HERo – New narratives towards a gender equal society

“HERo” is implemented by the Public Association “Social Technologies Agency” (Kyrgyz Republic) and the Center for Creative Development “Danilo Dolci” (Italy) with financial support from the European Union for 36 months, from 2019 to 2022 (European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights – Country Based Support Scheme for Kyrgyzstan 2018 – 2019). The project wants to support government bodies, civil society organizations, education institutions and the media in promoting gender equality and preventing gender discrimination, and disseminating positive gender narratives at all levels of society.

The main objective of the project is:

To support transformation of deeply entrenched patriarchal behavioral attitudes in society by fighting against the spread of gender and social discrimination in education, mass media, and applying an effective and productive response to gender-based discrimination, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5.

The main activities for the specific objectives of the project:

• To promote the institutionalization of mandatory anti-discrimination (including gender) expertise standards and training materials, as well as increasing the gender competence of education workers in Kyrgyzstan to ensure the implementation of the objectives of the National Action Plan for Gender Equality for 2018–2020 (task 31) and the Strategy for the Development of Education until 2020.

The project will support the Ministry of Education & Science and other educational institutions on the institutionalization of mandatory anti-discrimination policies, including gender anti- discrimination, examination of standards & educational materials as well as enhancing gender competence of education workers – both in schools and out of school – in the framework of the objectives of the National Action Plan for Achieving Gender Equality for 2018-2020 (NAPGE2018-2020) and the Strategy for the Development of Education until 2020. Also an information campaign addressed to girls, aimed at changing gender stereotypes when choosing a profession will be carried out. In order to combat the drop out of girls from school due to the religious beliefs & patriarchal cultural norms of their parents and early marriages, religious organizations and clergy from all regions will be involved. CSOs and other human rights organizations will be actively engaged in this process, thus ensuring an educational alliance of all the community parties involved in the young citizens’ learning process to counteract gender discrimination and its side effects at community and educational level.

• To assist on the development and implementation of standards for gender-sensitive journalism in Kyrgyzstan to support the implementation of the tasks 31.3 The National Action Plan on Gender Equality for 2018-2020 years.

Media & journalists will develop and implement standards for gender-sensitive journalism to support the implementation of Objective 31.3 of the NAPGE2018-2020, complying also with the UNESCO Gender Sensitive Indicators for Media.

• To improve coordinated inter-agency cooperation for the prevention and response to gender-based discrimination at national and local levels through enhancing the capacity of those responsible for gender issues of the Ministry and the organization of the committee on monitoring and promotion of a gender sensitive society.

Capacity building activities will be implemented for government officials implementing effectively the Constitutional provisions and the NAPGE2018-2020 on topics such as gender mainstreaming. Moreover, they will improve the coordinated interagency cooperation on the prevention and response to gender discrimination at the national and local levels. Digital version of educational & informational products will ensure sustainability to the project actions: these materials will be a useful resource for future trainings and capacity buildings of the society on behalf of all the Kyrgyz citizens.

Products and results of the project:

• Research and analytical reviews of the gender dimension in the priority areas of the project
• Normative legal documents on the regulation of gender issues in the framework of priority areas
• Methodical guides, manuals for target groups of the project in Kyrgyz and Russian languages
• Training modules, training courses, including online, in Kyrgyz and Russian
• Videos, educational materials, information campaigns and actions in Kyrgyz and Russian
• Raising-awareness events to spread the results and involve the target at all levels