ASTANA (TCA) — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and with the support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on July 12 concluded a seminar focusing on Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) experience in the field of Official Development Assistance (ODA): gender equality and promotion of women’s rights, UNDP in Kazakhstan reported.
Leading experts of the Japan International Cooperation Agency presented the main approaches used by the agency in planning, implementing, and monitoring ODA programmes and projects using tools aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s rights. The knowledge gained during the seminar will contribute to improving the quality of planned and implemented activities within the framework of Kazakhstan’s official development assistance system.
“If all members of society are equally empowered to contribute, the sum of their efforts will be far greater than if certain groups, like women, do not enjoy equal opportunity,” said UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Kazakhstan Munkhtuya Altangerel.
“In today’s interconnected world countries can learn from each other and adopt their best experience a lot faster than before. I am happy that with this workshop and with the support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency we can build bridges between people and help incorporate best practices to promote gender equality,” she said.
The United Nations Development Program actively supports gender equality. The project “Promoting Kazakhstan’s Official Development Assistance Cooperation with Afghanistan” aims at increasing economic independence and promoting the rights of Afghan women. The project marks Kazakhstan’s first international cooperation for Afghanistan in the framework of national system of Official Development Assistance (ODA), while it helps Kazakhstan to strengthen its ability to administer its future ODA. The project is financed by the Government of Japan through the UNDP-Japan Partnership Fund.
