NEWS

22 February 2006

FIRST EURASIAN WOMEN'S SUMMIT OPEN IN ASTANA

The first Eurasian Women's Summit open in Astana (EWS,) organised by the Association of Business Women of Kazakhstan, has opened today, February 22, in Astana. The forum is carried out with support of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) .

An international conference "Women and Globalization: Challenges, Threats and Prospects of Development" will make part of the forum. The EWS participants will consider three groups of issues at the international conference: political promotion of women as a part of the gender strategy, economic opportunities of women in conditions of globalisation, women's health, and family policies.

Besides, an awarding ceremony for laureates of the national premium for public recognition of Kazakhstani women's achievements "Azhar" will be carried out. More than 400 heads and representatives of public, political, expert, and business organisations from more than 20 world countries - Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, USA, Germany, Turkey, Mongolia, Norway, South Africa - are participating. Among the participants - Raushan Sarsembayeva, president of the Association of Business Women of Kazakhstan, Aitkul Samakova, aide to the president of RK - chairperson of the National Commission for Family Affairs and Gender Policies, Grigory Rapota, Secretary General of EurAsEC, MP Dariga Nazarbayeva, head of "Aimak" faction, and many others.

An "Astana Declaration "On Establishment of a Council for Gender Strategy Promotion in the EurAsEC Member States" is going to be adopted at the end of the Eurasian Women's Summit. Today, on the first day of the summit, the participants have proposed to make it a regular event.

Source: The Times of Central Asia