The Eurasian Women’s Forum 2024 (EAWF) in St Petersburg has opened with a fusion between art and technology, featuring a human-robot violin duo.
The EAWF, which positions itself as a “major influential international platform that enables women leaders from all continents to engage in a dialogue and adopt joint decisions” on such issues as sustainable economic development, technological advancement, environmental safety, and charity, will run until September 20.
Wednesday’s opening ceremony began with Maria Andreeva, a renowned Russian violinist, performing an excerpt from Antonio Vivaldi’s world-famous ‘Four Seasons’ while accompanied by a Universal Robots UR10 wearing a dress and holding a bow in its manipulator.
According to Valentina Matvienko, the head of the Russian Federation Council and former St Petersburg governor, the event, which is being held for the fourth time, has attracted over 2,000 participants, including 600 foreign guests from 126 countries and international organizations. She also noted that a lot of the participants are often movers in very high circles, including first ladies and vice-presidents.
The EAWF’s business program includes five thematic platforms dedicated to women’s participation in global affairs. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also addressed the forum, noting that global welfare and harmony is achievable only with women’s assistance, adding that Russian women are contributing greatly to the country’s development.
Matvienko noted that the event will have far-reaching practical implications, including issuing recommendations on best practices for women in various fields, and pushing for their implementation worldwide. “If you analyze the results of our previous forums, many ideas have already been implemented, both in Russia and beyond.”
She also stressed that the forum does not seek to promote Western-style “belligerent feminism,” which she said initially promoted women’s rights but later “degraded and radicalized.”
“This honorable idea, to fight for women’s rights has long been discarded [by the West]. Now it is all about a conflict, a fight against men and traditional values,” Matvienko said, arguing that this narrative is not relevant to women.
Meanwhile, the EAWF is aiming to promote the “core traditional values of all humanity,” including the preservation of the family, culture, and open opportunities for women, she said. “All those who come to our forum share these values,” she added.