Aida Balaeva, Minister of Culture and Information, had a meeting today with Dr Afnan Al Shuaibi, Executive Director of the Women's Development Organisation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The meeting was devoted to the discussion of gender equality issues and exchange of experience in the field of family and gender policy.

The Minister emphasised that Kazakhstan, as a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state, adheres to a policy of peacefulness, tolerance and non-discrimination.

‘The Head of State actively supports and pays great attention to efforts to achieve gender equality, which is one of the priorities of state policy. An important evidence of this is that in the international ranking on the index of gender gap Kazakhstan in 2023 took 62nd place out of 146 countries,’ - said Aida Balayeva.

The Minister spoke about the activities of the National Commission on Women's Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan, as well as the work of the Centre for Family and Gender Policy Research. More than 500 NGOs working on gender policy issues and the national network of women's leadership schools, which unites almost 70 NGOs, play an important role. There were ‘Women Politicians’ Clubs’ and Women's Entrepreneurship Development Centres in all regions of the country.

Dr Afnan Al Shuaibi highlighted Kazakhstan's success in combating domestic violence, stressing that among Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan is a leader in this area.

The parties also discussed the prospects of interaction between Kazakhstan and the OIC Women's Organisation, including international platforms. At the end of the meeting, the participants expressed mutual interest in deepening cooperation and exchange of views on key issues of women's rights protection.

Press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan