'Advancing women's rights and empowering them in society and public governance have always been in the spotlight in Azerbaijan,' said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed to the participants of the Non-Aligned Movement Conference on Advancing the Rights and Empowerment of Women. 'Today, Azerbaijani women make valuable contributions to our country's prosperity and progress through their determined and multifaceted activities in the spheres such as science, education, healthcare, arts and other domains. Women account for 63% of the professorial staff in the higher education institutions. 70% of the medical personnel in public healthcare facilities are women. Women's representation in the local self-governing bodies is at 40%. The number of women entrepreneurs is growing thanks to the measures within the state-supported self-employment programs,' the head of state pointed out. Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency