OSCE trains local government officials in Kazakhstan on gender mainstreaming

AKTAU, Kazakhstan, 2 October 2015 –Applying gender-mainstreaming principles in politics and local self-governance, as well as promoting good governance, transparency and accountability in rural communities and small towns were focus of the OSCE-supported training seminar that took place today in Aktau, Kazakhstan.

The event was co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, the National Commission on Women’s Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy under the President and the Mangystau Regional Administration.

Some 40 akims (mayors) of small towns and rural districts, as well as members of maslikhats - regional power representative bodies, attended the seminar. Participants learned from national experts about gender-related issues with a particular focus on gender-responsive budgeting and the use of disaggregated statistics as relatively new areas of gender-equality promotion. In view of the forthcoming local and parliamentary elections they discussed women’s empowerment issues related to developing election strategy and successful campaign techniques, including reaching out to the electorate by using information and communication technologies, most notably social networks. Particular attention was given to identifying ways to enhance public trust and improve the image of women leaders.

“We must intensify our work in the regions considering that the more women work in the public decision-making sphere, the higher the quality of those decisions,” Elena Tarassenko, Deputy Head of the National Commission on Women’s Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy. “Our Commission pays close attention to the work of NGOs and international organizations at workshops like this which involve a number of key moments in the field of gender equality.”

"In its key documents, the OSCE has repeatedly emphasized the importance of full participation of women as citizens, public figures, heads of economic enterprises and political leaders to affirm democracy, prosperity and social justice,” Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, Ambassador Natalia Zarudna said.

This is the second event in a series of four OSCE-supported training seminars which is part of the OSCE Programme Office’s long-standing efforts to support Kazakhstan in implementing the OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality.

On the margins of the training seminar, the Head of Mission together with the Deputy Heads of National Commission on Women’s Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy met with the Akim of the Mangystau region Alik Aidarbayev and discussed ways to enhance co-operation with the OSCE in all three dimensions. She also visited Caspian State University of Technologies and Engineering and took part in the meeting of the National Commission on Women’s Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy of the Mangystau region.