The Government and the UN review results of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative Programme for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls

BISHKEK, July 18, 2023 – On 17 July, the National Steering Committee (NSC) of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative was convened to review the results achieved so far and to agree on this year’s activities under the three-year country programme aimed to prevent violence against women and girls in Kyrgyzstan and to protect survivors. 

The NSC, which is co-chaired by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Mr. Edil Baisalov and the United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC), Antje Grawe, and is composed of members of the Cabinet of Ministers, the EU Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, Heads of UN Agencies implementing the programme and civil society representatives, also discussed how to sustain the progress achieved at various levels so far as the Programme will end in 2023.

The Programme, which has received funding from the European Union (EU) and the UN, is implemented at the national and sub-national levels to strengthen legislative, legal and policy frameworks for the effective prevention of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and to institutionalize mechanisms to protect and support survivors of violence. Since its launch in 2020, the Programme has supported the development of the National Strategy on Gender Equality until 2030 and the National Action Plan 2022-2024 as well as their expansion to the local level; strengthened the protection of the rights of women and girls affected by violence, including by facilitating access to free legal aid for survivors of violence and the opening of a free legal aid hotline (114); and supported the establishment of crisis centers in Bishkek and in 12 selected municipalities of Naryn, Osh and Chui oblasts, among other. 

Commending the Government and other State institutions including Parliament and law enforcement institutions, the UN agencies, the EU and civil society partners for their respective leadership and contributions, the UNRC emphasized the importance of the survivor-centric and human-rights based approach and expressed her hope for continued attention by all concerned stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of the achievements: “The successful prevention of gender-based violence and the protection of women and girls from the devastating impact of this scourge requires a long-term political and financial investment and a collaborative effort of all stakeholders across institutions involving all segments of the society”.  The EU Ambassador, H.E. Ms. Marilyn Josefson stated, “As the European Union we are encouraged that the Spotlight Initiative Programme in Kyrgyzstan has achieved progress in all six thematic pillars; and that with its support the Government in October last year adopted the new Gender Equality strategy running until 2030. I would like to congratulate the Government of Kyrgyzstan, our UN-partners and implementing Civil Society Organisations for their valuable efforts to accelerate actions that counter and prevent Gender-Based violence as well as promote Gender Equality. The EU Delegation to Kyrgyzstan stands ready to continue the fruitful cooperation with our Spotlight partners, the Government of Kyrgyzstan, the UN and civil society organisations also on new initiatives to ensure that the collaborative work on countering gender based violence and promoting gender equality is further enhanced”.

Background on the Global EU-UN Spotlight Initiative: Cognizant of the significance of gender equality and the importance of adherence to basic human rights for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and mindful of the negative impact of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in this regard, the EU-UN Global Spotlight Initiative was launched in 2020 to support countries in addressing root causes for GBV and develop policies and strategies to eliminate GBV and support survivors of this human rights violation.

Kyrgyzstan was selected as one of the 30 countries in the world to implement the Spotlight Initiative, with a focus on women and girls, especially those who are most vulnerable, including survivors of violence or women and girls subjected to violence, harmful practices of forced child marriage and "ala-kachuu". It supports the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in strengthening its efforts aimed at eliminating GBV and protecting survivors of violence at policy, legal, strategy and operational levels.

The three-year Programme is implemented with the financial support of the EU (6,71 million USD) and UN agencies (1,1 million USD) with the direct participation of five UN agencies, namely  the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women (UNW), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Around 40 civil society organisations have worked with the Government and the UN in implementing the Programme.