Gender Activities

Round table "Gender and Economy"

[Русский]

At the International Conference on Strengthening Subregional Economic Cooperation in Central Asia and the Future Role of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA)

 Hosted by the Government of Kazakhstan in cooperation with
UNECE and UNESCAP

Astana, Kazakhstan, 26 May 2005

The Round Table on Gender and Economy is a joint event organized by the United nations Economic Commission for Europe and the Economic (UNECE) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission on Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

The Round Table provided an opportunity to raise awareness, mainstream gender into sub-regional economic cooperation and discuss priority actions and programmes in economic area in the context of the follow up to the Beijing +10 process and implementation of the Millennium Declaration goals. 

The Review of the Beijing process, both at regional (Geneva, December 2004) and global levels (New York, March 2005) identified gender and economy as a priority area for further efforts. The resolution on women’s economic advancement was adopted by the 49^th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Implementation of this resolution is especially relevant for countries in central Asia, where women’s  economic position has deteriorated and female poverty is on a rise despite some good practices and new initiatives, such as micro-credit for women entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan. The deterioration of women’s position affects family living conditions (especially children) and communities but also undermines women’s economic potential, which could be used to accelerate economic growth.

The Round Table launched action-oriented discussion on ways to mainstream gender into economic policies and follow up activities, which could be further developed within the SPECA framework. This framework could provide a useful platform for policy dialogue, exchange of experiences and developing pilot projects.  Gender activities could also benefit from synergies with other SPECA programmes (such as on ICT or trade). 

These activities will support the implementation of national action plans for gender equality in economic area.  But bringing a gender perspective to economic cooperation will also contribute to establishing viable strategies for economic growth, social cohesion and stability in the Central Asia region.

Objectives and themes

Main objectives and themes of the Round Table were to discuss:

• Priority actions in the implementation of the Beijing +10 Review in the area of women and economy
• Experiences and good practices in selected areas, especially in relation to improving women’s employability
• Areas of cooperation among various international and regional organisations and donors
• Possibility of developing a new sub-programme on gender and economy within SPECA.