Dear excellencies, colleagues, friends,

I would like to congratulate Kazakhstan as the Chair of the Women’s Dialogue for Central Asia and the UNWOMEN, UNRCCA and UNDP  for organising this event.

I wish I could be with you hearing your views, debating policies and sharing experiencies. Meeting with women’s organisations is a must during most of my trips to Central Asia. Just last week I returned from a three day trip to the Ferghana valley where I had a chance to meet with wonderful women leaders who work to make their communities more resilient, secure and prosperous. I am happy that the European Union and its member states can be part of this process.

The landmark United Nations Resolutions 1325 on Women, Peace and Security nears its twenty fifth anniversary. It is a good moment to take stock of our achievements and failures and gain a new impetus to implement our vision for a gender equal world.

Throughout the past conflicts in Central Asia, women have played a crucial role as peace-builders. Now as the new challenges are emerging in Central Asia women are challenged to play a more instrumental role in many more areas. Effects of climate change, migration, gender- based violence, spread of conservative values, access to education and healthcare for women are global trends that also affect Central Asia. That is why it is a must that we work together: EU and Central Asia, across the country borders, and among different ethnic and religious communities to promote gender equality.

I am also happy to see that more women’s networks are created among our Central Asian partners, for example, among decision-makers, on tackling gender-based violence,  peace-building, on water to name a few. It is crucial that women support each other. Like Madeleine Albright said: “There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."

The EU has committed itself to accelerate progress on gender equality in six key areas: Combating gender- based violence, promoting economic, social and political empowerment of women and girls, healthcare and green and digital transition and Women, Peace and Security Agenda.

These are also areas in which we support our Central Asian partners. The Spotlight Initiative, programmes to promote women-led small and medium enterprise, access to education, healthcare and WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) as well as promoting civil society. On many initiatives the EU and the EU member states work with our international partners, like the UN and the OSCE, both politically, in advocacy and financially through the EU’s support to their projects. For us to lead by example, it is important that we ourselves have women in decision-making position. As you know, we have a gender-equal EU leadership and three out of five Heads of Delegations in Central Asia are women.

I would like to commend all women leaders for their tireless work to make the vision of the UN Resolution 1325 a reality and the Central Asian region more prosperous, secure and resilient.