QAZAQ GREEN. Employers need to create conditions for women, and society must respect women's intellectual abilities as well as their physical bodies. This is the opinion of the speakers of the III International Business Festival Qazaq Green Fest 2024, which was held in Borovoye on May 30-31.

At Qazaq Green Fest 2024, a session "Issues of gender policy and training in a fair transition" was held with the support of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Kazakhstan within the framework of the regional project of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) "Capacity development in the field of climate policy in the countries of Southeastern and Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia" (CDCP) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection of Germany.

The session was led by Lazzat Ramazanova - Deputy Chairman of the National Commission for Women Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The speakers of the session were Gaukhar Nursha, a specialist on gender issues of the United Nations Development Program in Kazakhstan, Ainur Sospanova, Chairman of the Board of Qazaq Green, Yerlik Karazhan, Director of the ESGQ rating agency, Ramazan Zhampiissov, Adviser to the Director General of the Ecoger Association, Kyzzhibek Ryszhanova, founder and CEO of Smart ReEnergy, Dr. Max Eirikh, Director of the Kazakh-German Institute for Sustainable Development, Lyazzat Akhmurzina Executive Director of the Kazenergy Association and Yuliya Shamis, an expert of Hay Consulting Group.

The founder and CEO of Smart ReEnergy, Kyzzhibek Ryszhanova, spoke about the gender aspect within the family business: the advantages of a female vision and business strategy.

"First of all, I want to say that I am a loving wife and mother of three children, as well as an entrepreneur with ten years of experience. The main reason I went into business was our family activities. We built the first small hydroelectric power station 20 years ago, then commissioned two more stations and are now building the fourth."

When we were building the third station, I suggested to my father to look for new technologies, since the first two stations worked on Russian equipment. My knowledge of languages and internship in Austria helped me to strive for learning and innovation. My father agreed, and we began to cooperate with foreign manufacturers.

I completed an internship in Germany as part of the business relations program, and then studied manufacturers in Austria. We chose the most innovative equipment and installed it three years ago. It was the first such equipment in Central Asia, which was a significant achievement for us," she said.

According to Ryszhanova, in their business decisions are made together with their father, thus creating a balance. Her brothers are also involved in the family business, and they have a family council. Women, due to their nature, bring their advantages to business: they are more emotional, while men are more consistent and determined. For example, when choosing German equipment, she explained that long-term investments would bring great profits.

"I'm not saying that women should fight for their place in the sun. I call for a balance between men and women, as the support of my husband allows me to develop. Last year, I interned for a month and a half in Silicon Valley, where I visited the offices of Google, Meta and Amazon. I saw how employers create conditions for women by providing kindergartens and coworking spaces where children can play and parents can work. This shows that the main thing is a person's personal qualities and talents. In our business, we are sensitive to documentation, pay loans and taxes on time, which allows the company to grow.  European studies confirm that balance in decision-making increases the productivity and efficiency of the company," said Kyzzhibek Ryszhanova.

In turn, Lyazzat Akhmurzina, Executive Director of the Kazenergy Association, noted that the majority of the population understands inclusion as a condition for people with obvious limitations in movement and cognitive abilities. However, inclusion means that company policies and procedures must ensure equal rights for all. It's not just starting working hours or getting the same salary. This means that in order to achieve these rights in the same way as for men, women must have certain support programs.

There is still a wage gap of up to 30% in Kazakhstan, despite compliance with the Labor Code. This indicates a lack of inclusion.

"When talking about the promotion of women, some may ask why it is necessary if everyone is equal. But, my dears, we are not all equal. Inclusion should be created for everyone, not only for people with disabilities. Inclusion is about everyone.

It is important that company policies and procedures support equal opportunities. For example, when a quota of 30% was set, one of the organizations decided to train women to participate in boards of directors. But why hasn't this been done before? Why did they decide to train women just now? This implies that they consider women to be less qualified. But women are also able and trustworthy," the speaker believes.

According to her, when talking about family responsibilities and choosing a profession, stereotypes and the influence of the environment can become an obstacle.

"To create equal opportunities, it is important to ensure balance and take into account various circumstances, including household responsibilities. It is also necessary to develop support programs and invest in education so that women have more opportunities for growth and development.

It is also important to remember about soft power and respect for each other. We must strive to ensure that society respects the intellectual abilities of women as well as their physical body. And only then will we be able to achieve true equality and inclusion," she concluded.