ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan

Declaration of the Central Asia Women Leaders’ Caucus adopted at the first Women Leaders’ Dialogue in Central Asia, organized by the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) and the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States on 23 December 2020.

Declaration of the Central Asia Women Leaders’ Caucus

We, the representatives of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, have convened for a high-level meeting devoted to launching the first-ever Central Asia Women Leader’s Caucus, an informal coalition of women leaders dedicated to promoting and fostering the role of all women in advancing sustainable development and supporting peace and security in the region.

We believe that the experience of the on-going global COVID-19 pandemic has shown clearly the vital importance of multilateral cooperation while also highlighting the urgent need for new models of leadership and modes of living; and in this context we believe that an informal network of women leaders in Central Asia can support innovative approaches to leadership, policy-making and societal change in each of our countries.  

We resolve that our efforts in relation to these policy areas will include, inter alia, research and analysis; public engagement; developing partnerships. We resolve to engage with and draw on the experience of other women leaders from both the public sector and private sector from within Central Asia as well as from other parts of the world.

We reiterate our commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Decade for Action to Achieve the Global Goals and other United Nations-led normative frameworks and commit to seeking ways to use the potential of women throughout Central Asia to promote their implementation in the region.

We commit to raising public awareness of the Central Asia Women Leader’s Caucus, being mindful of the importance of our position as role models for girls and young women, as well as the need to promote the participation of women at all levels of politics, society and the economy.

We welcome the support provided to the establishment of the Central Asia Women Leaders’ Caucus by Ms. Natalia Gherman, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Asia and Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Central Asia (UNRCCA) and Ms. Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and Central Asia.

We decide that the Central Asia Women Leader’s Caucus will be chaired by a representative of the five regional states with a one-year term and on rotational basis.