At the initiative of the National Commission on Women, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has developed recommendations for men on how to be engaged husbands and fathers. The recommendations are presented on Family Day, which is celebrated annually in Kazakhstan on the second Sunday of September.
The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action called for governments to “promote gender equality in all spheres of life, including family and community life and to encourage and enable men to take responsibility for their sexual and reproductive behaviour and their social and family roles”. The ICPD and a number of other international instruments provide states with a mandate to develop gender-transformative programmes and policies that include engaging men and boys in the context of family, reproductive health, violence and health equity.
The recommendations are designed for a wide range of readers, including future husbands, husbands and dads. The material will help men to consciously approach fatherhood, discover fatherhood for themselves as an area of new opportunities, as well as enhance their awareness of and support for their partners’ reproductive health including their role in family planning, their support during pregnancy and childbirth, promoting gender equity and taking a stand against gender-based violence.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional hardship to people and strained family relationships.
When fathers are more involved in the lives of their sons and daughters, children are more likely to achieve positive outcomes: they have better physical and mental health, better academic performance, improved cognitive and social skills, higher self-esteem, fewer behavioral problems. The 2030 Concept of Family and Gender Policy in the Republic of Kazakhstan provides for a number of measures to strengthen the institution of conscious paternity,” said Lazzat Ramazanova, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
One of the strategies for preventing violence is gender training for men, in order to demonstrate the benefits of partners' active and involved participation in family care. That is why the book assigns a large role to the culture of positive parenting and active fatherhood, as well as the prevention of violence.
“This book not only explores historical and cultural aspects of fatherhood, but also addresses issues such as controlling anger, dealing with stress, promoting harmony in the family, consciously approaching fatherhood, discovering fatherhood, as well as the legal regulation of parental relations,” said UNFPA Representative for Kazakhstan Giulia Vallese.
The recommendations were developed at the initiative of the National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan with technical support of the United Nations Population Fund in Kazakhstan (UNFPA) and several national experts.
In addition to this guide, we will be happy to present on Family Day the Kazakh version of the song about fathers “Aketay, Akeshim” involving Kazakhstan’s celebrity fathers. This project was implemented by producer Alikhan Musatayev in partnership with the band "101" and the United Nations Population Fund. The release of the song can be viewed at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g6Awa0W8yg&feature=youtu.be at 19:00 on the 13th of September 2020.
For more information please contact Dina Teltayeva tel.: +7 7172 696538; +77017654010 or via e-mail teltayeva@unfpa.org
