[{"bbox": [83, 131, 1145, 424], "category": "Text", "text": "Environmental protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation are key aspects of the transition towards a green economy and will be mainstreamed throughout the Action. The main objective of the Action is to contribute to the sustainable economic development of Kyrgyzstan through a transition towards an inclusive green economy that benefits the well-being of the population through the creation of long-term employment, better income opportunities while using natural resources efficiently, having a lower environmental impact and by avoiding maladaptation. The Action will therefore directly contribute to the environmental protection and climate action in Kyrgyzstan. An in-depth Environmental and Climate Assessment was concluded for the predecessor Action \"Green Economy and Sustainable Private Sector Development\" in early 2020, which covered an environmental assessment, an assessment of adaptation to climate change and a climate change mitigation assessment. Where possible, complementarity will also be ensured with the objectives and activities of the upcoming regional Team Europe Initiative on Water, Energy and Climate Change in Central Asia."}, {"bbox": [83, 455, 623, 483], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Gender equality and empowerment of women and girls"}, {"bbox": [83, 507, 1147, 560], "category": "Text", "text": "As per OECD Gender DAC codes identified in section 1.1, this Programme is labelled as G1. Consequently, two of its outcome-indicators have a gender dimension."}, {"bbox": [83, 561, 1147, 799], "category": "Text", "text": "Gender equality is a priority commitment of the Kyrgyz Republic, as a signatory party of international declarations and conventions. The country's gender-related legislation integrates international conventions into the domestic legislation, including two specialised acts: the \"Law on State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women\" (2008) and the \"Law on Social-Legal Protection against domestic Violence\" (2003), which have significantly strengthened the State policy to protect the rights and freedoms of women. In 2012, the Kyrgyz Republic adopted a \"National Strategy on Gender Equality 2020\"¹¹. It recognises the most problematic areas that lead to economic inequality of women, especially in rural areas: 1) limited access of women to income-generating activities; 2) chronic poverty, which increases the risk of degradation of women's human capital; 3) unequal access for women to the labour market and 4) unequal access to resources."}, {"bbox": [83, 799, 1147, 1065], "category": "Text", "text": "In 2017, women made up 21% of employees in SMEs in the sector. Women are also under-represented as heads of smallholder farms. In 2017, out of the 323,262 individuals who managed active smallholder farms, 62,212 (or 19.2%) were women. The representation of female managers also varies considerably by region, from as low as 8.9% in Batken oblast to as high as 35.6% in Bishkek. It should be noted, however, that relying on business registration records for understanding the ways in which women and men are engaged in entrepreneurship can be problematic, because many rural entrepreneurs operate without official registration. Younger women can find it difficult to assert their rights, due to their low social status within their families. This limits their active participation in economic life. Despite declarations and policy initiatives, pervasive gender stereotypes and patriarchal attitudes prevail in the Kyrgyz Republic. According to the Global Gender Gap Index 2017, Kyrgyzstan was only ranked 85th among 144 countries. Economic participation and political empowerment remain key challenges in the Kyrgyz society."}, {"bbox": [83, 1065, 1147, 1357], "category": "Text", "text": "As outlined in the LNOB approach above, the programme will promote gender equality in various ways at all levels and in all fields it is involved in. With regards to policymaking, it will sensitise stakeholders to the situation and (economic) opportunities with regards to gender equality and ensure the active participation (both through capacity building and ensuring representation in public-private dialogue) of women in policymaking processes. In value chain development women will be enabled to actively participate in programme activities by either specifically targeting these activities at them or by accommodating the activities to their needs (e.g., location, childcare). Through the implementation of an adapted version of the GALS both women and youth will be empowered to participate and take the lead in economic activities with the support of their household members and wider communities. With regards to the communication measures supported by the programme, where relevant and applicable issues of gender equality will also be addressed, and promising role models of women entrepreneurs and leaders will be showcased to a wider public."}, {"bbox": [83, 1388, 230, 1414], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Human Rights"}, {"bbox": [83, 1440, 1147, 1548], "category": "Text", "text": "Long-term human rights concerns have persisted in Kyrgyzstan, although blatant attacks on media freedoms have become less frequent, and the president has signalled to engage constructively with civil society. Violence against women, including bride-kidnapping, and impunity for torture persist, such as when Kyrgyzstan did not release a wrongfully imprisoned human rights defender, who ended up dying while in custody. As authorities have stepped up"}, {"bbox": [72, 1588, 981, 1637], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹¹https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Initiatives/StepItUp/Commitments-Speeches/Kyrgyzstan-StepItUp-Commitment-2015-en.pdf"}, {"bbox": [1041, 1637, 1158, 1661], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 13 of 33"}]