ISO: KGZ
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The electronic version of this document has been prepared at the Fourth
World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
in collaboration with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women
Secretariat.
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AS WRITTEN


Statement of the Head of the delegation,
Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic
Mrs Roza Otunbayeva
to the Fourth World Conference on Women


Madam Chairperson,
Dear Mrs Mongella,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow first of all to thank the people and Government of China for their
wonderful organisation of this conference under the UN auspices and as a
good neighbour living in peace and friendship with China, my delegation
wishes the successful conclusion of our conference, happiness to our
Chinese sisters, welfare and prosperity to their great country.

Four years ago the people of Kyrghyzstan comprised of more than 80
ethnic groups and adherents of dozens of different religious faiths,
firmly declared to the entire world our orientation towards
democratisation and market transformation in which both men and women
would take equal participation.

Since ancient times woman have played a major role in Kyrgyz society.
Our great grand mothers and grand mothers were always in the saddle,
roaming among our high mountains, the peaks of which cut into the very
skies, sharing with men the traditional, free as the mountain breezes
life of nomads.

The powerful images of our most worthy Kanykei, the faithful companion
of the legendary Manas, the hero of our great epic, the millennium of
which our people have celebrated under the auspices of the UN and
UNESCO, and Kurmanjan-Datka, the great ruler of Kyrgyzstan's south are
our historic and spiritual resources, which are no less important today
for the orientation and development of our nation than financial
instruments.

And today, in search of our "ego", our self-identity as a nation, when
some try to lead us astray to the unknown ways we state firmly: not one
of our women-predecessors ever covered her face or let the husband beat
her. We will not allow this happen now, one thousand years later!

There is another aspect of the problem. The world at the end of the
twentieth century has encountered enormous flows of migration among the
work force, overflowing certain countries and continents. We are sure
that the use of our highly qualified specialists-- doctors,
constructors, engineers, industrial designers-- in developing and less
developed countries, with the assistance of the World Bank, the Asian
and other development banks, as well as the UNDP, ESCAP and WHO could
play a positive role in the development of women across the planet.

One of the focus areas of our national health programme “Manas" which
combines international and domestic efforts and resources is to reduce
still high maternal and child mortality rates and conduct family
planning. At the same time the programme stipulates comprehensive
measures to protect the health of women, not only their fertility.

Madam Chairperson,

When two years ago I first learned about the work of the Grameen Bank I
was very impressed: This was exactly what we needed. By providing a loan
to an illiterate, poor woman she and her family are given a chance to
survive. By providing a loan to a poor but educated woman, a network of
small private enterprises-- the basis for market economy-- is created.
Thousands of rural and urban women with large families in my country
have launched under the auspices of the Swiss aid organisation
“Helvetas" and the American NGO "FINCA" their own endeavors, such as
bakeries, sewing shops, retail stores and various services.

The conclusion can be drawn that at this crucial moment of the
transitional period of taking by the society the market railway track
women can play a catalytic role. With the support of the international
donor community and by implementing similar social know-how we are ready
to prove this!

We unanimously state today in Beijing that woman live and work in a
financial and economic world created and run by men. It is much more
difficult for women to receive favourable loans. Yet at the same time
there are virtually no women among those who have committed economic
crimes and engaged in corruption. Men administer loans and investments
while women bear the harshest social burdens. Only if a woman is
financially independent can she become the master of her own fate, her
own endeavours, capable of making her own choice, and also educated,
occupy a leading position in society.

Over the long course of humanity's history, the most difficult task has
been to prove the equality of men and women for which nature itself has
laid the foundation, even though the Creator knows that they both have
the same type of blood and the same number of brain cells. What we need
is not only the legal recognition but also decisive improvement of
social living conditions. During this transitional period it is our
concern not to overlook the revival of the obsolete prejudices and
practices included within the omnipresent sex filling the pages of all
our newspapers. The independent media can help thousands of girls, young
ladies and women by exposing discrimination and violence against women

Madam Chairperson,

In our countries, generally referred to as transitional economies, the
transition from the command-administrative system to a market economy
has led to a decline in production, a deterioration in social protection
and the lowering of living standards accompanied by social apathy and
the romanticiozation of the past by many people. And most vulnerable to
these difficulties alongside with pensioners and the youth have been
women. Feminization of poverty and unemployment have become the fact of
the day.

I would like to remind you that we come from a society in which all
women -- Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, Russians and Tajiks, Dungans and Tatars-had
and continue to have open and free access to education and girls are not
subjected to discrimination in the field of learning. Girls and women
outnumber the students in universities. They constitute 61% of our
specialists with university training in our Republic. In my country only
4.5% of the female population at the age of 15 cannot read. These are
real facts drawn from the "Report on Human Development in Kyrgyzstan in
l995" prepared in co-operation with the UNDP. In the name of the
historical justice we must provide comprehensive and multidimensional
evaluation of the past.

Our national goal, despite our budget deficit, is to preserve the
educational and professional levels for women, and in no way to give up
in its area.

During the post-Soviet period in Kyrgyzstan, the proportion of women
holding high positions has decreased. In my country the Chairperson of
the Constitutional Court is a woman, and there are other women who are
members of the Government, the Parliament, ambassadors, mayors,
presidents of banks, universities, heads of major enterprises.
Nevertheless, out of the 102 senior positions in the national Government
only 9 are held by women. Out of 105 members of our Parliament--Jogorku
Kenesh-- only 5 are women.

The democratisation of society in sovereign Kyrgyzstan has led to the
emergence of a network of nearly 20 non-governmental women's
organisations. Women have created charitable foundations, and social and
environmental programmes. It is thanks to their great efforts that our
country's social fabric has been carefully preserved. Many of our NGOs
are participating in the NGO's Forum " Looking at the world through the
Eyes of Women" in Huairou. Thousands of threads of NGOs connect us with
the world. Our country receives new experience and a new outlook as well
as a new, sharp, inquisite and engaged perspective.

Madam Chairperson,

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action--the current status quo
of women in 1995 and the tasks for the year 2000-- obligate my country
to:

 - develop in co-operation with NGOs a national programme for women's
development with clearly defined priorities and aims;

 - establish a mechanism in our country that will provide the levers and
resources to realise the Platform for Action;

 - create a comprehensive legal basis to achieve gender equality and
women's development in my country.

We shall recall the words of Boutros Boutros-Gali" The progress we have
achieved is measurable, and it shall be measured in the future."

The Government of Kyrgyzstan and I, as a Member of the Cabinet, will do
everything to ensure that our women can achieve their potential, and
develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities in order to improve their
lives.

Madam Chairperson,

Beijing gathered and united us in the name of lofty and down-to-earth
goals for the women of our planet. In order to achieve these goals,
three should be partnership between men and women.

But no more lofty words. Let us remember Kafka:

 "Do not go ahead of me-- I cannot catch with you,
  Do not go behind me--I cannot lead you.
  Go along with me and be my friend."

Thank you, Madam Chairperson.