ARUSHA, October 7. /Dunyo IA/.  Forum of Women Parliamentarians was held as part of the ongoing 153^rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Tanzania, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the upper chamber of the parliament, nearly 120 parliamentarians took part in the Forum. Event included a discussion of the draft resolution entitled “Inclusive social development for all: Parliamentary strategies to promote the rights and empowerment of people living with disabilities”.

Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbaeva addressed the Forum and shared Uzbekistan’s experience in ensuring the rights of women and girls with disabilities, protecting them from violence, as well as creating equal opportunities for them to receive education, exercise their right to work and participate fully in the life of society.

It was noted that under the leadership of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the legal framework for ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities and protecting women from violence has been strengthened in Uzbekistan. In particular, emphasis was placed on the practical implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities, establishment of liability for domestic violence and introduction of mechanisms for providing social, psychological and legal assistance to victims.

In addition, the Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis put forward a number of practical proposals to further improve the draft resolution.

These include introducing a procedure for mandatory examination of draft laws in parliaments from the perspective of the rights and interests of persons with disabilities, conducting a separate assessment of the barriers faced by women and girls with disabilities and directly involving them in the decision-making process.

It was also proposed to ensure continuous and effective parliamentary oversight of the implementation of adopted laws and to broadly involve persons with disabilities, particularly women, as well as organizations representing their rights and interests, in oversight activities.

Proposals put forward by the delegation of Uzbekistan will be taken into account in the process of further improving the draft resolution and submitted to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights for further discussion.

President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Bureau of Women Parliamentarians Cynthia López Castro highlighted the practical significance of the 14^th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, held in Tashkent in September 2022. In her view, the Summit made a significant contribution to advancing gender equality, expanding women’s participation in parliamentary activities and strengthening their role in public and political life, including in the countries of Central Asia.

At the conclusion of the Forum, importance of further strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation, exchanging experience and developing international cooperation aimed at building an inclusive society was emphasized.