LONDON (LP Correspondent)- More than 100 delegates from Uzbekistan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will convene in London for a forum on women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment in Uzbekistan. The high level forum, which is jointly organised by the EBRD Forum, the Commission for Gender Equality of Uzbekistan, the Senate of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the National Center for Socio-Economic Development (SABR), will take place on January 25, 2024.
The forum aims to facilitate cooperation among government, business, and civil society actors to address the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan and to promote gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in the country. The forum will also showcase the achievements and best practices of Uzbekistan in empowering women since 2016, when the country embarked on a series of reforms to transform its political, economic, and social systems.
Among the notable reforms are the decree issued by the President of Uzbekistan on May 4, 2018, to enhance the role of civil society institutions in the democratic renewal of the country, the laws passed by the parliament in August 2019, to ensure equal rights and opportunities for women and men and to protect women from violence and harassment, and the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the EBRD and the National Commission on Gender Equality on March 3, 2021, to implement the Action Plan under the Central Asia “Women in Business” Programme.
The forum is expected to generate valuable insights and recommendations for advancing women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment in Uzbekistan and beyond. The forum will also strengthen the partnership and dialogue between Uzbekistan and the EBRD, which has been supporting the country’s transition to a market economy and a more inclusive society.
