Chairman of the Committee of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan on Science, Education, Culture and Youth Policy Bahar Seyidova took part in the meeting of the Dialogue of Women of the Central Asian Countries, held on Monday in Astana.

The forum on the theme: “The role of women in the development of innovations and technologies” was organized with the support of the UN and the National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

According to the official website of the Majlis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the meeting was attended by speakers of the chambers of parliaments of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, deputies from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, heads of state bodies, as well as representatives of non-governmental and international organizations, the diplomatic corps.

The participants adopted the Plan of Action for the Dialogue of Women in Central Asia for 2023, which also includes the holding of the International Conference "Women, Peace and Security" in Almaty.

At the thematic session: “Best practices in the field of innovation and technology development with the participation of women”, a presentation of successful innovative projects demonstrating the role of women in the development of new technologies took place. The participants discussed digital projects aimed at the development of women's startups, artificial intelligence, digitalization in rural areas, and also considered developments aimed at solving topical issues of the family and society, women's entrepreneurship, vocational education and employment.

Particular attention was drawn to the structural and economic problems faced by women. According to the UN Women Regional Office, in the Europe and Central Asia region, more than 60 million women do not have access to mobile Internet and therefore miss out on opportunities for learning and economic development more often than men. As a result, women are relatively underrepresented in areas responsible for creating technical and technological innovation.