Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

UNDP recognizes that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are essential for achieving sustainable development. Gender equality is a human right that provides the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. It is a key component of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is reflected in 45 targets and 54 gender-specific indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals. Achieving gender equality and closing gender gaps create a multiplier effect across all SDGs and accelerate their achievement.

Scope

UNDP's commitment to gender equality is evident in its integration of gender mainstreaming principles across all areas of work in Uzbekistan. UNDP aims to address underlying power dynamics, relations, and structures while empowering women as leaders and active agents in the development process. Through collaboration with the Government of Uzbekistan, civil society, local communities, private sector, and media, UNDP envisions a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient world.

To advance systemic and transformative changes in gender equality and women empowerment in Uzbekistan, UNDP is focused on the following priority areas:

• Transforming gender bias and stereotypes to expand women’s political and economic participation;
• Improving the system of gender disaggregated data and analysis for policy-making;
• Promoting inclusive employment and decent job opportunities;
• Preventing and responding to gender-based violence;
• Advocating for gender-responsive digital and green transitions; and
• Promoting gender equality in government agencies through the introduction of a Gender Equality Seal for public institutions in Uzbekistan. The State Customs Committee was the first public institution in Uzbekistan to embrace the initiative.
• Addressing gender-biased stereotypes through amending the legislation, raising awareness and empowering women leaders;
• Improving socio-economic conditions and opportunities for women through enhancing their employment opportunities, including by promoting STEM initiatives; and
• Improving the system of collection, analysis and regular monitoring of the gender-disaggregated data on women’s public and socio-economic participation, gender-based violence through developingmethodologies for data collection and analysis and creating special digital tools for this in accordance with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).