ASTANA -- Kazakhstan has completed a foreign aid programme aimed at empowering women in Afghanistan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service, Kazinform reported Friday (April 13).
The effort, launched in February 2017, was "aimed at strengthening the economic independence of Afghan women", the ministry said.
The project was funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA).
For Kazakhstan's part, specialists at the nation's leading educational institutions trained Afghan citizens, teaching them skills in "in-demand areas ... [such] as public administration and healthcare, with a special focus on maternal and child health", said the ministry.
Kazakh, Afghan, UNDP and JICA officials attended a ceremony at the Nazarbayev University in Astana on Friday, awarding programme participants with certificates.
The project is Kazakhstan's first to be classified as official development assistance, which is recognised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
