On 21 October, the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Gender and Green Innovation Awards 2025 honored 17 exceptional individuals and organizations from CAREC member countries during a distinguished ceremony held in Bishkek. Recognizing initiatives such as training women as solar technicians and launching a women-led zero-waste store, the awards underscored achievements at the intersection of gender equality and green innovation.
The CAREC Gender and Green Innovation Awards celebrate those advancing gender equality through sustainable technologies and innovative solutions. This year’s recipients, comprising seven individuals and ten organizations, exemplify how innovative approaches can address climate change while also empowering women and communities. In her opening remarks, Samantha Hung, Director of the Gender Equality Division at the Asian Development Bank, commended the awardees’ resilience and ingenuity in supporting their communities to address environmental challenges, while leading progress towards sustainability and equality.
“We celebrate the courage and creativity of seven individuals and 10 organizations that are shining a light of innovation in this space. With their impressive efforts, they are helping communities tackle climate challenges while creating a more sustainable and gender-equal future. Their leadership exemplifies how empowering women leads to more inclusive, lasting, and effective climate solutions,” she said.
Government officials from the Kyrgyz Republic, such as Sultan Akhmatov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce, and Dinara Kemelova, Ambassador, Special Representative of the President on the Mountain Agenda, also attended the Awards Ceremony.
“The awardees recognized this evening exemplify how creativity, dedication, and leadership can drive both environmental sustainability and progress. Your work demonstrates that empowering women and fostering innovation are inseparable, and that true progress benefits both people and the planet,” Akhmatov said in his welcome remarks.
“Mountains teach us to become stronger, more resilient, and to overcome obstacles,” Kemelova also said in her keynote speech as she praised the efforts of the awardees, adding that their dedication serves as an inspiration for others to continue advancing gender equality and sustainable development across the region.
Individual Category Winners
Seven individuals were honored this year. From Azerbaijan, Firuza Sultan-zada, head of the Social-Ecology Center Public Union NGO “EkoSfera,” was recognized for empowering young people in environmental decision-making through educational forums, workshops, and campaigns. From the People’s Republic of China, Guanghua He, Deputy to the National People’s Congress and Director of the Cable Operation and Maintenance Center, State Grid Wuxi Power Supply Company, advanced women’s leadership in the green energy sector by pioneering intelligent high-voltage cable technology and training over 300 women through her Green Power Her Strength program. From Kazakhstan, Gulsara Akanova was awarded for her contribution to sustainable technology and gender inclusion through the Kaz-REEcycling project, which recycles electronic waste using green methods and inspires women in STEM.
Other honorees include Aijan Chynybaeva, for promoting youth and women’s leadership in green initiatives in the Kyrgyz Republic; Tara Uzra Dawood, founder and chairperson of LADIESFUND in Pakistan, for advancing gender equality and green innovation through scalable solar solutions; Gulshat Petrosova, founder of Women in Business Turkmenistan, for promoting sustainable entrepreneurship through training in digitalization, e-commerce, and logistics; and Dilorom Fayzieva from Uzbekistan, for empowering women’s economic independence by training solar panel technicians and establishing cooperatives that produce energy-efficient stoves.
Organization Category Winners
In the organizational category, CLIMASEL from Azerbaijan was recognized for developing sustainable cooling technologies with bio-based phase change materials while promoting women’s leadership in STEM and green innovation. From the People’s Republic of China, Shaanxi Gender Development Solution (GDS) was honored for empowering rural women and children through inclusive development programs and sustainable livelihoods. From Georgia, JSC Microbank Crystal was awarded for promoting financial inclusion while embedding social, gender, and environmental principles in its services to more than 100,000 customers.
HelloEco LLP from Kazakhstan is recognized for pioneering Central Asia’s first zero-waste store and advancing gender-inclusive climate action; URECA LLC from Mongolia, for piloting clean energy solutions such as the Coal-to-Solar initiative to help women-led households adapt to air pollution and climate challenges; and the National Rural Support Programme from Pakistan, for championing rural development and women’s leadership in sustainability across 75 districts and more than 1,000 projects.
The Microcredit Fund IMON from Tajikistan was honored for financing women entrepreneurs in sustainable agriculture and clean technology through its Women’s Business Acceleration Program. From Turkmenistan, Mirasly Senet was recognized for preserving cultural heritage crafts while advancing women’s leadership and sustainable development in the creative economy.
From Uzbekistan, the Social Protection and Ecology Center “Shijoatli Ayol” was awarded for supporting vulnerable groups through eco-agriculture, water-saving technologies, and women’s empowerment in rural areas. Finally, Brainbox Syndicate, working regionally across Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, was honored for fostering women’s leadership in green technology through mentorship, STEM initiatives, and sustainability-focused hackathons.
The awardees were selected from over 200 candidates across CAREC member countries. As part of their recognition, they gain access to CAREC-organized events on gender and climate action, networking opportunities, and peer-to-peer exchanges of best practices. They will also benefit from CAREC leadership coaching and mentorship programs. Full details about the awardees can be found here.
The CAREC Gender and Green Innovation Awards is organized under the CAREC Gender Strategy 2030, which promotes women empowerment by ensuring that regional projects address women’s needs and provide equal access to benefits and opportunities. The initiative is part of the CAREC Program’s push to ensure that innovation and equality drive regional development, fostering inclusive growth and shared prosperity across member countries.
The CAREC Program, launched in 2001 and supported by ADB, brings together countries and development partners to advance development through regional cooperation in Central and West Asia.
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