Creation of Women’s Parliament in Azerbaijan

The project focused on creating a wider and long-lasting impact by producing the CEDAW Shadow Report for Azerbaijan which can possibly influence the legislature in the country. While the grantee focused its advocacy on this report,  it remains uncertain to which extent the report will be taken on board.

The flagship initiative of the Women’s Parliament project was a report on discrimination against women. However this report did not have much impact since there was no lobbying/advocacy strategy.

The flagship initiative of the Women’s Parliament project was a report on discrimination against women. However this report did not have much impact since there was no lobbying/advocacy strategy. It would also have been more effective with a proactive approach towards building alliances with other similar projects in Azerbaijan. Efforts should be increased to convince concerned NGOs for submitting only one synthesized Shadow Report to CEDAW. Speaking in a common voice would increase leverage both towards CEDAW and the government.

Gender related themes cover a huge range of issues from domestic violence to early marriage. While they may be linked pursuing each of them in-depth, would enhance the comprehensiveness of the project objectives and society-wide impact. The thematic coverage by the Women’s Parliament was too broad.

A lesson learned from the Women’s Forum – a predecessor of the woman’s parliament – was the need for a coordinated media outreach strategy. However, this lesson was not systematically incorporated into the design of the Women’s Parliament. As a result the women’s parliament was not fully effective in gaining recognition among the female population of Azerbaijan.

The strong project ownership by the members of the women’s parliament in Azerbaijan created a positive environment for the project to be sustainable. One of the successes, in this regard was selection of which members to work with. The interest and engagement of high-profile international stakeholders strengthened the members’ motivation to maintain their involvement and to utilize lessons learned.

The project increased the capacity of members of the women’s parliament in Azerbaijan through a number of activities including thematic and plenary sessions and various working groups. The selection of these activities reflected well the main gender issues in the country. The women’s parliament members are now represented in various coalitions and settings and have become recognized experts on women’s rights and gender equality. Each of the members utilized her networks and areas of influence for a further promotion of gender equality principles.