From 12 to 17 August the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe in cooperation with the OSCE Academy in Bishkek organized a week-long Summer School on "Youth for Gender Equality," held at the OSCE Academy. This School gathered 20 young people from Tajikistan, who are interested in gender issues. During this week, Dr. Anara Niyazova, gender expert from Kyrgyzstan delivered the courses on international normative frameworks adopted by Tajikistan on protecting and advancing women's rights. Participants also had a chance to improve their skills in gender analysis and gender budgeting. Additionally to these courses, students had lectures on political theory and democratization taught by the OSCE Academy professors; meetings with active youth organizations and female politicians working on the promotion of women's rights in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. On the last day of the Summer School, participants had a “Coffee with Leaders” session with Ms. Aida Kasymalieva, Vice-Speaker of Kyrgyz Parliament, and Ms. Avazkan Ormonova, Member of the Parliament and Chairwoman of the budget group, who shared their working experience in the Parliament, as well as discussed the gender equality in Kyrgyzstan. "Youth and women must be equal partners in the promotion of women’s rights. We need to be united on all levels of politics, including local, national and regional” - noted Ms. Avazkan Ormonova.