The conference gathered over one hundred women leaders and candidates, women’s groups, and scholars from Southern and Eastern Europe. Conference panelists included leading politicians from Turkey, renowned gender equality and quota scholars from the United States and United Kingdom, and women activists from Southern and Eastern Europe. Additionally, the conference provided the participants and panelists with an opportunity to break into smaller groups to attend workshops tailored to their areas of interest.

iKNOW Politics staff member, Bahar Salimova, presented the iKNOW Politics project at one of these workshops that brought together forty-five women leaders and activists. The participants discussed opportunities for building women’s networks regionally and globally, with the aim of promoting women’s participation in public life and increasing the number of women in decision-making positions. The participants actively engaged in the presentations of the workshop panelists, highlighting various affirmative action measures used in advancing women in politics worldwide.

The workshop participants were particularly interested in utilizing iKNOW Politics as a platform that provides networking opportunities for women around the world. They were impressed by the capability of iKNOW Politics members to create personal profiles and view the profiles of other members on the website. In the participant’s opinion, the availability of this option on iKNOW Politics will connect women with similar interests from different parts of the world and lead to collaboration between them. The participants also highlighted the value of iKNOW Politics discussion circles, which could serve as an advocacy tool for voicing issues relevant to women’s political representation on a global level. At the end of the workshop, the participants exchanged their contact information with the iKNOW Politics representative and committed to become involved in the network’s activities.