Over 25 lawyers from Tashkent city gathered at the training "Aspects of CEDAW Implementation", organized by the joint project of UNDP and the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan "Legislative and Institutional Capacity Development for Women’s Empowerment in Uzbekistan" at the Avenue Park Hotel, (Charvak, Tashkent region).

During three days, the participants deepened their understanding of the CEDAW Convention and its clauses, issues on implementation of the convention, as well as follow up to the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) to Uzbekistan. They also considered issues on gender analysis of the legislation of Uzbekistan and took part in practical exercises.

The CEDAW Convention adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is an international document on the rights of women. Uzbekistan was the first Central Asian country to ratify the convention in 1995 and has reported twice to the CEDAW Committee on its implementation. The country will present its next report in August 2008.

In its latest recommendations, the CEDAW Committee recommended making the CEDAW Convention an integral part of legal education and training of judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and government officials at all levels. The training was organized to fulfill the recommendation of the CEDAW Committee.

Aziza Umarova, the Head of Good Governance Unit of UNDP Uzbekistan, said: "The CEDAW is a comprehensive instrument for legislative advocacy of women’s rights and it is important to train lawyers on the convention, so they can use it during court hearings and their professional work. We hope that the event enables creating lawyers’ network, which will monitor existing legislation on equality of women and men and prevention of gender discrimination."

The project "Legislative and Institutional Capacity Development for Women’s Empowerment in Uzbekistan" is directed at supporting and building the capacity of the government, civil society and mass media in reducing gender gaps via raising awareness of and implementing the recommendations of the CEDAW Committee to Uzbekistan.