NAM conference: Azerbaijan President calls for amplifying women’s role in decolonisation process

The President expressed concerns about the continuation of colonialism and flagged violations of the rights of women and children in colonies.

The present time demands to bring the issues of women and colonialism together and amplify the role of women in the decolonisation process, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has said.

Mr. Aliyev made the comments at a high-level conference on “Decolonisation: Women's Empowerment and Development” in Baku on Tuesday, hosted by Azerbaijan as the current chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

“As chair of the NAM, Azerbaijan has always attached great importance to issues relevant to humanity and carried out effective work towards eliminating the injustices faced by the people worldwide...Our time demands to bring the issues of women and colonialism together and amplify the role of women in the decolonisation process,” Mr. Aliyev said.

“Regrettably, in the 21st century, women are still being subjected to slavery and exploitation in colonies, meaning that they are deprived of fundamental human rights,” he added.

The President expressed concerns about the continuation of colonialism and flagged violations of the rights of women and children in colonies.

He also accused France of continuing its neocolonialism policy.

“France, which currently controls 13 overseas territories as its colonies and interferes in the internal affairs of its former colonies located on different continents worldwide, continues its neocolonialism policy despite the many years of demands from international organisations and peoples fighting for independence," Mr. Aliyev said.