By Kestér Kenn KLOMEGÂH
The Fourth Eurasian Women’s Forum was held from September 18 to 20 at the Tauride Palace in St. Petersburg. This forum was established to build a new and progressive women’s world, and support women to higher stage of prominence in creative, managerial and intellectual as well as political leadership.
Themed “Women for Strengthening Trust and Global Cooperation”, it gathered female leaders and participants, over 1,500 people from 126 countries to St. Petersburg, the second largest city in the Russian Federation.
Research has also shown that women are now enjoying wide recognition. This women platform has become an effective mechanism of interaction and dialogue for women who are influencing social, political and economic decisions. It facilitates the growing participation of women’s movements in resolving global challenges.
Women have been forging alliances, and have taken up the fight, sometimes collaborating with women-conscious men and thus paving the way up to the top echelon in all economic and social spheres. Women now have associations structured from the grassroots in all countries, and up to regional organizations and to the United Nations.
The Eurasian Women Association has so many innovative programmes and projects with other women’s groups and associations not only in the Eurasian region, but also in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The Dialogue between Women of Africa and Russia as part of the fourth forum. Deputy Chairperson of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture, Lyudmila Skakovskaya, took part in the Dialogue of Women of Africa and Russia, dedicated to new trends in international cooperation.
The senator spoke about the cooperation of the relevant State Committee with African states in the field of education. According to her, almost all countries of the African continent use the opportunity to educate citizens in Russian higher education institutions both at the expense of the federal budget within the quota established by the Government of the Russian Federation and under education agreements. “Currently, over 30 thousand citizens of African states are studying in Russian universities.”
Lyudmila Skakovskaya added that systematic work is ongoing to update existing and develop new bilateral agreements on education recognition with African countries. “Today, more than 30 such agreements are in effect.”
In the development of inter-university cooperation, she pointed out the special role of the Russian-African Network University, initiated by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia in 2021.
The senator noted, the Summer Multidisciplinary University “Russia-Africa” is currently being held at the St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University. “As part of the event, schoolchildren from African countries participate in preparatory courses in mathematics, computer science and physics in English and French.”
As the head of the group for cooperation between the Federation Council and the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Lyudmila Skakovskaya said that at the end of 2023, a joint project office of the Mineral Resources Research Centre at the University of Zimbabwe was opened.
“The centre will enable fundamental and scientific research to be conducted to develop the mineral resource sector of Zimbabwe and will contribute to increasing the added value of its economy. And most importantly, it will form the scientific and human resources potential of the country and will be in demand by the states of the African region as an educational and research cluster.”
The participants of the dialogue discussed the implementation of joint projects on the African continent, the role of new technologies and modern educational practices in strengthening the economies of Russia and Africa, as well as the participation of Russian and African women in the implementation of strategic development tasks for Russia and African states.
The session was moderated by the Director of the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Irina Abramova.
The dialogue session was attended by the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova , the Chairperson of the State Duma Committee on Family Protection, Fatherhood, Motherhood and Childhood Nina Ostanina, the Vice-President of the Republic of Uganda Jessica Alupo, the wife of the President of the Central African Republic, the head of the F.A. Touadera Foundation Brigitte Touadera, representatives of the Togolese Republic, the Republic of Zimbabwe, and the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The Fourth Eurasian Women’s Forum was organized by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The operator for the preparation and holding of the event is the Roscongress Foundation
