On 1 July 2023, Deputy Secretary-General Ms. Atsuko Hirose participated as a speaker in the Tbilisi Women's International Conference under the theme of "Transformation and Transition," at the invitation of the President of Georgia, Her Excellency Ms. Salome Zourabichvili.  

Ms. Atsuko Hirose took part in the panel "Caspian and Black Sea Connectivity - Energy and Transport Corridors."  She spoke on the Energy Charter Treaty's role in protecting and promoting investments in energy, especially much-needed private investments in the renewable energy sector, which is crucial in the current period of energy transition.  She emphasised that the Energy Charter Treaty is the only multilateral treaty dealing at length with energy transit issues, which are important for both the Caspian and the Black Sea regions.  Ms. Atsuko Hirose also mentioned the Energy Charter Secretariat's flagship publication, the Energy Investment Risk Assessment, as well as its new pilot project on conflict prevention in the renewable energy sector, based on the findings of the joint report with the World Bank.   

The Conference, the second following the successful inaugural conference in 2022, was opened by remarks from President Zourabichvili.  About 40 prominent women speakers participated, including the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Ms. Marija Pejčinović Burić, the Executive Secretary and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Ms. Olga Algayerova, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Dunja Miljatović, and the presenter of BBC Hardtalk and President of the School of Oriental and Asian Studies, Ms. Zeinab Badawi.