OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe supports creation of central co-ordination body on gender issues
Working groups on gender issues from five regions across Tajikistan met on 31 October 2017 to create a central co-ordination body at a roundtable meeting organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.
In addition to the 15 representatives from the working groups, the meeting brought together in total 30 participants: representatives from the Committee on Women and Family Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Education, women politicians and civil society. The participants will work together towards further empowerment of women in Tajikistan and tackle issues that impede the advancement of women in different regions of the country.
"In our efforts to follow the implementation of the OSCE’s 2004 Action Plan for Gender Equality and to support the host country to fulfil their commitments towards gender mainstreaming in policies and in practice, within the framework of its project on women's political participation, the Programme Office in Dushanbe has worked jointly with the Tajik Parliament and seven registered political parties during the past two years for the advancement of women in political and public life,” said Vesna Ivanovikj-Castarede, Gender and Anti-Trafficking Officer at the OSCE Programme Office.
Scott Kearin, Head of the OSCE Office’s Human Dimension Department, said: "Today we heard from the representatives of the working groups what the main problems are that women face. We also discussed what we can do to solve these problems and to provide women with the support they need to play their rightful role as partners to men in political life."
Working jointly with the group of Tajik women politicians, as part of the project on political empowerment of women, five forums for women leaders were held in 2016 in Kulyab, Kurgan-Tyube, Shaartuz, Garm, and Khujand. As a result, working groups were established and additional meetings of the working groups were held in 2017 to discuss and identify up to three major issues that impede the progress of women in these regions.
A follow-up meeting to today's event is planned for the beginning of 2018, when all involved will report on the progress they have made towards finding local solutions for the local problems that women face.