The first Women`s Forum of Countries along the Silk Road was held in Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China on September 19, 2016 in the framework of the 5th China-Eurasia Expo

The first Women`s Forum of Countries along the Silk Road was held in Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China on September 19, 2016 in the framework of the 5th China-Eurasia Expo

The forum was held under the theme “Opportunities and Challenges in Promoting Women's Employment and Entrepreneurship”.
The Xinjiang Women's Federation was the forum`s organizer.
During the gathering female politicians, officials, entrepreneurs and scholars shared their experiences on women`s participating in economic and social development, existing and new problems with promoting women's employment and entrepreneurship as well as the best practices aimed at support to establishment of companies and increasing women`s awareness on entrepreneurship opportunities.


The representatives of the Silk Road countries emphasized that it is impossible to achieve sustainable economic growth and further social development without full women`s engagement in economic activity.
The participants proposed to hold the Women`s Forum of Countries along the Silk Road on ongoing basis in the countries engaged in the Initiative by turn.
About100 people attended the forum, including representatives from 19 nations along the Silk Road such as France, Iran, Zimbabwe, Indonesia and Russia. The Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) representatives also addressed the forum.