On May 10, 2024, regional consultations were held in the Talas region to promote gender equality in Kyrgyzstan, focusing on discussing proposals for amendments to the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic “On State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women.” Similar consultations are planned to take place in all regions of Kyrgyzstan.

In the Kyrgyz Republic, achieving gender equality between women and men is recognized as one of the key development goals. The legislative foundation for implementing gender equality policies is the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic “On State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women,” established in 2008. On March 7, 2024, a Presidential Decree approved the State Program for Supporting Women’s Leadership until 2030. This program also envisions the development and implementation of special measures to ensure women’s representation in leadership positions within government bodies, including through amendments and additions to the legislation.

The event was attended by members of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kamila Abdyrazakovna Taliyeva and Marat Moldonovich Murataliev; the Minister of Labor, Social Security, and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic, Gulnara Marishovna Baatyrova; as well as representatives from the Talas regional and district administrations, territorial state bodies, civil society, crisis centers, and experts.

The meeting discussed the amendments and additions to the Law “On State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women,” initiated by Deputy Kamila Taliyeva. She emphasized that achieving gender equality between women and men in Kyrgyzstan is one of the main development goals.

During the session, regional leaders, members of local councils, experts, members of women’s committees, and local residents presented a number of proposals and comments.

At the initiative of the member of the Kyrgyz Republic’s Parliament, Kamila Taliyeva, an interdepartmental working group was established in January 2024 to develop a draft law “On Amendments to the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic on State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women.” The group’s task is to develop a relevant and high-quality draft law, taking into account the current situation and the comments received during the previous cycle of work, when an updated version of the law was developed and proposed within the framework of the inventory of Laws and Regulatory Acts of the Kyrgyz Republic.

In connection with this, wide regional and national consultations will be held in all regions to discuss proposals for amending the Law on State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women. The implementation of the proposed changes to the law could have a positive impact on the gender situation in the country in the future.