Women, peace and security in focus at OSCE-supported roundtable in Astana

An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on implementing UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security in Kazakhstan began on 27 November 2015 in Astana.

Some 50 high-level state officials, parliamentarians, representatives of non-governmental and international organizations and academia learned about implementing the Resolution in the global security context and reviewed Kazakhstan’s progress and challenges in the field of gender equality.

Deputy Head of the OSCE Programme Office Mirco Guenther briefed participants on the experience of OSCE participating States in implementing the resolution and stressed the importance of developing respective national action plans and strategies.

Experts from Georgia and France discussed the gender aspects of security sector reforms and presented their respective countries’ experience in developing a National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325, including its cost projections, reporting mechanisms, accountability and the role of civil society.

Participants also discussed Kazakhstan’s role and main initiatives in maintaining regional stability through diplomatic negotiations, international development and humanitarian assistance, including with a view to the stabilization process in Afghanistan and plans to also deploy female military observers from Kazakhstan to UN peacekeeping operations.

The event was co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, the UN Women Multi-Country Office for Central Asia, the National Commission on Family and Demographic Policy under the President, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Defence Ministry.

The roundtable discussion is part of the Programme Office’s long-standing efforts to support Kazakhstan in gender mainstreaming.