BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. Azerbaijan attaches special importance to women entrepreneurs, focusing on the field of inclusive economic development, Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Kairat Sarybay at the 8th Plenary Session of the CICA Business Council held in Baku today, Trend reports.
"I'm very glad that a large delegation of women entrepreneurs from my region - Kazakhstan - is here," he mentioned.
According to him, Azerbaijan attaches special importance to this issue, paying special attention to the field of inclusive economic development.
"The initiative of the chairmanship to establish the CICA Women's Council is a concrete step towards institutionalizing broad cooperation and dialogue among member states in this area, including by ensuring the significant participation of women in decision-making processes. The member states show great interest in expanding the activities of this new advisory body.
I call on CICA member states to pay special attention to young entrepreneurship. In this regard, the partnership network of leading universities can be used to unlock the potential of young scientists and researchers. It's extremely important to provide our youth with the necessary knowledge, skills, and support systems so that they can make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of Asia.
Azerbaijan has built its chairmanship around the theme ‘Stronger Connectivity, Digitalization, and Sustainable Development in Asia’ within CICA. This compelling vision underscores the importance of strengthening cooperation among member states — a crucial step toward addressing common challenges together and transforming CICA into a fully fledged international organization.
As Asia's economic influence continues to grow both regionally and globally, CICA’s economic dimension — alongside other key dimensions such as environment, humanitarian issues, new challenges and threats, and military-political aspects — has never been more relevant for ensuring peace, security, prosperity, and sustainable development in our region," he added.
He pointed out that they highly value Azerbaijan's strong focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), investment, business, and trade:
"During our meeting with Chairman of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBIA) Orkhan Mammadov here in Baku last February, we discussed initiatives to support SME digitalization, promote the transition to a green economy, and advance women's entrepreneurship through the CICA Business Council. This advisory body, which brings together representatives from SME associations and government agencies, plays a foundational role in achieving these important economic goals.
I'm pleased to facilitate discussions today on ways to develop SMEs. SMEs are the backbone of our economies — they drive innovation, create jobs, and contribute to sustainable economic growth across the continent.
Today our speakers will explore key topics aimed at empowering SMEs in the CICA region, including digitalization, women’s entrepreneurship, and the green transition, as mentioned. They will also touch on the role of SMEs in the development of smart cities," the secretary general concluded.
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