The Minister of Labor, Social Protection, and Migration, Gulnara Baatyrova, announced at the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, USA, that Kyrgyzstan is taking steps to address female poverty. She highlighted that Kyrgyzstan ratified the International Labour Organization Convention No. 190 on the eradication of violence and harassment in the workplace in February. Additionally, a State program to support women's leadership until 2030 was approved on March 7, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal No. 5 by 2030.
Baatyrova emphasized the implementation of the National Strategy for Gender Equality by 2030 and the Program to support and develop women's entrepreneurship until 2026 in the country. These initiatives aim to build a fair and equal society where everyone, regardless of gender, has equal opportunities for development and participation in political, economic, and social life.
She underlined the significant role women play in entrepreneurship in Kyrgyzstan, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, education, innovation, healthcare, tourism, services, and crafts. Women actively contribute to climate change mitigation, green economy implementation, and various other fields.
Furthermore, families receiving social assistance are part of President Sadyr Japarov's "Social Contract" initiative, with 92% of participants being rural women. Mothers of children with disabilities receive payment as personal assistants, granting them future pension rights. Baatyrova stressed that addressing female poverty requires a holistic approach, including education, childcare services, paid domestic work, women's employment, access to modern digital technologies, participation in decision-making processes, combating gender-based violence, and challenging discriminatory social norms and stereotypes.
