Press Release

What Works Central Asian Forum Kicks Off in Bishkek

18 January 2022

On January 18, Bishkek hosted a Central Asian Forum called “What Works in Development?”, organized by International Alert and UN Women. Representatives of international organizations, the private sector, civil society, media, government agencies, and experts discussed the experience of preventing sexual and gender-based violence, empowering women, and the role of personal growth in development.

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“There is a causal relationship between personal growth, domestic violence, especially against women and girls, and development in society. Accordingly, we discussed what really works in solving these problems through personal growth,” emphasized Shakirat Toktosunova, representative of International Alert in Kyrgyzstan.

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The Forum concluded a series of events where partners shared their knowledge and experience and are open to applying others' experiences to accelerate results in advancing women's rights, girls' rights, and gender equality. The main discussion focused on how these themes could help prevent gender-based violence and further unify the society in Kyrgyzstan.

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“Preventing gender-based violence, empowering women, and ensuring their personal growth are important areas for establishing gender equality in society. These are the topics that we discussed and shared our experience on at the forum,” said Ulziysuren Jamsran, UN Women Representative in Kyrgyzstan.

Among the participants were representatives of ministries, well-known entrepreneurs, activists, and experts who shared approaches that work in the region based on their own experience. Historians, theologians, and academics also spoke on the issue of ensuring social cohesion.

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The forum is organized by the independent international organization for peacebuilding and conflict prevention "International Alert", which has been operating in the Kyrgyz Republic since 2010, as well as the UN Women in Kyrgyzstan, whose activities are dedicated to the fight for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

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PHOTOS from the event.  

UN entities involved in this initiative

UN Women
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Goals we are supporting through this initiative