Paris, March 9, 2026 – Gender equality, human rights, justice and responsibility are integral principles of national policy and ongoing reforms in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The delegation of Kazakhstan delivered this message in a speech at a high-level event attended by the UNESCO member states and its leadership to mark the International Women’s Day and the 70^th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, taking place in New York.

In his remarks at the meeting, UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany outlined the Organization’s efforts to ensure gender equality in education, science, and cultural policy.

Permanent Delegate of Kazakhstan to UNESCO, Ambassador Askar Abdrakhmanov briefed the participants on Kazakhstan’s experience in promoting gender equality and strengthening the role of women in the country’s social, political, and economic life.

Within the context of UNESCO’s mandate, Ambassador Abdrakhmanov emphasized the measures undertaken to expand participation of women in education, science, and innovation sector, taking into account the rapid development of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

It was noted that women make up 52.5 % of university students in Kazakhstan. Women own over 48 % of small and medium-sized enterprises, and their share in the civil service personnel is 55.8 %. Furthermore, there are projects being implemented in the country to support women in STEM (science, technologies, engineering and mathematics) research and tackle discrimination against women in the digital environment and in judicial processes.

“Kazakhstan is firmly committed to UNESCO’s global priority of gender equality. In its turn, the UN Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan, as well as the UNESCO Almaty Office’s projects serve as a useful platform for regional dialogue and cooperation in this important area,” said the Kazakh diplomat.

Concluding his speech at the event, Ambassador Abdrakhmanov reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to the collective efforts of the international community to eradicate gender inequality worldwide and in all spheres of public life.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-unesco/press/news/details/1177175?lang=kk