NEWS

15 September 2007

STAFF OF WOMEN'S COMMITTEE ATTENDS UNDP WORKSHOP ON GENDER EQUALITY

Representatives of the Women's Committee of Uzbekistan participated in a two-day workshop on the "Activity of Women's Committee of Uzbekistan on implementation of recommendations of UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women" on 8-9 September.

Participants discussed issues on performance of Millennium Development Goals, international standards and recommendations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee), participation of women in migration processes and other topics related with ensuring rights of women.

Expressing gratitude to UNDP for organization of this event, Gulnara Marufova, Deputy Head of Women's Committee of Uzbekistan, said: "We are experiencing modernization process now and women of Uzbekistan take more and more significant positions in our society."

As an example, she said women occupied key positions in the government and added that Human Rights Commissioner of Oliy Majlis (Ombudsman), Deputy Speakers of Oliy Majlis and many MPs are women.

"Many laws and by-laws are being adopted in Uzbekistan to improve position of women. We, in our turn, should carry out work to monitor implementation of these laws and further improve the role of women in our society," Marufova said. She added that the workshop would improve capacity of Women's Committee of Uzbekistan and its cooperation with UNDP in these directions.

Shohida Aminova, representative of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan, said: "We do not stand and we should make a lot. That's why we should increase efficiency of our work to ensure women's rights. Such seminars for our workers will be useful."

The event was organized within UNDP's projects "Promotion of the rights of women migrant workers" and "Legislative and Institutional Capacity Development for Women's Empowerment in Uzbekistan", implemented in cooperation with the Women's Committee of Uzbekistan.

The project "Promotion of the rights of women migrant workers" is directed to improve the protection of human rights of the women involved in labour migration in Uzbekistan and to increase the quality of services provided by relevant government and nongovernmental bodies to women migrant workers and the victims of human trafficking.

The project "Legislative and Institutional Capacity Development for Women's Empowerment in Uzbekistan" aims to support and build the capacity of the government, civil society and mass media in reducing the gender gaps via raising awareness of and implementing the recommendations of the CEDAW Committee to Uzbekistan. It is envisaged to achieve the goal via building the capacity of journalists, improving their professionalism and gender issues coverage in mass media.

Source: UzReport