Lira Ismailova

Lira Ismailova (Asylbek) is a gender expert and trainer currently working at Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan (https://birduino.kg/en/), an organization dedicated to promoting human rights and freedoms in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Lira Ismailova actively works to improve access to justice for women and girls and to prevent sexualized violence against girls and women with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan. From August 2019 to November 2023, she served as the National Focal Point of UPR-Info in Kyrgyzstan, leading efforts to consolidate civil society’s role in promoting the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. From 2022 to 2024, she was the сoordinator of the Coalition for Equality, an alliance established in 2013 that brings together 30 NGOs in Kyrgyzstan to promote anti-discrimination initiatives, monitor public discourse for discriminatory narratives, and respond to discriminatory policies. The Coalition plays a key role in fostering an equal and inclusive society free from all forms of discrimination.