Participants of IV Eurasian Women's Forum in St. Petersburg discussed global challenges of our time

The IV Eurasian Women's Forum (EAWF) took place in St. Petersburg from 18 to 20 September. The TV BRICS International Media Network acted as an information partner for the event.

Politicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, journalists, and non-profit organisation members from Russian regions and more than 120 countries, including Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, and Tunisia, gathered in St. Petersburg.

Speaking at a plenary session dedicated to the main theme of the 2024 forum, “Women for Strengthening Trust and Global Cooperation,” Vladimir Putin said that the EAWF is among the most authoritative international platforms.

“Your forums reflect the most important demands of today's time and promote the ideas of uniting for the sake of sustainable development and universal security. Today this is more relevant than ever and is in demand by millions of people on all continents”

Vladimir Putin President of Russia

In his opinion, the EAWF has a direct impact on the international agenda.

“Many initiatives were launched at the previous forums, including strengthening cooperation within BRICS, APEC, and the Women's G20,” the head of state added.

The event's programme was structured around five thematic platforms dedicated to the role of women in key trends and issues of our time, such as developing international mechanisms of peace and trust, adapting to the new economic reality, ensuring the well-being of society, confronting environmental challenges, and preserving traditions and cultural diversity.

Separate events of the EAWF were devoted to the development of multilateral cooperation in the format of international organisations, including the G20 and BRICS.

On 19 September, a meeting of the Women 20 (W20), an association of women leaders under the G20, was held. This discussion was one of the main events of the forum. It was attended by representatives of Argentina, Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey.

According to Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko, who spoke at the meeting, the Eurasian Women's Forum and the W20 are united by years of fruitful cooperation.

“In the work of the W20, the main focus is on recognising and enhancing the role of women in all areas of public life – politics, economics, science, culture, and education. It is not just about declarations and words, but about creating real opportunities for women's self-realisation”

Valentina Matvienko Russian Federation Council Speaker

Janaina Nolasco Gama, representing Brazil at the EAWF, spoke about the country's policies to promote women's leadership during her G20 presidency.

“During our presidency, we worked on a number of areas: promoting women's entrepreneurship, access to financial resources and advanced technologies, fighting economic inequality, and the effects of the environmental crisis,” she elaborated.

India's representative to the W20, Sandhya Virsinh Purecha, mentioned the country's contribution to promoting women's leadership in the world.

“We have done our best to showcase women's leadership in building our common future. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time and again spoken about women's contribution to the global economy. It is important for India to promote this position on the world stage,” the forum participant reminded.

In an exclusive commentary to TV BRICS, Narnia Bohler-Muller, South African W20 Delegate, outlined South Africa's plans for the upcoming chairmanship of the Women's G20. The work will be organised around three main areas: social justice, equality, and sustainable development. She emphasised the focus of the W20 on engagement with the BRICS countries.

“The W20 and BRICS work closely together, including at international platforms such as the Eurasian Women's Forum. I think climate justice and the environment are areas where we definitely do work very strongly, both the multilateral organisations do, and of course South Africa works closely with all their partners”

Narnia Bohler-Muller South African W20 Delegate

The EAWF also hosted the BRICS Women's Forum, during which delegates from Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Iran, the UAE, Russia, and South Africa discussed key issues of international cooperation.

At the strategic session of the forum, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov spoke about the growing role of BRICS on the world stage.

“At the moment, more than 30 countries of the global South and East have already expressed interest in one form or another in developing cooperation with BRICS. Their number continues to grow”

Sergey Ryabkov Russian Deputy Foreign Minister

He reminded us that the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan will be a unique opportunity to openly discuss joint responses to global challenges.

For her part, Guo Jieni, Secretary General of the Beijing Association for International Exchanges, emphasised the role of contacts between civil societies of member countries to strengthen inter-state ties within the group.

“Cooperation among BRICS countries is inextricably linked to strengthening people-to-people contacts and implementing initiatives in the humanitarian sphere. Significant progress has been made in this area during the Russian Chairmanship”

Guo Jieni Secretary General of the Beijing Association for International Exchanges

During the BRICS Women's Forum, representatives of the governments, business community, and public organisations of the BRICS countries also discussed a wide range of topics, from the development of women's entrepreneurship and civil society to improving the efficiency of public administration.

Other important events of the forum included discussions on women's contribution to the energy transition and building sustainable economies, as well as a dialogue between women representatives of the BRICS agro-industrial complex.

The Eurasian Women's Forum has been held since 2015. The event is organised by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member Nations. The forum operator is the Roscongress Foundation.

This year, in addition to business events, a cultural programme was organised for EAWF guests. They attended a gala concert by artists from the Mariinsky Theatre and a gala reception on behalf of Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko. There was also an award ceremony for the winners of the Eurasian Women's Forum “Public Recognition” Award.

Photo: iStock