OSCE organizes training event on gender mainstreaming in Kazakhstan

KOKSHETAU, Kazakhstan 5 June 2015 – The OSCE Programme Office in Astana launched a series of training seminars on gender mainstreaming for local officials in the country’s regions by holding its first event today in Kokshetau, Akmola Region.

The event was organized in co-operation with the National Commission on Women’s Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy under the President and the Regional Administration. National experts acquainted some 40 high-level representatives of local executive and representative bodies of power with ways to implement the principles of gender mainstreaming in politics and in local government management.

Participants addressed gender-related challenges in Kazakhstan with a particular focus on gender-responsive budgeting and gender disaggregated statistics as relatively new areas of gender equality promotion. In the context of women empowerment and in view of the forthcoming local and parliamentary elections the participants learned about election strategy development and successful campaign techniques, including reaching out to the electorate by using social networks and information and communication technologies. They discussed ways of enhancing public trust and improve the image of women leaders.

They were also briefed on the application of gender-mainstreaming principles aimed to promote good governance, transparency and accountability in rural communities and small towns.

“Consistent and successful implementation of the five strategic development reforms outlined by Kazakhstan’s leadership directly depends on how effective our gender mainstreaming policy will be. It will be difficult to cope with all these tasks without the real empowerment of women and without their active engagement in this process,” said Deputy Head of the National Commission on Women’s Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan Elena Tarassenko.

Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, Ambassador Natalia Zarudna said: "Ensuring the full and equal enjoyment by women and men of their rights is essential for strengthening peace and security, fostering sustainable economic development in harmony with the environment and safeguarding fundamental freedoms and human rights. In other words, it is vital for achieving the goals set by the OSCE in politico-military, economic and environmental as well as human dimensions.”

The event is part of the OSCE Programme Office’s longstanding efforts to support the host country in implementing the OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality.