H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK, Director General of SESRIC, held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Papa Alioune SECK, Chief Statistician of UN Women, on the sidelines of the 68^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) in New York.

The meeting aimed to identify opportunities to enhance collaboration in the fields of statistics, research, and training programs that focus on women’s economic empowerment, poverty alleviation, climate change, technological progress, care work, and other potential cooperative areas within the OIC region.

H.E. SELÇUK highlighted the importance of leveraging accurate and comprehensive statistical data to formulate evidence-based policies and interventions tailored to the socio-economic priorities of the OIC countries. She further stressed the need for collective efforts in bridging existing data gaps and promoting the integration of disaggregated data into national development frameworks.

Mr. SECK, in turn, underlined the importance of fostering synergies with UN Women to develop and formulate data-driven solutions in empowering the status of women. He stressed the crucial role of robust statistical frameworks in monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reaffirmed UN Women's dedication to supporting the OIC countries.

The meeting concluded with both parties expressing their willingness to collaborate on potential joint initiatives. These efforts are aimed at enhancing the availability, accessibility, and utilization of relevant statistics to inform evidence-based policymaking and policy formulation towards empowering the women for achieving the SDGs in the OIC region.