«Women's Leadership - A Breakthrough to a New Era» forum held in Bishkek

On March 10, 2021, the forum "Women's Leadership - A Breakthrough to a New Era" was held at the State Residence in Bishkek. The event was attended by former President of the Kyrgyz Republic and member of the UN Secretary General's HighLevel Advisory Council on Mediation Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the Social Development Monitoring Department of the Presidential Administration Maksat Usubaliev, UN Resident Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic Ojielo Ozonnia, representatives of the Government, international organizations, civil society organizations, activists, representatives of culture and the business community.

The purpose of the event was to show the diversity of women's leadership and the significant contribution of women in the development of Kyrgyzstan in the face of new challenges.

In her welcoming speech, former president Roza Otunbayeva said: "Many men and women who fought for women's rights lost their lives in this country and today the girls of Kyrgyzstan, we hold our heads proudly, talk about women's issues, women's leadership, and walk with our heads uncovered. The girls of Kyrgyzstan should be like AisuluuTynybekova - we should be fighting and win

Speaking about the representation of women in the parliaments of Central Asian countries, RozaIsakovna noted: “The table dated January 1, 2021 shows that in Uzbekistan the representation of women in parliament is 30%, in Kazakhstan 27%, in Turkmenistan 25%, in Tajikistan 24%, and here in Kyrgyzstan 17%. We sit at 17%, however I really want to believe, and not only believe, we will fight for every parliamentary seat” she said.

Rosa Isakovna also noted that she sees our country's development priorities in the development of health care and education.

"It's very important for us today to support doctors, teachers, to find key segments in these areas in order to bring the country forward. We have to say thank you to the doctors, to the medical students, to all the health workers who pulled us out and continue to pull us out of this nightmare during the pandemic. We saw women playing a crucial role," said Roza Otunbayeva.

This Forum provided a unique opportunity to celebrate the significant efforts of women and girls across Kyrgyzstan to shape a more equitable future and emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Forum also provided a platform for dialogue about intergenerational leadership, the importance of women's participation in political processes, and upcoming elections for local parliaments.

Ozonnia Ojielo, UN Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan, noted that during the pandemic in Kyrgyzstan, women were on the front lines and did a lot to save lives, contributing greatly. Ozonnia Ojielo also added that the facts show that women's leadership brings growth and development to every country.

The forum was timed to coincide with the 95th anniversary of the women's movement in Kyrgyzstan, the global campaign for International Women's Day on March 8, the 65^th session of the Commission on the Status of Women and the global youth campaign "Generation Equality”.

The event was held in a combined on-line/off-line mode. Women leaders from all regions of Kyrgyzstan shared their experiences of leadership at various levels of decision-making, during and after the pandemic. There were four panel discussions in total: intergenerational relationships, elections and political participation of women, women at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 and leadership advice.