Samarkand hosts the Asian Women’s Forum. At the forum, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women Sima Sami Bahous expressed gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan for his commitment to promoting women’s rights and opportunities and for initiating the forum in a timely manner.

– Equal rights in labor legislation are increasing worldwide, – Ms. Sima Sami Bahous said. – In many countries, quotas for women in leadership positions and board members have become a reality. Maternal mortality is decreasing.

More and more girls are having access to primary education. Progress has been made in achieving gender equality in many areas, including the economy. For example, Uzbekistan has introduced equal pay for work of equal value. Restrictions on women’s employment in industrial enterprises and work considered dangerous have been lifted. We support these decisions.

The UN representative emphasized that many crises occurring in the world negatively impact women and girls. A prime example of this is the Gaza Strip. I call for an immediate ceasefire. One in three women continues to experience violence and harassment. The main reasons are discriminatory norms and the legal system. The unemployment rate for women is 50 percent and for men 30 percent.

– It is necessary to include a gender issue in development financing commitments, pursue gender-sensitive economic and social policies, and fund women’s organizations and associations. The main thing is that we unite to act as one team, form common ideas, develop common solutions, act together, and take responsibility for it. I once again thank the government of Uzbekistan for hosting us in historical Samarkand, – Ms. Sima Sami Bahous said.

Norgul Abduraimova, UzA