Women volunteers’ role spotlighted at international forum in Azerbaijan

The event was organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Azerbaijan together with the International Women’s Club of Baku. It brought together prominent public figures, women entrepreneurs, representatives of government agencies, NGOs, and diplomats.

Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Alim Bayel, emphasized that the forum coincided with Azerbaijan’s Independence Day and the Year of Volunteers. He recalled that 2026 was declared by the UN as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, following the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Bayel also noted that modern volunteerism in Kazakh society has its roots in the ancient tradition of mutual assistance known as asar.

Hijran Huseynova, Chair of Azerbaijan’s Parliamentary Committee on Family, Women and Children, spoke about the history of women’s activism in Azerbaijan and current measures to support women. Mexico’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Maria Victoria Romero Caballero, expressed support for initiatives highlighting women’s volunteerism in the countries represented at the forum

Zöhre Akgün, spouse of the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan and a pediatrician by profession, delivered a presentation on the importance of early autism diagnosis in children, inclusive education in a supportive environment, and shared Türkiye’s experience in this field.

Speakers from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Moldova, and the United States also presented on the role of women volunteers in modern society.

Assemgul Bayel, President of the International Women’s Club of Baku; Saltanat Bassygaraeva, Director of the College of Services and Tourism in Astana; and Elvira Esmukhanova, Head of the Volunteer Development Department at the Astana Zhastary Youth Resource Center, spoke about Kazakhstan’s volunteer movement and its achievements. Aiten Shirinova, founder and president of Sky Line Partners, and Yeşim Tüzün Yüksel, Chair of the Çeşme Tarımsal Kalkınma Kooperatifi Başkanı,, discussed prospects, challenges, and strategic directions for women’s volunteerism.

The forum concluded with an agreement to cooperate in promoting women’s civic initiatives and implementing joint projects across the Turkic world.

The event also featured performances by Azerbaijani honored artists Fargana Qasimova, Gulyanag and Gulyaz Mammadova, as well as children with special needs.

The International Women’s Club of Baku, a non-governmental non-profit organization founded in 1994, continues to play an active role in charitable initiatives. In April, it organized a spring charity fair in Baku with support from diplomatic missions, local and foreign companies, and volunteers.

Earlier, Qazinform reported that UNICEF had introduced a unified digital platform UNICEF Jastary (UNCEF Youth) to support youth volunteering in Kazakhstan.