LocationsStrengthening gender lens in legislature
October 7, 2022
On October 4, 2022, UNDP and the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan launched training on "Gender Mainstreaming in Legislative Bodies" for members of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and gender volunteers.
The purpose of this training is to strengthen the understanding of the basics of gender and gender mainstreaming, to equip participants with skills in gender analysis of legislative provisions, and to comprehensively assess the role of parliament in promoting gender equality.
What is gender mainstreaming? It is a strategy for addressing the interests, needs, and living conditions of men and women due to their different social and cultural gender roles in society.
The goal of gender mainstreaming is to take into account the implications for women and men taken during the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in the political, economic and social spheres so that women and men benefit equally. In other words, it is a process of assessing the consequences for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies, or programs in all areas and on all levels.
Why is it important? Legislatures play a vital role in ensuring equal human rights in society, social justice, and equality. Thanks to the existing power, this institution can adopt laws that can transform society on a fundamental level and in all layers of social structures. The legislative process can improve the position of women and redress imbalances and inequalities in society.
On the first day of the training, participants got acquainted with the basics of gender equality, the relationship between international legal instruments and national legislation, and the role of legislative bodies in promoting gender equality. In addition, participants learned more about the best international practices and tools for gender mainstreaming in the activities of legislative bodies in order to consider in detail which international cases are being implemented in the Republic of Uzbekistan and which ones can be used in the future.
The second day was devoted to the role of legislators in promoting gender equality, gender mainstreaming in legislatures, and international cases, explaining the nature of national gender policies and the relationship between strategic and operational planning. Participants also gained skills in breaking down strategic goals in the field of gender into specific actions and measures.
The third day focused on the national gender strategy as a tool to promote gender equality as well as gender statistics and its importance for informed decision-making in public policy-making.
Tashmukhamedova Diloram Gafurjanovna, Depury Chairman of the Committee on Youth, Culture, and Sports of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan in her feedback on the last day of the training, noted "This training was useful in the way that it enabled us to review and discuss the process of gender analysis and theory combined with practical examples in the field of gender equality policy in Uzbekistan. We gained valuable skills and knowledge that we will apply it in our daily work."
This training was held as part of the “Gender Equality Project” that aims to advance systemic changes in gender equality and women empowerment and via this to support the implementation of the Strategy for Achieving Gender Equality in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
