By Manal Abdel Fattah
Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Egypt, Kairat Lama Sharif, held a meeting with the Executive Director of the Women’s Development Organization of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Afnan Al-Shuaibi.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects for cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation’s Women’s Development Organization, as well as priorities for further interaction, including on international platforms.
During the conversation, the Ambassador spoke about the activities of the National Committee for Women and Family Affairs and Demographic Policy of the President of Kazakhstan, the formation and implementation of a comprehensive government policy regarding the family, equality between women and men in the context of the concept of family, gender policy until 2030 and international treaties in the field of protection of women’s rights, family and equality between genders, in which his country participates.
In this context, special reference was made to the new action plan approved by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, which provides for a set of measures to promote gender equality, protect children’s rights, combat domestic violence, and expand human rights in the criminal justice system.
Kazakhstan’s plans for the coming period in the field of protecting women’s and family rights were discussed, including the participation of the famous Kazakh diplomat Madina Dzharpusinova in the elections of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) for the year 2025-2028, which is scheduled to be held on June 7, 2024. .
The Head of the Secretariat of the Women’s Development Organization of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Afnan Al-Shuaibi, positively praised the long-term partnership and trust that has developed between Kazakhstan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, stressing the importance of continuous exchange of experiences and improving legislation in this area to protect women’s rights.
In general, the two parties indicated a common interest in deepening cooperation and exchanging views on key issues related to ensuring the protection of family rights.
The OIC Women’s Development Organization is a specialized intergovernmental body of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, established to strengthen the gender equality structure in the Islamic world.
The establishment of the World Development Organization dates back to the year 2005, when the first high-level consultations were held within the framework of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and in 2010, at the thirty-seventh session of the meeting of the Islamic Cooperation Council, where the foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation adopted the Charter of the International Industrial Development Organization, which entered It went into effect in 2020, and the main headquarters was opened in Cairo in 2021.
The main tasks of the Women’s Office are to provide legal support for gender equality policies, advocacy and educational work, coordination and implementation activities, as it is committed to developing and enhancing the role of women and girls in society with the aim of empowering, integrating and supporting them in the political, social, educational, cultural and economic environment.
