NGO Council History

One of the fundamental human rights instruments is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). It was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979. Kyrgyzstan signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1996, ratified it in 1997. At the end of 1999 Kyrgyzstan submitted the first periodic government report to the CEDAW Committee.

• First Alternative Report (further AR) for the First Periodic Report of Kyrgyzstan was prepared by the NGO “Women Support Center” (further WSC), which together with the NGO “Diamond” in December 1999 submitted the report to the CEDAW Committee. Knowledge of the procedures for the preparation of AR was provided by the International Organization IWRAW (International Women’s Rights Action Watch), which conducted training for the WSC and Diamond. The IWRAW also recommended uniting the efforts of public organizations working in various fields to protect and promote the rights of women.

• In 2003, the NGO Council was established, which is a networked, non-legally registered organization. The primary objectives of the NGO Council are participation in processes aimed at improving the situation with respect and ensuring the principles of equal rights and opportunities in the Kyrgyz Republic, including monitoring the implementation of national and international human rights obligations adopted by the Kyrgyz Republic; developing policies and strategies for achieving gender equality and their implementation; preparation of the Alternative / Shadow Report for the periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic to the CEDAW Committee.

The first 7 members of NGO Council:

1. Women Support Center
2. Legal Clinic “Adilet”
3. Association of Crisis Centers
4. Reproductive Health Alliance
5. United Republican Political Party «Elmuras»
6. Women Entrepreneurs Support Association
7. Gender Research Center

• These organizations also participated in the preparation of the AR for the second periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic on the following topics:

1. Political rights and public life (p. 3, 7, 8, General Recommendation No. 23)
2. Violence against women (p. 1, 2, 5, 6, 16, General Recommendation No. 19)
3. Trafficking of women and slavery (p. 6, 11, 14, Recommendation No. 19)
4. The right of women to the land (p. 14, 15, 16, General Recommendation No. 21)
5. The rights of women refugees (p. 1, 12, General Recommendation No. 24)
6. Protection of reproductive rights of women and gender aspects of HIV / AIDS (p.10, 12, 14, General recommendations No. 15, No. 24)

The information on AR was published in Kyrgyz, Russian and English languages. The publication contains the text of the Alternative Report; recommendations from the 30th session of the UN CEDAW Committee; text of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Technical, financial support during the preparation for second AR was provided by international organizations such as: HIVOS, UNIFEM, Office of the Head of the UNHCR, IWRAW-AP, ABA / CEELI Representative Office in the Kyrgyz Republic, Soros Foundation Kyrgyzstan.

• On September, 2007 NGO Council started preparation of Alternative Report for the third periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic. During the preparation of the report the core bodies made up Council members such as:

1. Women Support Center
2. Gender Research Center
3. Women Entrepreneurs Support Association of Kyrgyzstan — WESA
4. Association of Crisis Centers of Kyrgyzstan
5. Social Technologies Association
6. Option PLUS

Structure of the third Alternative Report contained:

1. Political rights and opportunities of women, differences in results
2. Economic rights and opportunities, differences in results
3. Civil rights and opportunities, differences in results
4. Violence against women and human trafficking
5. Education
6. Health

To write the AR, Council members studied specific cases, statistics, research results and conducted additional mini-studies. In addition, other materials of women’s NGOs were used in a wider and more representative spectrum than in the state report.

Experts – NGO Council Representatives that were involved in AR’s writing, participated in events such as:

• in monitoring and developing a new National Action Plan for 2007-2010 to achieve gender

equality in Kyrgyzstan, in the development of a Country Development Strategy for 2006-2010

• in parliamentary hearings on various issues
• in the improvement of land legislation
• in the development of sectoral strategies
• in conducting a gender examination of the legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic
• implementation of projects to promote women

Thematic round tables were held in the expert environment:

November 9, 2007 — “Discussion of the CEDAW Alternative Report section “Political rights and opportunities of women, differences in results ”, Bishkek

November 16, 2007 — “Discussion of the Alternative Report Section on CEDAW “Violence against women and human trafficking”, Bishkek

November 17, 2007 — “Discussion of the Alternative Report Section on CEDAW “Civil Rights in the Kyrgyz Republic ”, Bishkek

November 19, 2007 — “Discussion of the Alternative Education Report on CEDAW “Education and Culture”, Bishkek

November 20, 2007 — “Discussion of the Alternative Report on CEDAW “Economic Rights and Opportunities for Women”, Bishkek

As well, regional seminars for representatives of civil society were conducted on the following topics:

December 5, 2007 — “Discussion of the AR to the third periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Committee” for representatives of the civil sector of Talas region

December 27, 2007 — “Discussion of the AR to the third periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Committee” for representatives of the civil sector of Issyk-Kul region

December 27, 2007 — “Discussion of the AR to the third periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Committee” for representatives of the civil sector in the southern region of Kyrgyzstan

January 14, 2008 — “Discussion of the AR to the third periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Committee” for representatives of the civil sector of the Chuy oblast and Bishkek

Round table “Introduction of Alternative Report Project to CEDAW Committee” for representatives of governmental structures was conducted aimed at informing the public and discussing the Alternative Report Project, prepared in parallel with the third Periodic Report of the Kyrgyz Republic on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, as well as the recommendations of the CEDAW Committee, which were given in 2004.

An informational campaign was conducted to raise public awareness of the Convention and its implementation in the country (publication and distribution of the report + CDs with resource materials, seminars, press conferences, media information, including e-format).

• Published articles in newspapers: “Kyzyl Tuusu”, “Moscow Komsomolets”, “Kyrgyzstan’s Word”
• Information is posted on the websites of the following agencies: 24.kg, Kabar, etc.
• Information on the preparation of AR is given in the “News” issue on the NTS and ELTR channels.

The project also developed a web page to inform the public about the activities of the NGO Council.

The following international organizations provided methodological, technical and financial support in the preparation and submission of the alternative report for the third periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic: HIVOS, UNIFEM, IWRAW-AP, UN Agencies, Open Society Institute (Budapest).

• In 2013, Kyrgyz Republic prepared and submitted the fourth periodic report to CEDAW Committee.

The preparation of the AR for the fourth periodic report, the NGO Council proceeded as follows:

1. Women Support Center
2. Gender Research Center
3. Women Entrepreneurs Support Association of Kyrgyzstan – WESA
4. Association of Crisis Centers of Kyrgyzstan
5. Social Technologies Association
6. Social organization of rural women

The priority issues for reflection in the AR are the following areas:

1 Social and cultural patterns of behavior of men and women (p. 5)

2 Women’s Political Rights (p. 7, General Recommendation No. 23)

3 Economic rights of women (p.11)

4 Violence against women (p. 2, 16, General Recommendation No. 19)

5 Rural Women (p. 14)

6 Equal educational rights (p. 10)

7 Protecting the reproductive rights of women and the gender aspects of HIV / AIDS (p. 14, General Recommendations No. 15, No. 24)