The European Union and UN Women officially launched the Zero Violence Against Women and Girls (Zero VAWG) initiative at an inception and signing event held on 23 January in Bishkek. The event brought together senior representatives of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, development partners, and UN agencies to reaffirm their shared commitment to preventing and responding to gender‑based violence across the country, the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic reported.
As part of this new partnership, the European Union will provide EUR 2.5 million to UN Women to support national efforts in promoting women empowerment and transformative change for women and girls throughout Kyrgyzstan.
“The responsibility for preventing violence against women and girls does not lie with individual institutions. It is the collective responsibility of society as a whole, encompassing the state, local authorities, communities, religious leaders, young people, academia, the media, and the private sector. This shared responsibility must be reflected in a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of violence. Within the framework of this initiative, the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Migration will act as the coordination body, ensuring that there is coordinated action by state authorities, development partners and civil society. We believe that it is only through the collective action of all stakeholders that we can achieve a violence-free environment in which no one is left behind,” said the Deputy Minister of Labor, Social Security and Migration Ainura Orozbaeva.
Over the next three years, this partnership will directly engage 140 women’s and youth civil society organizations and 1,400 change leaders, reaching more than 1,200 organizations and 6,000 actors across all seven regions of the country.
“For the EU, all forms of gender-based violence (on-line and offline) are unacceptable and constitute a human rights violation that undermines the human values, social cohesion, and economic progress. Therefore, the EU is committed to work closely with the Government, our international partners, particularly the UN, and the civil society to protect women and girls from violence and to support survivors and civil society,” remarked Rémi Duflot, Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic.
“Together with the Government and our development partners, we are taking concrete action through the Zero Violence against Women and Girls Initiative, recognizing that violence against women and girls is not only a human rights violation, but a direct threat to human capital, social cohesion, and trust in public institutions,” noted Antje Grawe, UN Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan.
“The EU-funded initiative empowers women and youth in Kyrgyzstan to prevent violence, transform harmful norms, and build Zero VAWG Communities. From villages to national platforms, it turns evidence into action and survivors into leaders of change through innovative models and digital knowledge-sharing aim to spread zero-tolerance norms widely. By investing in leadership and technical capacity, 23 communities will embrace a future free from violence against women and girls,” said Syed Sadiq, Country Representative of UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office.
During the event, the EU, UN Women, and the UN Resident Coordinator signed a Declaration of Intent, underscoring their joint determination to work closely with the Ministry of Labour, Social Welfare and Migration and other state institutions. The partnership builds on a strong foundation of previous cooperation and aims to deliver tangible and lasting progress for women, youth, and vulnerable groups in Kyrgyzstan.
