OSCE Centre in Bishkek trains women in southern Kyrgyzstan on conflict prevention and mediation
OSH, Kyrgyzstan, 20 May 2016 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek, in co-operation with the non-governmental organization Ensan-Diamond and the local public association “Peace Messengers”, conducted three one-day training courses on conflict prevention and mediation in Osh city for some 100 members of Women Initiative Groups from the Batken, Jalal-Abad and Osh provinces.
The participants learned about the root causes of conflicts, the role of women in conflict prevention, and practiced basic mediation skills, with the aim of enhancing gender equality and strengthening women’s role in the society.
“Women remain underrepresented in the security sector, and there is a space for an increased role of women in peace and mediation efforts said Anete Erdmane, OSCE Human Dimension Officer at the OSCE Centre. “In accordance with its commitments to promote gender equality, the OSCE mainstreams gender in all its security-related activities and strongly supports the engagement of women’s groups at the community level as effective conflict-prevention mechanisms.”
Jamilya Kaparova, Director of Ensan-Diamond, said: “Enhancing women’s skills and role in conflict prevention and mediation is particularly important in the south of Kyrgyzstan, as it is preferable to take an active role in respect of preventive measures rather than dealing with the consequences of a conflict.”
The OSCE Centre in Bishkek has been supporting Women Initiative Groups since their establishment in 2011. In 2016 the OSCE Centre will work to expand their outreach to some northern provinces of the country.
The training courses are part of phase four of the OSCE Centre’s project on enhancing gender equality and women’s potential as conflict prevention agents in Kyrgyzstan.