TURKPA attended the 2nd Session of the PAM Women Parliamentary Forum in Abu Dhabi

On 27–28 January 2026, the TURKPA delegation, comprising member of the TURKPA Commission on Legal Affairs and International Relations and the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Prof. Dr. Filiz Kılıç, Secretary of the TURKPA Delegation at the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Mr. Kürşat Melih Sarıarslan and Secretary of the Commission and Executive Secretary of the TURKPA Women Parliamentarians Group Aynura Abutalibova attended the 2nd Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) Women Parliamentary Forum hosted by the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi. The event was held under the theme “Empowering Women for Cohesive and Inclusive Societies: From the Gulf to the Mediterranean”, under the High Patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, President of the General Women’s Union, and Chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood. The programme of the event included an opening ceremony with welcoming remarks and keynote speeches, followed by addresses, presentations, open discussions, and video messages. The Forum brought together over 200 participants from the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions, as well as from Asia, Latin America, and Africa, including the Sub-Saharan region. Participants represented PAM national parliamentary delegations and partners, parliamentary assemblies, international institutions, humanitarian organizations, as well as embassies and diplomatic missions. At the opening session, the President of the PAM Women Parliamentary Forum (WPF) H.E. Maryam Bin Theneya delivered welcoming remarks, emphasizing that sustainable peace, prosperity, and social justice cannot be achieved without the full and effective participation of women and girls in policy-making and decision-making processes. Addressing the opening ceremony, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan H.E. Sahiba Gafarova highlighted the importance of fully involving women in participatory processes to build a more just world and secure a better future for generations to come, stressing that meaningful progress depends on transforming societal perceptions. On the first day, participants took part in sessions entitled “Fostering Women’s Empowerment in the Socio-Economic and Political Spheres” and “Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Access to Health, Education and Environmental Justice.” The discussions of the second day of the Forum held within the framework of the PAM Presidency of the UN Coordination Mechanism for Parliamentary Assemblies on Counter-Terrorism, devoted to “The Role of Women in Counter-Terrorism Policies and Practices” and “Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Linked to Terrorism.” On the sidelines of the Forum, the TURKPA delegation engaged in a number of brief exchanges and informal meetings with representatives of parliamentary delegations and participated in protocol interactions and commemorative photo sessions. On the margins of the Forum, an introductory bilateral meeting was held between Prof. Dr. Filiz Kılıç and Mr. Lahcen Haddad, Vice President of the House of Councillors (Senate) of the Kingdom of Morocco and former Minister of Tourism of Morocco, at the request of the Moroccan delegation. The parties exchanged views on prospects for parliamentary cooperation and multilateral engagement within the framework of the Assemblies. During the meeting, Mr. Haddad extended an invitation to Mrs. Kılıç to participate in the Fourth PAM Economic Forum to be held on 27-28 March 2026 in Marrakech and noted that an official invitation letter would be conveyed through TURKPA International Secretariat.