Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 15 September 2009, a round-table “Summing-up results of implementation of national action plan in Uzbekistan on recommendations of CEDAW Committee” was held in a meeting hall of the Kamolot Public Youth Movement. Uzbekistan Women’s Committee and a UNDP project “Legislative and Institutional Capacity Development for Women’s Empowerment in Uzbekistan” organized the event.

Representatives of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, governmental institutions, NGOs as well as journalists in the event.

Uzbekistan ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1995. The Convention clearly determines gender issues and implementation of these statues is an effective tool for achievement of equality between women and men.

By ratifying the Convention, each state should submit in determined terms their periodical reports to the corresponding committee of the UN on measures carried out to implement the Convention statues.

The CEDAW Convention adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly is an international document on the rights of women. Uzbekistan was one of the first Central Asian countries to ratify the convention in 1995. It has reported four times to the CEDAW Committee on its implementation.

After Uzbekistan submitted its report in 2006, the CEDAW Committee gave its final recommendations. The national action plan for implementation of those recommendations into practice was approved in December 2007.

At the rpund-table, participants considered implementation of the Convention, achievement and shortages in implementation of national plan, determined plans for future. Participants shared their recommendations on improvement of further activities.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Kyoko Postill said: “In line with a number of achievements, we must keep in mind that the work aimed at women’s rights realization should be continued. The process of implementation of NPA in Uzbekistan should be systematic, the efforts of the state and society should be directed to solving of a number of pending issues, such as:

• Further improvement of the legislation, targeted on inadmissibility of women and child trafficking and domestic violence;
• Development and strengthening of the system of state and social monitoring of women’s rights realization, improvement of statistical reporting on women’s status (including rural ones) in society;
• Introduction of gender expertise of the national legislation made by governmental and non-governmental bodies into practice in order to improve the legal base of provision of women’s rights and freedom;
• Strengthening the capacity of Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan and other women’s non-governmental organizations, their role in active participation of women in political and social life of the country”.

A Deputy of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, Zukhra Botirova said: “During the period of independence, the government has created many opportunities for women. Especially, measures were undertaken to improve legal knowledge of women. But in some places - from schools to neighborhoods - it is difficult to find text of laws, decrees and resolutions of the president on the opportunities for women. This is our big problem. How can we speak about political actiity of women when they do not know about created opportunities or have no idea on where to go of the ir rights have been violated.”

The UNDP project “Legislative and Institutional Capacity Development for Women’s Empowerment in Uzbekistan” is implemented in collaboration with the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan. The project is aimed at supporting and building capacity of the government, civil society and mass media in reducing the gender gaps via raising awareness on and implementing the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) to Uzbekistan given in August 2006.