The Senate at the fifteenth plenary session on May 28 approved the Strategy for Achieving Gender Equality in Uzbekistan until 2030 (the document itself has not yet been published).
Tanzila Narbaeva, chair of the upper house of parliament, said that for the first time in Uzbekistan’s history, the number of women in the national parliament reached 32% - the country ranks 37th among 190 countries in this indicator.
According to her, the share of women in political parties has reached 44%, in higher education - 40%, in entrepreneurship - 35%. Women are widely involved in information and communication, innovation, energy and engineering spheres.
In 81 ministries and departments, a reserve of more than 15 thousand personnel has been formed, consisting of advanced and educated women, she said.
According to her, the proportion of women in leadership positions has reached 27%. Six women were appointed as mayors, one as an ambassador.
“For the socio-economic support of women, targeted work with them, the 'women's notebook' system has been introduced. A system is in place to cover the costs of educating needy girls who have lost their parents or one of them, single women who do not have a breadwinner, the number of scholarships for girls from low-income families for admission to higher educational institutions has been doubled,” Tanzila Narbaeva said.
For the development of women's entrepreneurship, soft loans total worth 6.9 trillion soums have been provided to more than 224 thousand women, the People's Bank has been assigned to them, and women's entrepreneurship centers have been established in 14 proinces.
Tanzila Narbaeva noted the revision of the system of rehabilitation and adaptation of victims of violence.
In addition, in the World Bank's Women, Business and Law Index, Uzbekistan in 2020 was included in the list of 27 countries that “implemented significant reforms in the field of women's rights and gender equality”, climbed 5 positions to 134th place out of 190.
According to the press service of the Senate, the Strategy for Achieving Gender Equality in Uzbekistan until 2030 provides for "an integrated approach to the implementation of the principle of equality between women and men in all spheres and levels of decision-making and implementation."
The document will also contribute to the advancement of gender equality in economic, political and social life to create conditions for the realization of equal rights and opportunities for women and men, as well as the observance of fundamental human rights.
The strategy covers issues such as ensuring equal and quality education for all, creating opportunities for girls from rural areas to obtain higher education, achieving gender equality for women, preventing violence and human trafficking.
Tanzila Narbaeva stressed that the involvement of all state and public structures is important in ensuring gender equality in society, increasing the socio-political and economic activity of women.
In September 2020, the UN announced that no country in the world in a quarter of a century has come close to the full implementation of the Beijing Declaration on the Rights of Women. In the world, only about 25% of government officials and managers are women, the remaining 75% are still men.
