Valentina Matvienko led a meeting of the EAWF Organizing Committee

Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko led a meeting of the Organizing Committee for the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum.

Valentina Matvienko emphasized that Forum preparations are in their final stage. A great amount of organizational, technical, and analytical work has been completed. “It is already clear that the second Forum will be larger in scale than the first one, especially in terms of geographical spread of participants; while we welcomed guests from 80 countries around the world in 2015, now we expect delegations from almost 120 countries this year.”

Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council noted that the event’s participants included well-known and recognized female politicians, leaders of the international women’s movement, and prominent representatives of public organizations, scientific and business community. Confirmed participants include nine speakers and 10 deputy speakers of national parliaments, the vice presidents of Bulgaria and Zambia, the first ladies of four countries, and the leaders of a number of international organizations.

Valentina Matvienko made particular note of the unprecedentedly wide representation of international organizations at the Forum. She said that this could be one of the Forum’s most outstanding changes. The UN, WHO, ILO, UNIDO, UNICEF, and World Bank are among the 27 international organizations that will be represented at the Forum. “There is already a serious interest within influential international structures in the Forum’s future results. As such, the Secretariat of the Council of Europe proposed that a Russian representative give a report on the outcome of the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum at the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg this November”, said the IPA CIS Council Chairperson.

According to Valentina Matvienko, it is critical to assess the preparation progress once again starting from the venues of the Forum’s main events. The primary venue is the Tavrichesky Palace. Other venues include the “Universe of Water” Museum Complex, the Manege Central Exhibition Hall, Hare Island, and Peter and Paul Fortress. She stressed the fact that clear transportation, accommodation, and security logistics need to be established.

Discussing the Forum’s program, Valentina Matvienko stated that the starting day of the Forum, 19 September, would essentially be dedicated entirely to Russia. In addition to discussions on relevant topics, the day is scheduled to include the opening of an exhibition, master classes, and the presentation of the “Success Story” project. An extended meeting of the Women’s Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Women’s Council of the Ministry of Industry and Trade will be held, and a summary of the “Ecolyata: Young Defenders of Nature” campaign will be conducted. There are even plans for a cooking show to be performed by food manufacturers.

The main day in terms of number of events will be 20 September, the first official day of the Forum. A plenary session on the topic of “Women for Global Security and Sustainable Development” will be held in the Dumsky Hall of the Tavrichesky Palace. It will be followed by the interparliamentary dialogue “Women for the Sustainable Development of the Global World”. The Women 20 session and UNIDO special session are also scheduled for this day.

Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council emphasized the importance of the Forum’s cultural events. In addition to a gala concert, a tour of Peterhof has been planned. The possibility of a free visit to the Hermitage and other museums around St. Petersburg is also provided. According to Valentina Matvienko, the key result of the Forum’s work should be an outcome resolution. “This text should be disseminated among country leaders, governments, and parliaments, and heads of non-governmental organizations. I hope that its draft is already finished, but it is of utmost importance that we have the opportunity to finalize it with the Forum’s discussions and decisions in mind.”

Valentina Matvienko considers information support to be an important component of the Forum. She noted that it is crucial to cover the Forum’s work not only in traditional media, but in modern media too, such as social networks and the blogs.

Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Head of the EAWF Working Group Galina Karelova presented the program of the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum to the members of the Organizing Committee.

One of the key highlights of the first day will be the St. Petersburg open session of the Women 20 (W20), which will be held in Russia for the first time. Galina Karelova emphasized that Susana Balbo, W20 Chair within Argentina’s G20 presidency, will participate in this session, along with W20 Founding President Gülden Türktan. According to Galina Karelova, among the keynote speakers are the W20 representatives from Germany’s 2017 G20 presidency and Japan’s 2019 presidency. The platform will be moderated by Svetlana Lukash, the representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the G20.

Also on the agenda of the first day is a session of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, during which the first Russian UNIDO Goodwill Ambassador is expected to be appointed. “With this step, we will start a new chapter in our relations with this influential organization and in the process of strengthening the role of Russian women in the international arena,” says the Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council.

She noted that there are plans to sign several other cooperation agreements during this Forum. These agreements are aimed at developing the international women’s agenda and women’s economic empowerment.

According to the Deputy Speaker, the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum’s program offers some new and interesting formats, such as the first session of the Female Governors International Debate Club. It will bring together female governors from Andorra, Norway, Serbia, the Philippines, Estonia, Japan, and other countries. The Club’s session is expected to conclude with the signing of a declaration founding the European Women’s Association. Galina Karelova also pointed out the Female Diplomats Summit, the presentation of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, and bilateral international business dialogues.

Galina Karelova stated that there are also plans to select projects to receive an MBA certificate from the RSPP Business School and to participate in the Acceleration Program of the Social Projects Support Fund.

The grand opening of the exhibition “Made in Russia: Export Done by Women” will be held on that day as well. Examples of export products made by female entrepreneurs from various regions of the Russian Federation will be presented at the exhibition.

A mental arithmetic championship and forum for girls called “New Records and Young Geniuses” will be held on the opening day. Over 100 girls from Russia, Europe, and CIS countries will take part in the event.

The participants of the Organizing Committee’s session on preparing and hosting of the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum included Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Lyudmila Bokova, and representatives of ministries, government agencies, and NGOs.