The Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is one of the most fundamental documents in the sphere of human rights. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979.  Kyrgyzstan signed this Convention in 1996, ratified in 1997. And at the end of 1999, Kyrgyzstan introduced the first government periodic report to the CEDAW Committee.

• The first Alternative Report (AR)  to the first government periodic report of Kyrgyzstan was prepared by the «Women Support Center» (the WSC) and together with the NGO «Diamond» was presented to the CEDAW Committee in December 1999. Trainings for the WSC and the Diamond were provided by the International Organization IWRAW (International Women’s Rights Action Watch). It also recommended uniting efforts of NGOs working in various fields to protect and promote women rights.

• Council of NGOs was organized in 2003. It is the non registered network of organizations. The Council of NGO’s  main objectives are: participation in processes aimed to improve situation with compliance and enforcement of the principles of equal rights and opportunities in the Kyrgyz Republic, including the monitoring of the implementation by the Kyrgyz Republic adopted national and international commitments on human rights, the development of policies and strategies to achieve gender equality and its implementation, preparation of alternative/shadow reports to the Kyrgyz Republic periodic report to the CEDAW Committee.

The first Council of NGOs included 7 organizations:
1. Women support center
2. Legal Clinic «Adilet»
3. Association of Crisis Centers
4. Alliance for Reproductive Health
5. Unified Republican political party «Elmuras»
6. Association for the support of women — entrepreneurs.
7. Center for Gender Studies

• These organizations are also involved in the preparation of AR to the second periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic on the following topics:

 Political rights and social life (Article 3, 7, 8, General Recommendation №23)
 Violence against Women (Art. 1, 2, 5, 6, 16, General Recommendation № 19)ü
 Trafficking and Slavery (Art. 6, 11, 14, recommendation №19)
 Women’s right to land (Art. 14, 15, 16, General Recommendation № 21)
 Women’s rights — refugees (Art. 1, 12, General Recommendation № 24)
 Protection of the reproductive rights of women and the gender dimensions of HIV/AIDS (Article 10, 12, 14, General recommendations № 15, № 24)

Materials of the Alternative Report were published in Kyrgyz, Russian and English languages. Publication includes the text of the Alternative Report and recommendation of the 30th session of the UN CEDAW Committee, the text of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The technical and financial support in the preparation of the second AR was from the following organizations: HIVOS, UNIFEM, the office of the UNHCR, IWRAW-AP, representation ABA/CEELI in the Kyrgyz Republic,   Soros Foundation Kyrgyzstan.

• In September, 2007, NGO Council began preparing the Alternative Report to the third periodic report of the Kyrgyz Republic. The following members participated In preparing the report:

1. Women Support Center
2. Centre for Gender Studies
3. Association for the support of women — entrepreneurs
4. Association of Crisis Centers in Kyrgyzstan
5. Agency of Social Technologies
6. PLUS version

The structure of the third Alternative Report included:
-Political empowerment of women, results differences 
— Economic Empowerment, results differences  
-Civil rights and opportunities, results differences 
-Violence against women and human trafficking
-Education 
-Health
The members of the NGO Council had studied the specific case studies, statistics, studies and conducted additional mini-study in writing AR.  Moreover, other materials used from women’s NGOs in the larger and representative spectrum than in the public report.
Experts — representatives of the NGOs involved in writing it, participated in the following events:
• the monitoring and development of a new National Action Plan for 2007-2010 to achieve gender equality in Kyrgyzstan, in the development of the Country Development Strategy for 2006-2010
• in the parliamentary hearings on issues
• to improve the legislation on land
• the development of sectoral strategies
• The gender analysis of the legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic
• projects to promote women
Roundtables in the expert community were also carried out:
November 9, 2007 — «Forum on discussion of the part of the Alternative Report on CEDAW: political empowerment of women, results differences», Bishkek
November 16, 2007 — «Forum on discussion of the part of the Alternative Report on CEDAW: Violence against women and trafficking in human beings «, Bishkek
November 17, 2007  — » Forum on discussion of the part of the Alternative Report on CEDAW: Civil rights in Kyrgyzstan», Bishkek
November 19, 2007  — » Forum on discussion of the part of the Alternative Report on CEDAW:  Education and Culture «, Bishkek
November 20, 2007. — » Forum on discussion of the part of the Alternative Report on CEDAW: economic empowerment of women «, Bishkek
Regional seminars for representatives of civil society on the following topics were also carried out:
5 December 2007  — «Discussion of the AR of the Kyrgyz Republic to the third periodic report to the CEDAW Committee, representatives of civil society”, Talas
27 December 2007   — «Discussion of the AR of the Kyrgyz Republic to the third periodic report to the CEDAW Committee, representatives of civil society», Issyk-Kul region
27 December 2007  — » Discussion of the AR of the Kyrgyz Republic to the third periodic report to the CEDAW Committee, representatives of the civil sector in the southern region of Kyrgyzstan
January 14, 2008  — «Discussion of the AR of the Kyrgyz Republic to the third periodic report to the CEDAW Committee, representatives of the civil sector in Chui oblast and Bishkek
The round table «Presentation of the draft alternative report to the Committee of CEDAW» to inform the public, discuss the draft of the Alternative report prepared parallel to the Kyrgyz Republic third periodic report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, as well as the recommendations of the Committee of CEDAW that were given in 2004 was carried out.
Information campaign to raise awareness about the Convention and its implementation in the country (the publication and distribution of the report + CDs with resource materials, seminars, press conferences, media information, including e-file)
• articles in the newspapers published, «Kyrgyz Tuusu», «Moskovsky Komsomolets», «Word of Kyrgyzstan»
• information on the websites of the following agencies placed: 24.kg, Kabar, etc.
• Information on the preparation of the AR was given to the «News release» on the NTS and ElTR channels.
In the framework of the project a web page to inform the public about the activities of the NGO Council were also developed.
In the process of preparing and presenting an alternative report to the third periodic report of Kyrgyzstan of the following organizations: HIVOS, UNIFEM, IWRAW-AP, UN agencies, the Open Society Institute (Budapest) have provided methodological, technical and financial support
• In 2013, the Kyrgyz Republic has prepared and submitted its fourth periodic report to the Committee of CEDAW.
In the preparation of the AR to the fourth periodic report, the NGO Council proceeds as follows:

1. Women support Center  
2.  Association for the support of women — entrepreneurs
3. Association of Crisis Centers
4. Center for Gender Studies
5. Alliance for Reproductive Health
6. Agency of Social Technologies
7. Alga

The priority issues for reflection in the AR identified the following areas:
 The social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women (Article 5)                                     
 Political rights (Article 7, General Recommendation № 23)
 Economic rights of women (Article 11)
 Violence against Women (Art. 2, 16, General Recommendation № 19)
 Women living in rural areas (Article 14)
 Equal rights to education (Article 10)
Protect the reproductive rights of women and the gender dimensions of HIV / AIDS (Article 14, General recommendations № 15, № 24)