Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, - deputies, partners, guests!

Good morning to you all! I am so pleased today to speak on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme at our roundtable which is really a celebration of women as deputies in local government.

Women’s equal political participation is a fundamental condition for the universal equality between women and men in society. And it is a symbol and necessary condition of real democracy, in which each human being has the same rights and opportunities.

Gender equality plays a crucial role as a driver of development progress and is one of the sustainable development goals. However, many societies in our world have yet to capitalize on the potential that women represent and we remain with persistent social, economic and political inequalities where women are excluded, Kyrgyzstan is no exception.

But today we rejoice in the great progress in the increase of both women’s participation in the elections and in their also winning the confidence of their electorate and becoming elected. This vote of confidence from the general population speaks volumes: We see women as leaders of the future for of Kyrgyzstan, beyond stereotypes and beyond political divisions.

The increase in women elected to ayil keneshes from less than 10 % to more than 36 % is an achievement for the entire country. Women will have more opportunities to influence local-politics and actually contribute to improve the quality of life in local communities. The 30 % reservation of seats in the local keneshes was introduced a temporary measure to set a minimum threshold. It was the signal that women needed, an opportunity to seize, and to put their good name and capacity forward.

We commend the outstanding efforts of all stakeholders, and in particular the Central Election Commission for its wise leadership, sustained hard work and effective information campaign to make women and men aware of the policy and legislative changes, and thereby opening the door to the realization of this outcome. We appreciate your continued and consistent efforts working with governmental and non-governmental actors to implement the reform.

Ladies and gentlemen, all political systems have their strengths and weaknesses. From the UN system side, a fundamental quality criterion is participation. It is when people can participate in decisions about their lives and the issues that matter to them, that we are approaching democracy. The broad based inclusion of women therefore matter, at a national and an international level.

In terms of the country’s development, there is significant experience to suggest that with more women participating in leading capacity, the quality of decision making improves and we can expect to see enhanced regulation of social, educational and environmental issues at the local level, which importantly can contribute to social cohesion at a time when Kyrgyzstan needs this the most.

I would like to thank the civil society partners who worked closely with CEC and UNDP to conduct an innovative raising awareness campaign on the ground through informational meetings explaining the reform and its potential, encouraging female candidates to run for offices and local authorities to create commendable conditions for such participation, as well as strengthening capacity of the female candidates to campaign effectively in line with the legal procedures.

Thanks also go to the OSCE who have co-championed this issue together with the UN, and to the Embassy of Switzerland and Swiss Development Cooperation for the financial contribution that enabled us to support this campaign at scale. Thank you of course to my fellow UN colleagues and especially Ulzii Jamsran, for making sure that we keep this agenda at the top of many important issues.

We hope to study and learn the lessons on the implementation of this reform, to understand better the reasons, to build further improved strategies for future and what can be done to ensure strong women participation in also in the parliamentary elections.

Last but not least. I would like to congratulate all the new women deputies for stepping up with courage and confidence to govern their local communities. You inspire thousands of girls and women in Kyrgyzstan to follow their dreams and to be successful in all spheres of their lives, including political. We wish you every success in your new capacity and we are confident that you will bring a new sense of prosperity and progress to your communities and to Kyrgyzstan.   

Dear female elected officials, some people think that women ought to go back to the kitchen. I guess this is a euphemism for not believing that women have an equal right to lead. Personally, I don’t see why the kitchen could not be a great place from which to lead the community, and indeed, the country.

In connection with this reform, some journalists approached UNDP and – really – asked us: Do women really have the qualifications? I wondered quietly, if this question was ever asked about men, ahead of previous elections.

Women elected officials have every right and capacity to lead and to act in accordance with democratic principles. Women have the knowledge, the aspirations, the ideas, the courage, and the strength to lead. And I hope you will also have the confidence, to lead in your own way, daring to be different or just to be you, without following the order of others. No doubt it is your unique mind, your leadership, and your principled actions, that are going to enhance the quality and well-being of your country’s democracy.

Let me end by thanking our excellent partners – OSCE, UN Women, Women Support Center, Development Policy Institute and Social Technologies Agencies for the great collaboration we enjoyed working together to support implementation of the reform and for the organization of today’s event.

I hope for an interesting discussion and looking forward to hearing more from our today’s heroes – women deputies.  

Thank You! Rakhmat!