Esuna Dugarova is Gender Specialist at the United Nations Development Programme in New York, where she leads research and analysis on the Gender Team. She is originally from the Republic of Buryatia, Russian Federation, and holds a PhD in Asian Studies from Cambridge University.

Progress Towards Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: The UNDP Journey

The first cohort of Afghan students arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and started language courses at ALMA University, October 2019. Photo: UNDP Kazakhstan
The author (third from left) poses with members of the Om Sai self-help group, which is developing businesses including catering, wedding decorations and agricultural production using solar panels in rural India.©Esuna Dugarova

As the largest development actor, UNDP holds a key responsibility to ensure progress towards gender equality and sustainable development.