KYRGYZSTAN: President of Kyrgyzstan Signs on to UNiTE Campaign

During a meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Bishkek on 3 April, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kurmanbek Bakiev, signed on to the Secretary-General's UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, committing to make ending violence against women and girls in Kyrgyzstan a top priority.

Ban Ki-moon welcomed Bakiev's signature. “If you give a woman power and respect, she will take decisions that benefit her family, and society as a whole,” said the Secretary-General at the signing ceremony. “But we all know that women are all too often subjected to horrific abuse and violence, around the world. No country is immune. Therefore, let us reaffirm our respect for women's human rights, let us invest more resources in countering this violence and let us do all it takes to end these horrific crimes.”

Under the slogan “It's time to act!” the UNiTE campaign was formally launched in Kyrgyzstan on the occasion of International Women's Day on 8 March, with a focus on awareness-raising and social mobilization. As part of the campaign, the President of Kyrgyzstan, Parliamentarians and other influential members of society signed on to UNIFEM's Say NO – UNiTE call for action, including the Speaker of the Parliament, Zainidin Kurmanov, Vice Speaker Cholpon Baekova, the Minister of Labour, Employment and Migration, Aigul Ryskulova, and the Deputy Chair of the Supreme Court, Kalima Aknazarova.

Within the Say NO – UNiTE framework, an arts workshop was held in Bishkek on 27 March, where representatives from government bodies, the private sector, civil society and women's organizations, as well as youth, came together and created artworks inspired by the theme of ending violence against women and girls. Following two more workshops to be held in April and May, the objects will be auctioned to raise funds for women's crisis centres. Currently, thirteen centres in the entire country attend to the needs of around 8,000 women who seek help annually. Depending on volunteer support, the centres are run with limited resources and are in many cases in urgent need of renovation.

Also on 27 March, boys and girls from orphanages and rehabilitation centres in the Chui region, as well as neighbourhood teams from Bishkek, participated in a football tournament at the Dordoi stadium in the Kyrgyz capital. All the young players signed on to the UNiTE campaign and called on Kyrgyz youth to say no to violence against women and girls.