Central Asian Dialogue Platform “Women in Justice: Professional Development through Association”

On 11 September 2025, the international Central Asian Dialogue Platform titled "Women in Justice: Professional Development through Association" was held in Astana. The event was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of Kazakhstan and organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, in co-operation with the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan.

Before the official opening, a "Women in Justice Empowerment" breakfast was organized for participants. The breakfast provided an opportunity for an open exchange of views, discussion of expectations for the upcoming sessions, and exploration of ideas and directions for further co-operation among women working in the field of justice.

The dialogue platform brought together 72 participants (66 women and 6 men), including senior representatives of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, government institutions, international organizations, and civil society.

The event was opened by Elvira Azimova, Chairperson of the Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan, who emphasized that ensuring equal representation of women on all levels of the justice sector is a crucial component of an effective judicial system. She highlighted the need to develop a unified mechanism for co-operation among women's public organizations to overcome challenges of advancing gender equality in the justice sector and to formulate concrete legislative initiatives in this area.

Aslambek Mergaliyev, Chairperson of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, noted during his opening remarks that women make up 54% of Kazakhstan's judiciary - 56% in first-instance courts, 44% in appellate courts, and 63% in cassation courts. The Supreme Court itself has achieved gender balance, with 23 of 46 judges being women, including the Chair of the Chamber for Criminal Cases.

Ambassador Alexey Rogov, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, underscored the importance of including the initiative to discuss the establishment an association of women in justice and security in Central Asia within the National Action Plan for the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security , which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Among the distinguished speakers were Claire Bazy-Malaurie, President of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission); Margaret Glentworth, retired District Judge and Nominated Judge of the Court of Protection of the United Kingdom (UK); Her Honour Judge Rachel Karp, Circuit Judge and Deputy High Court Judge, representing the UK Association of Women Judges; and Pamela Harris, President of the International Association for Court Administration (IACA).

Women representing the justice systems of Central Asia made a significant contribution to the dialogue platform. Among them were Feruza Eshmatova, Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Dilbar Israilova, Judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Salomat Hakimzoda, former Judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tajikistan and Executive Director of the Union of Judges; and Kaana Aidarkul, Professor, Head of the Association of Women Police Officers of the Kyrgyz Republic and a retired police colonel.

Chinara Aidarbekova, Judge of the Constitutional Court of the Kyrgyz Republic and member of both the Kyrgyz Association of Women Judges and the International Association of Women Judges, delivered a speech that received particular attention. In her remarks, she emphasized the importance of mentorship and peer exchange programmes, sharing the experience of Kyrgyzstan in developing mentoring initiatives and promoting women's active role in ensuring access to justice for vulnerable groups.

The platform's substantive parts included three sessions addressing issues of equal access to justice and the protection of human rights and freedoms through a gender perspective, mentoring programmes and experience exchange, as well as approaches to regional co-operation among women on access to justice.

Special attention was given to the initiative to establish the Association of Women in Justice in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, which could become a sustainable platform for knowledge exchange and the promotion of judicial and legal reforms. In this context, Yevgeniya Oralova, National Legal Officer of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana (the Office), presented the Toolkit on Establishing of Associations of Women in Justice, which was developed by the Office.

The event concluded with the adoption of a joint statement by participants affirming the commitment to ensuring equal access to justice, expanding opportunities for women within the judicial system, and strengthening peace and security through a gender-sensitive approach, including through regional co-operation.

This event was organized under the OSCE's extra-budgetary project "Improving the Effectiveness of the Justice System in Kazakhstan" with support from the governments of Norway, Poland, and the United States.