Gender and Development

Uzbekistan: Improving National GAD Machinery

Background & Rationale

Uzbekistan has made considerable progress in developing a national women’s machinery. Several institutions also exist with executive, legislative and advisory powers, to represent women’s interests. However, limited gender capacity, a weak understanding of gender concepts at policy and institutional levels, combined with a patriarchal mentality regarding the status of women and their role in decision making, significantly constrain the ability of these institutions to address gender disparities. In July 2005, the GAD Fund supported a sub-project initiated by ADB’s Uzbekistan Gender Specialist on “Improving National GAD Machinery in Uzbekistan”. The sub-project was closely linked with the National Platform and Action Plan on enhancing women’s status in Uzbekistan; national legislation and governmental acts ensuring women’s rights and freedom; Mid-term Strategy for Raising Living Standards (SRLS); and the Millennium Development Goals.

Expected Outcome

• Enhance the gender capacity of local authorities, employees and officers of provincial, municipal and district kengashs (parliaments), public organizations, nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and representatives from the media
• Develop a statistical bulletin on “Women and Men of Uzbekistan”
• Ensure gender issues were adequately addressed in the Labor and Family Codes of Uzbekistan

Results to Date

Phase One: A series of two-day seminars were conducted by the NGO Civic Initiatives Support Center (CISC) in five regions with 116 participants from Karakalpakstan province and Tashkent city. The participants were representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, trade unions, State Statistics Committee, administrative and law enforcement bodies, leaders of the youth and women’s organizations, NGOs, Ombudsman Institute and media representatives. The seminars included discussions on women’s labor and employment, gender stereotyping in labor markets, impacts of internal and external labor migration, women’s safety in the workplace and demographic indicators. Representatives from the Women’s Committee discussed improving the national mechanisms for women’s empowerment at the regional level, the implementation and monitoring of CEDAW, and the creation of the Advisory Council on CEDAW implementation.

Phase Two. The statistical bulletin, “Women and Men of Uzbekistan, 2000-2005”, was jointly developed by the State Statistics Committee, the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan, UNDP and CISC. It presents sex-disaggregated data on demographics and gender-based indicators on healthcare, education, employment, entrepreneurship, social protection, time use and crime.

Phase Three. Labor and Family Codes were analyzed to assess compliance of Uzbek legislation with international laws on gender equality and to understand the impact of the legal environment on the social and economic development of Uzbekistan. Mechanisms that regulate labor relations, family policy affecting women’s legal and social status, access to resources and women’s ability to realize their labor rights, were also analyzed. A video, “Uzbekistan on the way to gender equality”, was prepared as an output.

Materials were published in both Uzbek and Russian languages for wider national distribution. Sub-project activities led to an increased understanding by policymakers about the methods and significance of gender analysis to enhance gender-inclusive policy and planning and to adopt gender-inclusive approaches to program development and implementation.