BEIJING, July 3. /Dunyo IA/.   An article dedicated to the gender equality policy pursued in Uzbekistan has been published on the pages of the Chinese publication “Diplomat”, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Publication notes that large-scale reforms are being conducted in Uzbekistan, aimed at creating equal rights and opportunities for women and men, ensuring the full participation of women in public and civic life, providing them with social, economic and legal support, as well as protecting them from harassment and violence.

It is emphasized that thanks to the strong political will and initiatives of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the issues of ensuring gender equality, protecting the interests of women, and strengthening the family have been designated as top priorities of state policy. The programs and strategies adopted in this field have received recognition not only at the national level but also internationally.

Publication notes that the participation of women in the socio-political, economic, and spiritual life of the country is growing day by day. Today, they actively participate in public administration bodies, the parliament, local councils, entrepreneurship, and scientific activities. Systematic measures are being implemented to create new jobs for women, develop their knowledge and potential, as well as broadly involve them in entrepreneurial activities, the media writes.

Article states that in a short period, a national legislative framework meeting international standards in this area was created. In particular, over the past eight years, more than 100 regulatory legal acts have been adopted. Among them, crucial regulatory documents such as the Law “On Guarantees of Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men” and the Law 'On the Protection of Women from Harassment and Violence' are of particular importance.

Today, Uzbekistan consistently continues to cooperate with international organizations, such as the UN, OSCE and UNESCO, in implementing its gender policy. This cooperation creates new opportunities for protecting the interests of women and allows them to fully realize their potential in the country.

For the proper formulation of gender equality policy and ensuring its full implementation, “Strategy for achieving gender equality until 2030” was adopted. Active work is underway on its integration into all spheres and sectors.

Attention is paid to increasing the activity of women in political life—the Election Code legally establishes that at least 40% of candidates nominated by political parties for parliamentary seats (or 2 out of every 5 candidates) must be women. Furthermore, a norm was introduced into the Family Code establishing the legal marriage age for both men and women at 18 years, and the restricted list of professions with unfavourable working conditions where female labour was fully or partially prohibited has been completely abolished.

“Diplomat” concludes that expansion of women's economic opportunities, ensuring their employment, involvement in entrepreneurship and the development of their own businesses play an important role in increasing their social activity. Based on the decrees of the head of state, it is planned to provide employment for 2 million women and train 250 thousand women in professions and entrepreneurship this year alone.