OSCE Centre holds roundtable discussion on status of self-employed women in Kazakhstan
ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 2 December 2011 – A roundtable discussion on the status of self-employed women organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana in co-operation with the Civil Society Development NGO began in Almaty today.
The event brought together some 30 officials from the Ministries of Labour and Social Protection, Culture, Justice and Economics, as well as from the National Commission on Women and Family-Demographic Policy. Representatives of the non-governmental sector, international organizations and academia also participated.
The focus of the roundtable discussion is to evaluate the status of self-employed women in Kazakhstan, review the implementation of the government’s 2020 Employment Programme and related legislation, and discuss the progress and challenges in providing social protection and social benefits. NGO Civil Society Development will share the findings of a study of self-employed women in the cities of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Taraz, and present recommendations that were developed taking into account good international practices.
Stefan Buchmayer, the OSCE Centre in Astana’s Human Dimension Officer, said: “Women’s economic empowerment alleviates poverty and helps to ensure sustainable democratic development, inclusion, security and peace. The OSCE Centre in Astana continues to support the government and civil society in achieving the fair and equal treatment of women and men in the political and socio-economic spheres.”
Raushan Nauryzbayeva, an Executive Director of Civil Society Development, added: "Presently, there are no statistics on self-employed women in Kazakhstan. This leads women-owned home-based businesses to be excluded from the formal labour market, and as a result they are unable to obtain government subsidies and social support.”
She underlined that “failure to support the women-owned home-based employment sector may have a negative impact on the economy as a whole”.
The event is part of the OSCE Centre's continuing efforts to promote gender equality and the economic empowerment of women.