OSCE supports training on basic business skills for rural women in Aral Sea region of Kazakhstan

A three-day training course on basic business skills, organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan, concluded on 27 November 2021 in Aralsk city in the Kyzylorda province of Kazakhstan. Some 15 rural women from the Aral Sea region attended the event.

The event was organized together with the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) and the Public Association "Aral ayelderi" (“Women of Aral”). It was a follow-up of the OSCE-supported training course on traditional felt making which took place in September 2021 in Aralsk for the same group of women. 

Participants learned the basics of starting and running a business, and the principles of time/finance management. Through theoretical material and practical cases, participants learned the different stages of starting a business, and how to develop a business plan, attract financial resources and launch a venture. The training course also covered the main aspects of the tax code and compliance with its requirements.

The event is part of the Programme Office’s longstanding efforts to promote gender mainstreaming and economically related empowerment initiatives for women as a means to promote comprehensive security, stability and sustainable development in the host country.