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Country Indexes
outcome XM-DAC-41146-KGZ_D_1.1
SN Outcome 1/UNSDCF Outcome 2: By 2027, the well-being of the population of the Kyrgyz Republic will have improved through the further rollout of a green economy based on sustainable and healthy food systems natural resource management, and effective migration processes, by accelerating the use of gender transformative social and technological innovations and entrepreneurship.
In 2024, Kyrgyzstan made notable strides toward advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE), largely driven by key legislative reforms, government initiatives, and partnerships aimed at addressing gender disparities in the workforce and fostering entrepreneurship. The ratification of ILO Convention No. 190 on February 28, 2024, strengthened the policy framework for eliminating violence and harassment in the workplace. This outcome directly contributed to improving protections for women, enabling safer work environments and increased access to decent employment opportunities. Preparations by the Ministry of Education and Science for a pilot voucher system for early childhood education, set to launch in September 2025, represented a foundational step toward expanding access to preschool education, creating employment opportunities for women, and addressing barriers to their full economic participation. Similarly, an amendment to the Law on the Protection of the Rights of Entrepreneurs, enacted on December 4, 2024, integrated "women’s entrepreneurship" into the legal framework. This reform increased recognition of women-led businesses and set the stage for greater access to finance, enhanced state support, and improved participation of women entrepreneurs in the national economy. The approval of the State Programme to Support Women’s Leadership until 2030, signed in March 2024, was a significant milestone in promoting women’s leadership in political, economic, and public life. These achievements reflect increased national ownership and commitment to gender equality and WEE. However, challenges persist. National labor statistics reveal a significant gender gap, with women’s labor force participation at 53.5% compared to 79% for men. Among youth aged 15–28, only 30.9% of women participate in the labor force compared to 63.1% of men, with youth unemployment disproportionately affecting women (12.9% vs. 7.6% for men). Limited childcare access—only 25% of children in Kyrgyzstan are enrolled in preschool—further exacerbates barriers to women’s employment. Youth not in education, employment, or training (NEET) remain a critical concern, with women representing 27.3% of the NEET population, nearly 2.4 times higher than men. To leverage these advancements, UN Women continued to strengthen its partnerships with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Economy, Kyrgyzpatent, the Federation of Trade Unions, the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange, Bank of Asia, the Aga Khan Foundation, and Accelerate Prosperity and other key partners. A total of 132 women entrepreneurs enhanced their skills in business modeling, pitch development, and market expansion through the online Business Bootcamp, delivered by Accelerate Prosperity in close partnership with UN Women. The bootcamp attracted a diverse group of participants from across Central Asia, including 68 from Kyrgyzstan, 43 from Kazakhstan, 13 from Tajikistan, and 8 from Uzbekistan. During the program, five women entrepreneurs showcased their business potential through impactful pitches, highlighting investment opportunities and demonstrating their readiness for growth. UN Women played a catalytic role in advancing WEE in Kyrgyzstan through strategic partnerships, capacity-building, and advocacy initiatives. The Women’s Entrepreneurship EXPO-2024, redesigned as an innovative platform, engaged over 5,000 participants from Kyrgyzstan. This new format enabled women entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses, strengthen connections with partners, and access capacity-building opportunities. While no direct investments were secured during the event, it significantly enhanced the visibility of women-led businesses and positioned them for future growth and collaboration. Kyal Akkuchukulova, an entrepreneur and participant in EXPO-2024, turned her business into a platform for empowerment and cultural preservation. During a 16-day campaign to prevent violence, supported by UN Women, she sold 250 scarves in one month, earning 320,000 KGS—a significant leap from her previous annual sales of 100 scarves worth 120,000 KGS. The impact of EXPO and UN Women on Kyal's journey has been transformative. Through EXPO, she gained access to new markets and partners, significantly scaling her business and reaching a broader audience. This opportunity allowed her to transition from being a local entrepreneur to a businesswoman with a growing influence. She also developed as a leader, becoming a role model for other women while using her platform to promote empowerment and preserve cultural traditions. Beyond her personal success, Kyal's work has made a difference in her community, as her scarves, steeped in heritage, tell stories that raise awareness about the importance of supporting women in need. Inspired by her achievements, Kyal is now planning for the future. She will participate in a women’s entrepreneurship Bootcamp 2025 to further expand her business, attract investments, and launch a new project focused on educational coloring books for children. UN Women further supported the Central Asia Women’s Dialogue, convened on November 15, 2024, which brought together 20 women innovators to address challenges in scaling women-led innovations. The dialogue produced actionable recommendations, including enhancing regional collaboration, increasing access to financing, and supporting commercialization of locally sourced innovations, contributing to sustainable development goals. The successful organization of the 4th "Ring the Bell for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE)" event marked a key milestone in advancing gender equality in Kyrgyzstan. During the event, 69 participants (46 women and 23 men) enhanced their capacity to understand and advocate for gender-responsive financial practices, contributing to the development of a more inclusive financial ecosystem and creating sustainable economic opportunities for women and girls. The event brought together high-level representatives from the Kyrgyz Presidential Administration, the Secretariat of the Investment Council under the Cabinet of Ministers, the Financial Market Regulatory Service, the Swiss Embassy, and UN Women Kyrgyzstan. It served as a dynamic platform for dialogue on critical issues, including investment in women and girls, access to finance, and the broader socio-economic benefits of gender equality. A key outcome of the event was the commitment by the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange to organize gender equality training for government and private sector stakeholders which was delivered in May 2024. This initiative addressed a critical gap in gender knowledge and advocacy within the financial sector, paving the way for more gender-sensitive financial policies and practices. Kyrgyzstan’s progress in WEE aligns with gender equality goals, but persistent challenges like labor force disparities and limited childcare access underscore the need for continued efforts. UN Women will continue serve as a key partner leveraging its expertise and strategic partnerships to foster inclusive economic growth and gender equality in Kyrgyzstan. Interview of UN UN Women Representative and Accelerate Prosperity on ELTR TV News: Vechernyi Bishkek_EXPO-2024 News:Ministry of Economy_EXPO-2024 Link to video: Video_EXPO-2024.mp4 Link to photos: EXPO-2024 Women's Enterpreneurship CAWLC_package_eng.pdf
outcome XM-DAC-41146-KGZ_D_2.1
SN Outcome 2/UNSDCF Outcome 4: By 2027, all people in the Kyrgyz Republic enjoy the benefits of fair and accountable democratic institutions that are free from corruption and apply innovative solutions that promote respect for human rights, and strengthen peace and cohesion.
Despite positive Kyrgyzstan’s macroeconomic outlook for 2024, in political domain there has been a decline in human rights and the rule of law in the Kyrgyz Republic continued, which in the medium term will negatively affect socio-economic development, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized groups. The shrinking democratic and civic space, along with existing and newly proposed restrictive laws targeting freedom of expression, mass media, freedom of association, and public participation, as well as the growing harassment of political opponents, journalists, and activists, underscored the need for promotion of inclusive public participation that UN Women continued to do through a series of platforms and dialogues facilitated. This has been done starting from the local level in Batken province in building an inclusive system of governance and ensuring voice and participation of the most vulnerable and underrepresented groups in decision making, to high level policy and public advocacy events such as National March Forum at the premises of National Parliament, Beijing +30 review process based on a wide consultation process with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs, and the Central Asia Women Leadership Caucus, uniting women groups from the whole region to address the issues of Women, Peace and Security and women economic development. Civil society, as both as service providers and as promoters of accountability, will remain critical partner of UN Women to safeguarding civic space and delivering services to the most vulnerable. The Global Peace Index (GPI) 2024 ranked Kyrgyzstan 77 th out 163 countries, back up by several places compared to 2023. 10 It ranked 101 st out of 163 countries in the Positive Peace Index (PPI) 2024, nearly unchanged. 11 The Fragile States Index (FSI) 2024 ranked Kyrgyzstan 65 th out of 179 countries, back up by four places. Interstate armed conflict was still perceived as a risk, in the Global Risks Report 2024. 12 I n 2024 UN Women Kyrgyzstan CO continued implementation of Strategic Note (SN), during which the Country Office made some progress toward achieving this Outcome. In this context, local partners accessed innovative tools to facilitate a gender-responsive and human-centric approach to local development, fostering peace, social cohesion, and enhanced local adaptation to climate-related risks. Following the administrative territorial reform in Batken, which consolidated municipalities and reduced their number, efforts were focused on 7 out of 9 target Local Self-Governments (LSGs) across Batken and Leilek districts. These LSGs enhanced the efficiency of their development planning processes and strengthened collaboration with communities through innovative methodologies such as "speed dating" consultations in three municipalities of Batken as Suu-Bashi, Toguz Bulak and Tortkul. 15 members of the LSG working group from three municipalities applied ‘speed dating’ tool to meaningfully engage community members in local development and peacebuilding issues. As a result a diverse group of 223 participants, including representatives from government institutions, NGOs, activists, residents, religious leaders, ethnic minorities, and 57 Local Self-Government (LSG) officials (140 females and 83 males), actively enhanced their awareness and understanding of the nexus of gender, climate, and peace. They systematically identified and prioritized pressing community needs, generating actionable data for evidence-based planning. This process led to specific recommendations to integrate community priorities into local development plans, advancing inclusive and sustainable governance. Strengthened collaboration between LSGs and community members boosted their collective capacity to address community challenges.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-KGZ_O_1
Assuring an accountable organization through principled performance: UN-Women is an accountable and trustworthy development organization that manages its financial and other resources with integrity and in line with its programmatic ambitions and fiduciary obligations
The UN Women Country Office remains committed to upholding high standards of accountability, integrity, and resource management, ensuring compliance with its Strategic Note (SN) and administrative and financial rules. In 2024, UN Women effectively led the implementation of the joint programme funded by the Peacebuilding Fund, ensuring coherence between partner agencies (FAO and the Roza Otunbaeva Foundation) and national and implementing partners. This included maintaining rigorous financial planning, monitoring, and reporting to ensure transparency and alignment with program goals. UN Women also successfully completed the UK-funded project on promoting social cohesion in targeted localities of Batken province. While the financial report for this initiative was finalized and cleared in accordance with donor and headquarters requirements, a delay in submission was identified. This issue was escalated to headquarters and the regional office for review, prompting discussions on enhancing organizational financial performance and addressing procedural bottlenecks.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-KGZ_O_2
Advancing partnerships and resourcing
The output has been partially achieved. UN Women has been working throughout the year 202 4 to maintain existing and build new strategic partnerships to push GEWE agenda forward and mobilize additional funding for this.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-KGZ_O_3
Advancing business transformation
The output has been partially achieved. UN Women country team follows on organizational developments and advances its business transformation in line with OEE plan. In the framework of the introduction of a new ERP system , Quantum, in 202 4 the CO con tinued with regular sessions for the staff to learn and practice new tools and platforms.Showing 1 - 5 of 7