Event: The Tashkent International Investment Forum, Women in Enterprise: The Economic Case for Gender-Inclusive Growth panel session

Date: 12:00pm, June 16, 2026

Venue: CAEX Room Samarkand

Question: “We talk a great deal about closing the gender finance gap and the skills gap for women entrepreneurs. But UNDP's research in Uzbekistan points to a constraint that sits underneath both: unpaid care work. How should that finding change the way governments and development actors design support programmes and what is UNDP doing on this?”

Assalomu aleykum, and thank you. It is a privilege to join this important discussion.

Uzbekistan has made remarkable progress in strengthening the environment for women entrepreneurs. I congratulate the country on its important legislative reforms, which helped place Uzbekistan 48th out of 190 economies in the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law index.

The next challenge is to make sure women can fully exercise these rights in practice.

First, many women still work in the informal sector, where legal protections, social protection, safety standards and access to finance are limited. UNDP’s work under the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection helps women entrepreneurs formalize their businesses, become visible to investors, and access the protections and opportunities they need to grow.

Second, unpaid care work remains a major constraint. UNDP’s research shows that women perform more than twice as many hours of unpaid care work as men. This limits their time to learn new skills, build careers, and expand businesses.

The evidence is clear: public childcare increases women’s participation in the labour market. Childcare expansion led to a 12 percent average increase in women’s labour supply.

Each new public childcare centre brought about 23 women into the workforce, compared with about 5 women for each private centre. This means care services are not only social infrastructure; they are economic infrastructure.

This finding should change programme design. Support for women entrepreneurs cannot focus only on finance and skills. It must also address time poverty, childcare, social protection, and the unequal distribution of care.

Better data is also essential. Uzbekistan does not yet have a national time-use survey. Without this data, care work remains invisible, and invisible problems do not receive the resources they need.

Third, we must challenge gender norms that keep women concentrated in traditionally female sectors. Through our work with Hamroh and other partners, we see women entering new fields and expanding what is considered possible. One example is Ms. Sohiba Kayumova, who turned woodworking into a structured enterprise after joining WESP in 2025. Today, she employs 15 apprentices and aims to open a craft school so that woodworking is seen simply as a craft for anyone with skill and passion.

The digital economy can also be a powerful equalizer, but only if women are part of it. In 2025, UNDP reached more than 1,176 women across 12 regions with digital, business, and entrepreneurial skills, including through IT and Business Development Centers in Chorshanbe and Khazarasp.

Globally, the evidence is clear: closing gender gaps in economic participation contributes to growth. Keeping women out of the scaling pathway is not only a social concern; it is a macroeconomic loss.

For Uzbekistan, the opportunity is significant. Women-owned SMEs are already creating jobs, generating income, and contributing to local economies. I look forward to discussions on creating a holistic enabling environment with care and visibility in diverse fields.

Thank you, and I look forward to the conversation.