Representatives of Central Asian youth organizations learned about the best practices on gender-based violence prevention. From the 18th to 20th November, a forum was held in Almaty under the Regional Programme Spotlight Initiative for Central Asia and Afghanistan in partnership with IDEA. At the forum participants from five Central Asian countries exchanged experiences on combating gender-based violence and harmful practices, and presented their success stories.

The purpose of the event was to increase the potential and improve the knowledge of youth organizations on the response and prevention of gender-based violence and harmful practices. It is expected that sustainable youth collective defense mechanisms against violence and gender inequality are to be strengthened at the regional level.

Opening the event, UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan Michaela Friberg-Storey noted: "The Spotlight Initiative pays great attention to further strengthening and building the capacity of civil society organizations, and we see a huge potential in youth organizations in Central Asia."

During the forum, delegates took part in practical sessions, and at the end of the event, they formed an informal alliance of youth organizations.