In this issue:
President Visits Pakistan, Shares Book on Nuclear Disarmament
Astana at Six, High Energy and A Bright Future
Women Claim Bigger Role, Men Not to Be Left Behind
Say it in Kazakh:
Woman --- Aiel [I-yehl]
Man --- Er adam [Yehr adam]
Workplace --- Zhumys [zhoo-mis]
Equality --- Tendik [ten-dik]
President Visits Pakistan, Shares Book on Nuclear Disarmament
President Nursultan Nazarbayev, visiting Pakistan on December 8 and 9, for talks on promoting trade and cultural relations, and to present his book, Epicenter of Peace, pointed out the first hand experiences of the people of Kazakhstan with weapons of mass destruction and explained why Kazakhstan is no longer a member of the nuclear club.
After his meeting with Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, a number of bilateral agreements were signed. The list includes an agreement on mutual protection of investment, and the opening of commercial bank branches in both countries. Two other agreements dealt with cooperation between the capital cities of Astana and Islamabad and between universities in both countries.
At a joint press conference on December 8, both presidents called for the expansion of trade ties and noted significant potential exists for both countries.
President Nazarbayev said: "The Karakorum highway has been opened giving our business people a new link. Air traffic is expanding, and the Pakistani airlines will fly their maiden flight from Islamabad to Almaty this month. In the future, when peace and stability set in in Afghanistan, we will need to build an oil and gas pipeline through that country, possibly a railway and a road. That would be the shortest outlet for Kazakhstan into the warm seas."
President Musharraf praised Kazakhstan's international initiatives, including the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building in Asia. He pledged Pakistan's support for this effort in attending the Conference's inaugural summit in Almaty in 2002. The summit came at the height of Indo-Pakistani tensions and helped defuse a nuclear crisis.
During his visit, President Nazarbayev's
book on Kazakhstan's experience with
nuclear disarmament, Epicenter of
Peace, was presented in downtown
Islamabad. President Nazarbayev
pointed out to his Pakistani hosts,
including Foreign Minister Khurshid
Kasuri, that the experiences detailed
in the book were first hand knowledge
of what is involved when a country
drops its membership in the nuclear
club.
"Time has confirmed the wisdom
of our choice," President Nazarbayev
said.
Astana at Six, High Energy and A Bright Future
The people of Astana celebrated the 6th anniversary of the city as the new capital of Kazakhstan on December 10, as the country moved to celebrate its first dozen years as independent nation on December 16.
When Kazakhstan's parliament decided in 1994 to
move the capital from Almaty, a huge megalopolis
in the southeastern corner of Kazakhstan, to a
more central location few people believed it would
actually happen. Few people believed in this
when the President signed a decree in December
1997 officially naming Akmola (since then
renamed Astana) the capital. There were doubts
a decrepit regional town of 250,000 in the windy
steppes of central Kazakhstan could be turned
into a modern capital boasting new government
buildings, housing compounds, business
skyscrapers, top-notch hotels, fancy restaurants,
and even an aquarium filled with sharks.
Yet that is precisely what Astana became today.
Astana means "capital" in Kazakh. Today, the
capital is a city of more than 600,000 mostly
young and entrepreneurial people, who are
braving cold and snowy winters in the world's
coldest capital where temperatures sometimes
fall below minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Many
of these people came to the new capital as it
became a major market for professional talent
in many areas, building their careers in
government and business.
The city has grown onto the previously unexploited
left bank of the Ishim River. New offices of the
Presidency, the Parliament, government ministries
and housing compounds are rising there. Some of
them, such as the Transport Tower and the office
of the Energy Ministry, were commissioned earlier
this year. It is also a district where embassies
choose to build their offices and living quarters.
The left bank also boasts the Baiterek Tower, a
symbol of Astana. The name comes from a
Kazakh legend and means "Tree of Life".
The tower stands 105 meters (350 feet) tall,
featuring an observation deck at 97 meters
(320 feet), symbolizing the year 1997 when the capital was moved to Astana.
In recent years, Astana has gained international prominence and cultural significance. It is here where most of the visits by foreign dignitaries and international forums take place, including the visit by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder last week. In September 2003, Astana hosted the first Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, and international meetings have become commonplace in the capital.
Women Claim Bigger Role, Men Not to Be Left Behind
The role of women in Kazakhstan society is rapidly growing. Activists and officials said this week at a meeting in Almaty more needs to be done to help women help themselves in a swiftly changing society.
Raushan Sarsembayeva, President of the Association of Business Women of Kazakhstan, said: "The role of women in our society, politics and business has been strengthening. The women's movement in Kazakhstan is turning into a real force, it helps thousands of our female compatriots to realize their dreams."
She was speaking at a December 10 conference in Almaty, organized by the Association to promote women's role in public life. More than 300 delegates from all parts of the country took part in the event including members of Parliament, NGOs and representatives of the UN. Kazakhstan ratified the UN convention on elimination of discrimination against women in 1998.
According to Kazakhstanskaya Pravda (www.kazpravda.kz) newspaper, the conference focused on how to promote women in business and politics through government programs and the media.
Today, women hold 40 percent of managerial jobs in private business, and 70 percent of trial attorneys as well as 60 percent of judges are women. Thirty percent of managing editors on the country's almost 2,000 media outlets are women. However, there are only 2 women ministers out of 22 members of the Cabinet and only 7 hold seat in both houses of Parliament.
Argingazy Karaiganov, deputy secretary of the President's National Commission on Family and Women, commented on this statistics: "We would like to promote women in politics. We are not happy with the fact that, although women constitute 56.7 percent of civil servants, only 9 percent are at the decision making level."
Experts noted many problems are not specific to women. In fact, men are in a disadvantaged position in several respects.
Gulira Myrzabayeva, Director of Kazakhstan's UN Bureau of Gender and Development, recognized women's organizations pay more attention to women's problems these days, but urged them not to forget about men in the workplace.
"We have many common problems which we need to resolve together. Male life expectancy in Kazakhstan is shorter by 11 years, men die mostly of cardiovascular diseases, they are more susceptible to alcohol and drugs, they have no child leave and they retire 5 years later than women. All these stereotypes need to be changed," Ms. Myrzabayeva said. "It is important for the women's movement not to overgrow into radical feminism."
Things to Watch:
- On December 16, Kazakhstan celebrates the 12th anniversary of independence.
- December 26 will mark the 12th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and the United States of America.
___________________________________________________________________
News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and various agencies' reports)
Contact person: Roman Vassilenko
1401 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
