The United
Nations General Assembly convened for a special session during the week of June 5-9 to
discuss the status of women worldwide. More than ten thousand people--including official
delegations and non-governmental organizations from Central Asia—participated in
panels, workshops and special events throughout New

York City to evaluate progress made and obstacles remaining since the1995 Fourth World
Conference on Women in Beijing, China. At that conference, 189 governments signed the
Beijing Platform of Action, a groundbreaking document that identifies twelve critical
areas of concern for women, including poverty, education, health, violence, the economy,
the environment, human rights and others.

Five years later, many countries have not yet implemented their promises. Central Asia
offers a mixed record. Dilbar Gulyamova, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, told the
assembly that her country has created a national mechanism for the protection of
women’s rights and implemented programs for improving the status of women. She said
that the state has created between 280,000 to 300,000 new jobs, of which women occupy 40
percent. "As the result of this pursued policy," she said, "today women
occupy over 45 percent of all active labor resources in the country. Women work in all
leading branches of the industrial sectors, including light industry, agriculture,
transportation, construction, communication, and spheres of public education, public
health service and culture."

However, this rosy view contrasts with statistics published in a new United Nations
Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) report, which notes that women’s share of work as
an employers or as a self-employed person is rising in all regions except Northern Africa
and Central Asia. Reports from the non-governmental sector suggest that many problems
exist for the region’s women. Last July, Kyrgyzstan hosted the International
Conference on Women’s Rights, which pointed to three critical areas that the Central
Asian governments have not adequately addressed: violence against women, women and the
economy, and women in power and decision-making.

NGOs report that women in Central Asia have borne the brunt of the economic transition,
and have been among the first to lose their jobs and work beneath their skill level.
Tensions in Central Asian society are reflected in violence statistics. In Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, NGO-run crisis centers have noted a spike in domestic violence
cases. Yet, despite the prevalence of the problem, NGOs say their governments fail to
acknowledge domestic violence and violence against women in Central Asia remains
"hidden." The conference provided an opportunity for women from Central Asia to
develop networks with their peers, hear success stories, and take lessons to implement in
their home countries.

Beatrice Hogan, former Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan, graduate of Columbia
University School of International and Public Affairs, and author for Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty’s Weekday Magazine and the United Nations Chronicle.