The United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) was established to facilitate economic cooperation in the countries of the SPECA region and support their integration into the world economy for the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Within this framework, the SPECA Working Group on Gender and the Sustainable Development Goals serves as a subsidiary body of the Governing Council, providing a platform for policy dialogue and cooperation among participating countries on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The Thematic Working Group on Gender and SDGs has a longstanding focus on women's economic empowerment and gender-sensitive economic policies, while its mandate encourages cross-sectoral linkages with other areas of SPECA cooperation, including statistics, trade and information and communication technologies. Strengthening such linkages can help ensure that gender equality is embedded across the digital and green transformation agendas of the subregion.

In this context, the 2026 session of the SPECA Working Group on Gender and SDGs will focus on “Advancing women’s economic empowerment in the context of digital and green economies.” The meeting will provide a platform for participating countries and stakeholders to exchange experiences, share good practices and identify policy actions to support women’s participation in digital transformation and green development.