ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan

On 10 December, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Asia and Head of the UNRCCA, Natalia Gherman, co-hosted the annual meeting of the Central Asia Women Leaders’ Caucus (CAWLC) jointly with the Mejlis of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan and the  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The CAWLC was inaugurated in December 2020 with the support of UNRCCA and UNDP as a platform in the region committed to enhancing the political, economic and social participation of women in Central Asia.

The meeting focused on CAWLC’s activities and achievements during 2022 and the platform’s activities envisaged for 2023.

Emphasizing the pertinence of the CAWLC, SRSG Gherman noted: “The platform serves as a great example of the regional co-operation. It spearheads the regional dialogue and collaborative approach to promotion of implementation of the Women Peace and Security Agenda  and symbolizes the Central Asian States’ commitment to jointly address challenges in the field of gender equality in the region.” She commended the expansion of the CAWLC’s purview throughout 2022, encompassing such topical issues as the situation of women in the context of the climate change, gender-based violence and the role of women parliamentarians in countering violent extremism and terrorism.

Looking ahead, SRSG Gherman called on the CAWLC to strengthen cooperation with civil society organizations, step up effort to increase participation of women  in peacebuilding processes across the region and explore the ways to engage with women of Afghanistan.

The annual meeting concluded with the adoption of the CAWLC’s Declaration reiterating the commitment to promotion of gender equality and women empowerment in the region.

The Presidency of the Caucus was unanimously passed on to Kazakhstan.

Read more about the Central Asia Women Leaders’ Caucus: https://unrcca.unmissions.org/women-leaders-caucus