaijan noted Women's History Month
and International Women's Day, emphasizing that women's
participation in all aspects of civic life is essential to
progress. Events that focused solely on women's issues are
outlined below.


2. The Embassy organized a March 6 discussion with visiting
American scholars Dr. Valerie Bunce and Dr. Sharon Wolchik on
women and politics. The event was held at the office of the
American Alumni Association, a 2,000 member strong
organization of Azerbaijani youth who have studied in the
U.S. Approximately 40 youth from a range of political
affiliations participated; most were young women. Dr. Bunce
and Dr. Wolchik outlined trends in women's participation in
politics in the region since the collapse of the Soviet
Union, and gave examples of American women who have been
successful at the highest levels of the political arena. The
group was lively and engaged, and we have since received
requests for further programming on women's issues.


3. To commemorate International Women's Day on March 8, the
Ambassador sent letters of congratulations to First Lady
Mehriban Aliyeva and Chairwoman of the State Committee on
Family, Women, and Children's Issues Hijran Huseynova. In the
letters, the Ambassador echoed the Secretary's comments that
while we can celebrate the fact that women have taken their
rightful place in society, we must also recognize that there
is still much to be done.


4. On March 14, Poloff presented a lecture entitled
"Influential American Women of the Past Century" as part of
Baku State University's American Studies program. She gave
examples of American women who have influenced U.S. politics,
culture, and a range of industries. About 30 students
attended, and the group was actively engaged during the
lecture and follow-on discussion, comparing women's political
participation in the U.S. and Azerbaijan. The group requested
a lecture on trafficking in persons, which we plan to present
in April.


5. On March 29, the Embassy hosted a lunch with female
Members of Parliament (MPs) in honor of visiting USOSCE
Ambassador Finley. Five female MPs attended, and expressed
interest in continuing engagement on women's issues. We will
provide a full readout of the discussion septel.


6. In addition to the March events, on April 13 we plan to
honor our nominee for the Secretary of State's Award for
International Women of Courage, human rights activist Novella
Jafarova.
DERSE