UN Women entered Kyrgyzstan in February 2012 as a fully-fledged country office, Central Asia’s first. UN Women in Kyrgyzstan is a dynamic advocate for the rights, security, equality and dignity of Kyrgyzstan’s women and girls.
Women make up slightly more than half of the population in the Kyrgyz Republic. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are vital to sustainable development and social cohesion. As a leading democracy in the region, Kyrgyzstan has successfully promoted gender equality and women’s empowerment in a number of areas. Kyrgyzstan has ratified over 50 international covenants, including Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional Protocols, the Beijing Platform for Action, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, among others.
Kyrgyzstan has an extensive legislative base guaranteeing gender equality. In September 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan approved a long-term National Strategy for Gender Equality until 2030, which was developed with support of UN Women, and its first National Action Plan (NAP) of the new Gender Equality Strategy is being implemented under the overall leadership of the Government in partnership with the UN, the CSOs and donors. The adoption of the Law on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts in the Sphere of Protection and Defense against Domestic, Sexual, and Gender-based Violence, along with the ratification of ILO Convention No. 190, reflects a steadfast commitment to eradicating gender-based violence and harassment. These legislative milestones, coupled with the National Development Strategy 2021–2026, underscore the country’s dedication to fostering a safer and more equitable society.
Gender equality and women’s leadership lie at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Pact for the Future, endorsed by global leaders including H.E. President Sadyr Japarov at the Summit of the Future in September 2024 in New York, has turbocharged our collective commitment to realizing the Agenda 2030. At its core is the imperative to ensure gender equality and expand the rights and opportunities for women and girls.
UN Women jointly with the RCO and the UN Gender Theme Group has supported the development of a report with action plan on the The UN Systemwide Action Plan for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UNSWAP) a standardized monitoring and accountability framework that promotes adherence with minimum gender mainstreaming requirements in the work of the UN system at the country level. UN Women is also working closely with the government in the development and implementation of the National Action Plans on UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which together with six supporting UN Security Council resolutions – 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960, 2106 and 2122 – is part of a series of UN commitments to women’s rights. These policy documents represent a new approach to gender equality in the Kyrgyz Republic.
In 2025, we celebrate 100 years of the women’s movement in Kyrgyzstan—a century of courage, resilience, and transformation. At the same time, we reflect on 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark global commitment to achieving gender equality and 25 years of the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women’s participation in peace, security and leadership.
In recent years, Kyrgyzstan has made notable strides in institutionalizing support for women’s leadership. Following the introduction of the 30% gender quota, women’s representation in local councils rose significantly — from 10% to approximately 38% in 2021 and now averaging 42% as a result of 2024 elections. Yet, persistent challenges remain. As of early 2025, women still hold 22% of seats in the Jogorku Kenesh and there is increased commitment for achieving 30% seats in the Parliament.
Accordingly, UN Women’s current work in Kyrgyzstan is directly linked to the country’s national priorities and the international commitments it has made to advance women’s human rights.
We have developed strong partnerships with the government and parliament, with civil society organizations, and with international, national and private sector groups committed to women´s human rights and gender equality. We are a lead contributor to the UN country programme in Kyrgyzstan, for which we ensure gender mainstreaming through the UN Gender Theme Group. Our interventions in the area of Women, Peace and Security, ending violence against women, and women economic empowerment that are funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund and the European Commission focus on empowering women and girls.
UN Women in Kyrgyzstan prioritises initiatives and programmes in these areas that are fundamental to women’s equality and that can unlock progress for both women and men:
GRB Comics: “Briefly about gender budget”This comic “Briefly about gender budget” provides a basic insight into gender-responsive budgeting through the story of a grandfather and a granddaughter. It’s an advocacy material developed to promote a better understanding of gender-responsive budgeting and policies among the wider public, particularly among civil society organizations. More
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United Nations in Kyrgyzstan has committed to tackle development issues jointly by self-nominating itself as a UN “Delivering as One” country in 2009. In May, 2016, representatives of six UN agencies visited the country to analyse how the UN delivers on this commitment. Read more »
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