On September 10, AlmaU hosted the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between AlmaU and UN Women in Kazakhstan.
The signing of the document marks a new stage in the development of cooperation in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment, aimed at integrating the principles of gender equality into the university’s educational and institutional activities.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the leadership of AlmaU and UN Women. On behalf of the university, the Memorandum was signed by AlmaU Rector Timur Buldybayev, and on behalf of UN Women, by Dr. Ceren Güven Güres, Head of the Central Asia Liaison Office and UN Women Representative to the Country Office in Kazakhstan.
The event was also attended by:
- Dauren Toktarov – Coordinator of the Knowledge Centre on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women;
- Aisulu Toishibekova – Communications Associate;
- Shakilla Hassan – Project Support for the Knowledge Centre on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
On behalf of AlmaU, the ceremony was attended by:
- Sholpan Tazabek – Vice-Rector for International Cooperation;
- Renata Kudaibergenova – Vice-Rector for Science;
- Zhaniya Khaibullina – Director of the Sustainable Development Center;
- Aizhan Sapargaliyeva – Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Transformative Humanities;
- Aliya Akpayeva – Director of the Office of International Cooperation;
- Anastassiya Lipovka – Associate Professor;
- Almira Tabayeva – Research Assistant Professor.
The signed document sets out the parties’ intentions to develop long-term cooperation in the following areas:
— AlmaU’s contribution to the development and dissemination of knowledge and research on gender equality through the UN Women Knowledge Centre on Gender Equality;
— engaging the university’s student and youth volunteer organizations in campaigns promoting gender equality, including the Central Asian Alliance, CHANGE, HeForShe, and the “16 Days of Activism” campaign;
— integrating the Knowledge Centre’s educational materials and case studies into AlmaU’s academic programs;
— joint work on UN Women’s priority areas – expanding women’s economic empowerment, eliminating violence against women and girls, and advancing women’s leadership and gender-responsive governance – in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The signing of the Memorandum opens up new opportunities for implementing joint initiatives in the field of gender equality and sustainable development, and strengthens AlmaU’s position as a platform for advancing the principles of the UN 2030 Agenda in Kazakhstan.