OIC forum in Baku champions women’s leadership in arts, innovation PHOTO

A Women’s Creativity Forum was held in Baku on the margins of the ongoing “OIC Cultural Festival: Baku Creative Week-2025,” aiming to reinforce women’s role in creative industries and support their leadership in innovation and cultural heritage.

Jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in partnership with the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, the Women Development Organization (WDO) of the OIC, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Development Association in Azerbaijan (AQSIA), and the Creative Azerbaijan platform, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The forum brought together Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation; Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, Chair of the Board of Trustees of KADEM; Afnan Al-Shuaiby, Executive Director of the WDO; along with female innovators and entrepreneurs from Kazakhstan, Bahrain, and Uzbekistan.

In her opening remarks, Afnan Al-Shuaiby thanked the organisers and underscored the essential role women play in building a knowledge-driven society. She reiterated the organisation’s dedication to empowering women and supporting their contributions. “Our main mission is to enable women to realize all of their potential as entrepreneurs and cultural innovators. We are ready to mobilize all our resources to help women advance, promote their work, and implement their creative projects,” she said.

Emphasising women’s pivotal place in creative traditions, Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar noted that women play a fundamental role in transmitting values from one generation to the next as the main bearers of cultural heritage. “The art of carpet weaving in Azerbaijan stands as one of the most beautiful examples of this. Similarly, Iznik and Kütahya ceramics and other art schools were shaped by the creative spirit, craftsmanship and aesthetic taste of women. Turkish motifs and their embodiment in art clearly demonstrate women’s role throughout history,” she noted.

AQSIA Chairwoman Sakina Babayeva described the forum as an excellent platform for discussing opportunities and future outlooks for women in creative industries, also pointing to strong state support in Azerbaijan.

Following the official opening, a conceptual visual composition inspired by Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi’s words “Come out of the circle of time and step into the circle of love” was presented.

The illustrative segment of the project was based on the works of artist Leyla Aliyeva. The visual concept was created by Honored Artist Sabina Shikhlinskaya, with music composed by Orkhan Aghayev (DJ Pancho).

The Women’s Creativity Forum additionally hosted panel discussions on “Enhancing global trade for women in creative industries” and “The role of innovation, technology and investment in women’s empowerment.”

Speakers emphasised support for women entrepreneurs, the importance of strengthening international cooperation, and the role of innovation in economic development, reaffirming a shared commitment to advancing women’s leadership in creative sectors and promoting global partnerships for transformation.

By Jeyhun Aghazada