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INTERNATIONAL

opportunities to girls and women from rural
regions aiming to create a more inclusive and
equitable world.

One of the first assignments of the leadership,
when she began her diplomatic service in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1995, was to
support members of the Kazakh delegation
in preparing documents for the Fourth World
Conference on Women. The economy of the
young independent state at that time was still
painfully overcoming the consequences of the
collapse of the Soviet Union, and women were
the most affected economically and socially.
The standard of living decreased, ethical and
moral values were devalued, which aggravated
the situation with respect for women’s rights,
discrimination of women was obvious. On
the eve of the Fourth World Conference on
Women, a meeting of Minister of Foreign
Affairs K. Tokayev with the Secretary General
of the conference, Mrs. Gertrude Mongella
took place, during which she informed him
about the preparatory work carried out and
noted the importance for the members of
the delegations to be realistically sincere
in their speeches, talking about pressing
problems, without embellishing the situation
and participating in the search for collective
solutions. As Ambassador Jarbussynova recalls,
taking this into account, she still wanted the
delegates to share at the forum the key positive
results of the state’s policy towards women. It result, Kazakhstan was the first State in the
was also important to set up delegates to be region to start establishing a mechanism
ready to exchange information, hear and adopt on women’s issues. A year later after the
best practices. The task was not easy, in order conference, the National Commission on
to achieve its solution, she consulted with the Status of Women and Gender Issues was
experts, discussed with different stakeholders created under the President of Kazakhstan,
the algorithm of participation and actions, and which is still functioning today. According
looked for like-minded people. Nevertheless, to Ms. Jarbussynova, at the initial stage, the
a balanced approach was worked out, it Commission, which was chaired by one of the
was possible to establish interaction with participants of the Beijing Conference, played
representatives of the civil sector, who were an important role and fulfilled its priorities.
also actively preparing to participate in the As a consultative and advisory body under
conference. the President, it initiated and contributed to
the development of policies and the adoption
The participation of the Kazakh delegation at of programme documents in the light of the
the conference in Beijing was very efficient. Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
The delegates returned inspired by the From the moment of its creation, for three
general mood and the adopted documents, years before being appointed Permanent
with the determination to radically improve Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN,
the situation of women in the country. As a Madina Jarbussynova had taken an active part

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