The 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union continues its work in Tashkent.

As part of the assembly, the 39th session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians was held. The event brought together over 200 members of parliament, leaders, and international experts. They discussed critical issues related to gender equality, women’s political leadership, and human rights.

As noted, the forum serves as a significant global platform aimed at promoting gender equality, enhancing women’s participation in political decision-making, and contributing to sustainable development.

The forum also marked its 40th anniversary. Tanzila Narbayeva, Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, was elected President of the 39th session.

Participants approved the agenda and reviewed the latest initiatives to promote gender equality, including discussions held during the Geneva and Tashkent sessions of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians, as well as the work and initiatives of the Gender Partnership Group.

“Uzbekistan, as one of the fastest-growing countries in the world, places a high priority on gender issues”, Ms. Tanzila Narbayeva said. “In a historically short period, under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a new system has been established – a national model aimed at strengthening families, ensuring legal protection for women, and achieving gender equality. The forum has become an effective mechanism for jointly addressing pressing regional issues concerning women”.

The forum also incorporated a gender analysis into the resolutions discussed at the 150th Assembly. Participants addressed the role of parliaments and parliamentary strategies in mitigating the long-term consequences of armed conflicts.

It was noted that women currently make up 38 percent of the deputies in the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan. This not only demonstrates that Uzbekistan is a regional leader in Asia in terms of women’s representation in parliament, but also reflects the significant progress made over the past thirty years – a 32-percentage-point increase.

In 2004, Uzbekistan adopted a gender quota requiring that at least 30 percent of candidates nominated by political parties be women. Since then, women’s representation in parliament has steadily improved. During the 2024 elections, this requirement was raised to 40 percent, further contributing to the expansion of women’s participation.

At the forum, special working groups were established to address these issues, and they developed recommendations from a gender equality perspective. Additionally, a panel discussion was held on “Women Shaping Policy: Global Women’s Networks”.

Following the event, the heads of the working groups presented their reports, and the recommendations on gender equality issues were submitted to the relevant standing committees of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The Forum of Women Parliamentarians served as a key platform for global dialogue, advancing gender equality, strengthening women’s political leadership, and fostering inclusive cooperation.

Participants developed new strategies to ensure the active involvement of women in critical decision-making processes.

Norgul Abduraimova, photo by Rustam Nazarmatov, UzA