Azerbaijan to host ECO forum in Lachin to enhance women's role in society

The inaugural Women’s Forum of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) will be held in Azerbaijan's Lachin.

The event is scheduled for July 2 as part of the “ECO Week,” an initiative launched by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Caliber.Az reports.

The primary aim of the forum is to promote cross-sectoral cooperation among ECO member states to enhance women’s empowerment across all areas of human development, as well as to strengthen the role of women in building sustainable, inclusive, and stable societies throughout the ECO region.

The forum will also serve as a platform for dialogue, cooperation, and exchange of experience among women leaders from ECO countries and relevant international partner organisations.

Originally established in 1964 as the Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) by Iran, Pakistan, and Türkiye, the organisation was rebranded as the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in 1985.

Today, the ECO encompasses over 460 million people across more than 8 million square kilometres, linking diverse regions—from the Caucasus and Central Asia to South and West Asia—forming a critical bridge between Asia, Europe, and the Arab world.

The core aim of the ECO is to foster sustainable economic growth among member states, promoting shared prosperity and regional integration.

Its expansion in the early 1990s brought in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and five Central Asian republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

In recent decades, the ECO has positioned itself as a key platform for economic diplomacy, leveraging shared cultural and historical ties to deepen cooperation and connectivity across member nations.

At the 13th ECO Summit in Islamabad in 2017, leaders endorsed the "ECO Vision 2025," a strategic document guiding the organisation’s future direction.

The 14th Summit, held virtually in March 2021, focused on regional recovery efforts following the COVID-19 pandemic, outlining strategies to resume development and strengthen collaboration.

By Aghakazim Guliyev