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| Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York |
Committee on Elimination of
Discrimination against Women
Chamber A, 757th & 758th Meetings (AM & PM)
Women’s anti-discrimination committee takes up report of Kazakhstan; Told ‘evolutionary’ – not revolutionary – change shaping women’s progress
Kazakhstan was approaching the issue of women’s advancement in stages -- from concept to strategy to law -- and believed evolutionary, not revolutionary, change was needed to bring about meaningful progress for Kazakh women, a member of that country’s delegation told the expert Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today.
Introducing Kazakhstan’s second periodic report, Aitkul Samakova, Chairperson of the National Commission on Family Affairs and Gender Policy, said Kazakhstan had succeeded in ensuring peace and accord throughout a complex transition period. Considerable change had taken place since 2001. With one of the 10 most dynamic economies in the world, Kazakhstan enjoyed the highest standard of living in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region. Located at the heart of Eurasia, at the junction of three world religions -– Islam, Christianity and Buddhism –- Kazakhstan today acted as a role model of peaceful coexistence for various cultures and civilizations.
Describing “tangible steps” to strengthen national institutions and legislation, she said one of the most important developments had been the adoption of the 2006-2016 Strategy for Gender Equality in Kazakhstan –- a first in its history, she said. The Parliament’s Majilis was now considering a draft law on equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men. As other CIS countries were only beginning work on similar legislation, Kazakhstan had modelled its draft on the French legislation. A special body -– an envisioned commission on equal rights -- would coordinate efforts to implement the draft law. The law included some quotas, including 30 per cent in the Parliament positions, she added.
While praising the country’s “good work” in achieving gender equality, experts also stressed the need for a time frame for the adoption of legislation. Expressing concern that the country wanted to “take its time”, one expert said that, while a combination of political will and a dynamic economic upsurge had contributed to the country’s success, Kazakh women had a sense of urgency regarding the need to adopt laws that would enhance their possibilities in society, one expert said. Such pressing issues as domestic violence also required immediate action, another expert added.
Noting that Kazakhstan was a source, transit and destination country of trafficking in women, experts also stressed the need for greater focus on that issue. The Convention was the charter of rights for women and States parties had a responsibility to promote the rights of all women in the country, one expert said. While the country had developed protocols with some of the countries to which women were trafficked, combating that crime would be difficult without understanding the driving factors behind it. Describing “a kind of benign neglect” of the issue of prostitution, she noted that, while prostitution was seen as an issue of trafficking, the report provided no sense of the problem inside the country. Although prostitution was not legal in Kazakhstan, the country’s legislation provided no penalty for it. Illegal activities should have sanctions.
Despite the country’s recent economic boom and its potential for women, experts also commented on persistent inequalities in the area of employment, including inequalities in the pension system, traditional areas of women’s work, and the wage gap between women and men. One expert noted that that country’s Strategy for Gender Equality failed to have a goal of addressing inequality of wage for work of equal value. The country’s labour law, moreover, did not even talk about work of equal value. She was afraid that so-called light industry, where women dominated, often translated into lower wages, as well.
Responding to the expert’s comments, Ms. Samakova said the delay in the adoption of the law on domestic violence could be explained by the population’s traditional mentality, which the Government was trying to address. Another member of the delegation added that, while there had been insufficient financial support for its implementation initially, she expected it to be passed in the near future. The issue of trafficking was systematically addressed in Kazakhstan. Apart from a commission on trafficking, a specialized department had been set up within the police system. In 2005, a two-year plan against trafficking of persons had been completed and, in 2006, a new four-year plan had been introduced. Constant efforts to improve legislation included an amendment to a number of articles of criminal and administrative laws, including a decree on a legal situation of foreign citizens in Kazakhstan.
The issue of employment was one of the most important areas of social policy, another member of the delegation added, describing measures to improve women’s access to the labour market at both the macro and micro levels. Vocational training was being encouraged at the level of the State, the private sector and for the unemployed. While the country did have a high level of gross domestic product, another member of the delegation said, the high level had only occurred in the last two or three years. The Government wanted to help women, but it also wanted to help men. The level of wages for men and women was different, as men worked more than women, he added.
Experts participating in the meeting included: Dorcas Coker-Appiah ( Ghana), Shanti Dairiam ( Malaysia), Cornelis Flinterman ( Netherlands), Naela Gabr ( Egypt), Ruth Halperin-Kaddari ( Israel), Violeta Neubauer ( Slovenia), Silvia Pimentel ( Brazil), Fumiko Saiga ( Japan), Hanna Beate Schöpp-Schilling ( Germany), Heisoo Shin ( Republic of Korea) and Glenda Simms ( Jamaica).
Chamber A of the Committee will meet again tomorrow, 17 January, at 10 a.m. to take up the combined second and third periodic reports of Namibia.
Background
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women this morning held parallel meetings to take up the reports of Kazakhstan and Poland. For background, see Press Release WOM/1589.
Chamber A - Introduction of Kazakhstan Report
Kazakhstan’s delegation was headed by Aitkul Samakova, Adviser to the President of Kazakhstan and Chairperson of the National Commission on Family Affairs and Gender Policy. Also participating in the dialogue with the Committee’s experts were: Kazakhstan’s Permanent Representative, Yerzhan Kazykhanov; Senators Beksultan Tutkushev and Svetlana Jalmagambetova; Judge of the Supreme Court, Aisulu Shaikenova; Madina Jarbussynova of the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan; Deputy Minister of Justice, Dulat Kustavletov; Aida Kurmangaliyeva of the Ministry of Economics and Budget Planning; Lidiya Grybenko of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection; Rashida Naubetova, Ulan Kassymbekov and Nelly Moiseeva, of the National Commission on Family and Gender Equality Affairs; Saule Dikanbayeva, Director of the National Scientific Centre for Paediatrics and Pediatric Surgery; and Gulira Myrzabayeva, Director of the United Nations Bureau on Gender and Development in Kazakhstan.
Introducing Kazakhstan’s second periodic report (document CEDAW/C/KAZ/2), Ms. SAMAKOVA noted that Kazakhstan had acceded to the Convention in 1998 and became a party to its Optional Protocol in 2001. Kazakhstan had ratified those two instruments without any reservations, as its domestic law was in compliance with international law standards.
Considerable change had taken place since 2001, when Kazakhstan’s initial report had been presented, she said. Today, the country was among the 10 most dynamic economies in the world with an annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of some 9 to 10 per cent. Regarding the country’s oil reserves, Kazakhstan was now ranked amongst the top 10 producers and was among the top 12 producers of coal, iron ore, copper and zinc, manganese and silver, bauxites and phosphates. It had also become one of the world’s leading grain exporters. A large-scale housing programme was under way. Never in its history had Kazakhstan experienced such rates of residential construction. Living standards had also risen significantly as a result of economic growth. The average monthly wage had doubled since 2001 and unemployment had declined.
Targeted social assistance was extended to low-income families, she said. A one-off allowance was paid on the birth of a child, a childcare allowance was provided until the child was one year old, and benefits were being paid to mothers with many children. Compared to 2001, annual social expenditures under the national budget had grown by 3.5 times and had amounted to 600 billion tenge in 2006, thus amounting to 37 per cent of the State’s budget expenditures. In 2007, social expenditures would increase by another 18 per cent, including a planned 30 per cent increase in public sector employees’ wages. The living standard in Kazakhstan was the highest in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region.
Located at the heart of Eurasia, at the junction of three world religions -- Islam, Christianity and Buddhism -- Kazakhstan today acted as a role model of peaceful coexistence of various cultures and civilizations, she said. Having taken as a basis the political formula “e pluribus unum”, Kazakhstan had succeeded in ensuring peace and accord throughout a complex transition period. Kazakhstan had put in place all legal and political conditions required for the development of civil society institutions, with some nine political parties and about 6,000 non-governmental organizations.
The adoption of the 2006-2016 Strategy for Gender Equality in Kazakhstan –- a first in its history -- had become one of the most important developments in the country’s democratic transformation, she said. The Strategy aimed not only to ensure equal rights as granted by the Constitution, but also to provide equal opportunities. The Government had approved a 2006-2008 strategy implementation plan and it encompassed 45 large-scale activities involving women’s political and economic advancement, protection of women’s reproductive health, combating violence against women and the achievement of gender equality in family relations. Those measures would be implemented by government agencies and funded by national and local budgets, with the involvement of non-governmental organizations.
Following the adoption of the Strategy for Gender Equality, the National Commission on Family and Women Affairs had been reorganized into the National Commission on Family Affairs and Gender Policy, under the country’s President, she said. The Commission’s Chairperson was also an ex-officio adviser to the Head of State. The National Commission –- still a consultative advisory body –- was vested with broad powers. It could participate, among other things, in drafting laws and regulations, as well as in designing concepts and national programmes. To strengthen the National Commission’s efforts, gender focal points had been established in government agencies, with the responsibility of implementing gender policies. The Parliament’s Majilis was now considering a draft law on equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men, which envisaged the establishment of an equal rights body that would monitor the enforcement of, and compliance with, the law on equal rights and equal opportunities. It would be a government agency with field branches and adequate material and financial resources.
“Thus, we have taken tangible steps to implement the CEDAW recommendations related to the strengthening of the national machinery on gender issues, as well as to passing the law on equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men,” she said. Kazakhstan had also implemented the recommendation on the establishment of an Ombudsman Office. The position of a Human Rights Ombudsman was established by a presidential decree in 2002. In its four years of operation, the Office had reviewed more than 24,000 applications, with over half of them being filed by women. Most represent complaints against officials and encompassed issues pertaining to citizenship, alimony payments and health care.
Regarding the concept of gender discrimination, she said that, while that concept was not present in existing legislation, the term was widely used in laws, regulations and legal practice. As international treaties took precedence over the country’s laws, the Convention, which defined the concept of gender-based discrimination, could be invoked. The concept had been, however, incorporated into the draft law on equal rights and equal opportunities, which contained articles that guaranteed equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men in such areas as public administration and electoral rights, education and culture and family relations. The draft law also provided for quotas aimed at having no less than 30 per cent of representatives of each sex in political institutions, in the area of labour relations, as well as in other fields. Parity between women and men was required when lists of candidates for any elected positions, including those from political parties, were finalized.
Continuing, she said a national women’s leadership network had also been established, bringing together 35 non-governmental organizations from all regions in order to train female politicians. Kazakh women had always taken an active part in the country’s public and political life. Thus, women accounted for 57 per cent of public civil servants, including in local executive bodies. Women comprised up to 61 per cent of employees in the judicial system and accounted for 42 per cent of judges, including 35 per cent of Supreme Court justices. The greatest number of women was traditionally employed in education, at 73 per cent, and health care, at 75 per cent. Women, however, mainly performed mid-level jobs. Few were at the decision-making level. Thus, in the Parliament, women accounted for merely 9 per cent. In maslikhats -- or local elected bodies -- they accounted for just 17 per cent. No women were among the regional or city akims. A law on equal rights and opportunities for women and men was, therefore, crucial. The Parliamentarian group “Otbasy” was lobbying for the draft law in the Parliament.
Non-governmental organizations played a major role in public and political life, including in efforts to promote gender equality, she said. A concept of State support in Kazakhstan and a law on socially relevant government contracting had been adopted. Expenditures related to the implementation of non-governmental organizations’ socially relevant projects were growing each year. While Kazakhstan had achieved the Millennium Development Goals in education, gender stereotypes persisted when choosing a career. The situation was gradually changing, however. Women accounted for 62 per cent of college and university faculties. Active efforts were being taken to promote gender education and awareness among the population at large.
Meeting its obligation under article 11 of the Convention regarding the elimination of discrimination in the field of employment, she said a draft labour code was currently under discussion in the Parliament, with its adoption scheduled for this year. The draft labour code set direct and specific labour standards related to women. According to that law, women were offered a maternity leave totalling 70 calendar days prior to delivery and 56 calendar days after delivery, with maternity benefits being paid by the employer, regardless of the length of service. A woman could be granted extended childcare leave, without pay, until the child reaches the age of three and still keep her job. Such standards, once adopted, would considerably enhance legal and social guarantees for women in labour relations.
To ensure women’s employment, great emphasis was placed on the development of entrepreneurship, particularly small-scale business, she said. The establishment of a small-scale entrepreneurship development fund had greatly facilitated efforts in that area. Women worked very closely with numerous microfinance organizations active throughout the country. As a result of steps taken, women now accounted for some 40 per cent of all entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan. The draft law on equal rights and opportunities contained articles that made it mandatory for employers to implement specific programmes in order to bridge the gap in wages of women and men by making sure that they had the same professional training and eliminating unskilled and low-paid jobs. All possible measures were being taken to improve women’s health. Measures were being taken to improve health-care services provided to rural women.
She added that a draft law on domestic violence had been developed and would be forwarded to the Government for consideration this year. The draft law introduced the concept of domestic violence, defined its main manifestations, provided for preventive measures against persons committing domestic violence and established the time frame for their application. Crisis centres for women and children affected by violence had been established, with 26 such centres now operational in the country. Last year, 15 criminal proceedings had been instituted involving trafficking in women in Kazakhstan. To combat that phenomenon, a law on introducing changes and amendments to some legislative acts on suppressing trafficking in persons had been adopted. A 2006-2008 Government action plan to prevent trafficking had been approved.
Concluding, she noted that Kazakhstan was party to over 60 international human rights treaties. Kazakhstan supported the amendment to paragraph one of article 20 of the Convention concerning the Committee’s meeting time.