Women’s Entrepreneurship Day was held to discuss the impact of pandemic on women’s entrepreneurial movement in Kyrgyzstan and new opportunities for women to create and support each other in this period with participation of more than 500 businesswomen, government representatives, and media. The summit was organized by the Kurak Women’s Forum and supported by UNDP and EBRD. The summit was opened by Roza Otunbayeva, ex-President, Louise Chamberlain, UNDP Resident Representative, Sanjar Mukanbetov, Minister of Economy, Ainoura Sagynbaeva, Women Entrepreneurship Ambassador, and Neil McKein, Director for Central Asia of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The summit discussed new breakthroughs and opportunities for business in Kyrgyzstan. UNDP research[1] on Socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 that the impact of COVID-induced disruptions on women is greater. Survey suggests a higher predominance of women employed in the services sector, and they are likely to be the most affected. Evidence also suggests that women head a low proportion of MSMEs. Thus, they are likely to have more limited access to any schemes to support small and medium enterprises given their higher participation in the informal economy as compared to men.

“On behalf of the Government I would like to assure that we not only welcome women's economic contribution but also we have created equal conditions for doing business, both for men and women”, Minister of Economy Sanjar Mukanbetov said. 

The summit discussed ways of economic support available for women entrepreneur considering innovative financing and new technologies. 

“UNDP in Kyrgyzstan has supported sustainable and inclusive economic development for many years and with good results. Investing in women has a socioeconomic impact – many studies have shown that women tend to invest proportionately more of their income on children, on health and on education, all vital investments for this country’s future growth,” Ms Louise Chamberlain said. 

The lockdown has amplified the caregiver burden that is overwhelmingly the task of women given the extended closures of schools and of childcare facilities, the overstretched health systems requiring sick patients to be cared for at home and the longstanding gender inequalities in performing unpaid care work. UN Women’s rapid gender assessment in Kyrgyzstan shows that during the lockdown women spent 3.6 times more time on unpaid work than men and two times more time on childcare. 

The Kurak Women’s Forum joined the Women Entrepreneurship Day Initiative in 2015 to demonstrate the importance of women's entrepreneurship for the development of society, encourage women in our country to be economically independent and self-sufficient, share experience and lend a hand to each other.  

"The crisis is not only a loss, but also a great opportunity. If we unite today and help each other, we will certainly be able to make a breakthrough. In the new development paradigm, the role of women in both the economy and politics is becoming more important,” Ainoura Sagynbaeva, Ambassador of the World Women's Entrepreneurship Day in the Kyrgyz Republic and Chairperson of the Kurak Women's Forum said. 

The November summit of the World Women's Entrepreneurship Day (WED) conducted online to express the solidarity and support to women entrepreneurs. 

In addition to the summit, the participants will have an opportunity to improve their entrepreneurial skills. Within the framework of WED 2020, creative master classes and training sessions will be offered on personal growth, time management and methods of conducting negotiations of varying degrees of intensity.

[1] UNDP COVID-19 and Central Asia: Socio-economic impacts and key policy considerations for recovery

Background:

World Women's Entrepreneurship Day is a global initiative supported by the UN since 2014. The key message of the Day is to empower women and develop women's leadership, improve the living standards and facilitate the personal and professional development of women and girls. It is celebrated in 144 countries around the world.