Strengthening of the role and status of women in society, ensuring and protection of their rights and interests, as well as building their political and social capacity in promotion of healthy lifestyles, modernization and democratic renewal of the society are priority areas of state policy.

Uzbekistan\'s experience in guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of women and their active involvement in public, political, socio-economic and cultural life of the country is highly appreciated by international experts. The two-day forum of the 18 leaders of women\'s movements, as well as partner organizations from the USA, Germany, China, Malaysia, Russia, Moldova, Uzbekistan and other countries, representatives of UN Women and Germany’s Savings Banks Fund became a dialogue platform for experts in protecting the legal, social and economic rights of women, and introduced the participants to domestic and international practices in this field.

The first day of the meeting was introductory for foreign experts. The guests met with the winners of the Zulfiya State Award, winners of the 47th International Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad, and representatives of women’s public organizations of Uzbekistan. Later on, the participants met with representatives of citizens\' assemblies, the exemplary local community Jurjoniy of Uchtepa district, visited medical and social center of Soghlom Avlod Uchun International Charitable Foundation, as well as an exhibition in the House of Photography.

Conference participants noted the progress of the state in promoting the rights of women. Today, women of the country make a worthy contribution to implementation of priorities on development of the society and reformation of the economy, raise of the level and quality of life, education and health, science and culture.

The government takes comprehensive measures to enhance sociopolitical and socioeconomic activity of women, create favorable conditions for their comprehensive development, and implement targeted programs on ensuring protection of mother and child health and nurturing a healthy generation.

Stipulated by law

In the years of independence Uzbekistan has built an integral system of regulatory acts to guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of women. Today, the Basic Law and more than 80 acts constitute the legal basis for promotion and protection of rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of women in all spheres of public life.

Certain measures are taken to ensure the participation of women in election, representative and other bodies of state authority.

Streamlining of the electoral system in accordance with international law, the increase in the legal quotas for female candidates of the political parties up to 30% significantly increased their capacity in the political life of the country.

The increase of women\'s involvement in electoral processes is notable as well. The constant increase in the number of women in the political parties is obvious. This reflects not only the steady growth of their public, political and social capacity, but also evidences of the legal guarantees for their participation in representative bodies of state authority.

With care for the future

In order to promote the achievements of gifted women in the development of literature, art, science and culture in 1999 the head of the state issued a Decree ‘On support for the proposals on establishment of Zulfiya State Award. To date, there are 196 winners of this award across the country.

International experts highly appreciated the level of women’s literacy in Uzbekistan, which is not inferior to those in developed democratic countries. 12-year universal compulsory free education provides the opportunity to get popular professions in colleges and lyceums along with general education disciplines. Today there is no sphere, whether it is economy, politics, public or culture, where an Uzbek woman would not manifest her professional and creative aptitudes.

Much is being done on protecting women\'s health, cooperation with state and public organizations on building family health, promotion of women\'s and family sports, and arrangement of promotion of healthy lifestyle. The national program Healthy Mother Bears Healthy Child has turned into a nation-wide movement.

Uzbekistan built a brand new and unique in its own way single system of free emergency high-quality medical care. Establishment of more than 3,200 rural health units with modern medical equipment across the country played a crucial role in reformation the healthcare system. There are ten national specialized medical research centers. Schools, colleges, lyceums and universities, organizations and communities hold educational events on raising the medical culture, cultivation of healthy lifestyles in the youth and protection of reproductive health under the thematic series Healthy Mother Bears Healthy Child. Promotion of sports among the population is assigned an equally important part on the level of state policy. More than 35,000 sections in 39 kinds of sports were established for women and girls in all regions of the country. Representatives of the fair sex demonstrate their sporting achievements in the annual regional women\'s sports festivals. There is a multitude of advantages of physical culture and sports, but the statistics is the clearest evidence: the average life expectancy for women in the last 20 years has increased by 7 years and is now 75 years old.

Business strategy for prospect

The programs supporting the employment of women are actively promoted. The conditions for their work and study get improved, especially in rural areas; there are actively involved in business activities. Today, women in Uzbekistan are working in all areas: manufacture, agriculture, education and training, medicine, business, culture and the arts.

Women\'s Committee of Uzbekistan, founded in 1991 at the initiative of public organizations, contributes greatly in the support and development of women in abovementioned fields. It has turned into an effective mechanism to support women, protect their rights and legitimate interests. The list of priorities of this nongovernmental non-profit organization highlights the issues of ensuring women\'s full-rate participation in public, political, socioeconomic and cultural life of the country, their spiritual and intellectual growth.

For example, the Women\'s Committee provides practical assistance to governmental agencies in the implementation of regional job creation programs. Territorial programs on women’s employment contributed to the establishment of more than 430,000 jobs last year, and about 114,000 jobs were created in the first quarter of 2013. A priority part is assigned to women’s employment through the home-based work. This form of business, according to international experts, provides women with great opportunities to build their economic capacity. In the first three months of 2013 alone more than 27,000 jobs were created for home-based women.

Promotion of business initiatives among women is fully supported by commercial banks of the country. In 2012 they allocated 491 billion soums(Currency rates of CB from 05.06.2013 1$=2081.59soums). In the first quarter of the Year of Wellbeing and Prosperity commercial banks issued loans amounting 319 billion soums as a financial support for the families.

Reliable partners of the state

In context of implementation of the principle ‘From the strong state to a strong civil society’ Uzbekistan takes systematic measures aiming at the development of independent and sustainable organizations supported by the public and nongovernmental non-profit organizations. The non-governmental sector is presently a reliable partner of the state as it works under the implementation of programs on reformation of educational sector, healthcare, addressing relevant issues on building women’s capacity in social and political activities.

Today the growth of NGOs, which independently establish professional contacts with women\'s organizations in other countries, is obvious. They collaborate with international NGOs, carry out projects with UNDP, the United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF, UNIFEM. In 2004-2007, agreements on cooperation were signed with the European Academy for Women in Politics and Business, Women\'s Aid Federation in the UK, the Women\'s Union of the Russian Federation, the Consortium of Women Entrepreneurs of India, the Union of Kuwaiti Women Association.

As of the beginning of the year more than 6,000 NGOs have been registered in Uzbekistan, 539 of which are women’s organizations. The work of non-governmental organizations primarily focuses on increasing legal awareness, protection of rights and interests of women, development of women\'s entrepreneurship. The number of women\'s NGOs has increased by 15% against 2011.

Spiritual foundation

It is important to dwell on the role of local communities in supporting women and educating girls. As the political consciousness, culture and citizen’s involvement evolve the government consistently imposes its functions to nongovernmental structures, particularly to citizen’s self-government bodies. The state carries out a significant work to enhance the moral, intellectual and cultural development, spiritual and moral education. A position of Advisor for Religious, Spiritual and Moral Education was instituted in conformity with the Decree of the President of May 25, 2004 in the self-government bodies. The scope of his responsibilities covers strengthening of national and universal values, development of the best traditions of the people, cultivation of kindness, compassion and tolerance in the hearts of young people. Along with that, the work on building of spiritual maturity in women and younger generation is a relevant task of advisors.

The country actively promotes popularization of the ideas of humanism and compassion, understanding and good neighborliness, and upbringing of law-abiding generation. That is why special attention is paid to creating more opportunities for women, strengthening their legal competence, upbringing of physically healthy, spiritually mature and comprehensively advanced generation.

Participants of the international conference highly appreciated the successful experience of Uzbekistan on establishment of Parent Universities under the cooperation with state and public organizations ‘family-local community-educational institution’. During the first year of the program’s operation alone over 8,500 institutions of this kind were established.

In general, leaders of women\'s movements in different countries emphasized the positive experience of Uzbekistan in comprehensive support of girls and women, and the high concern of the state for the posterity.

(Source: “Uzbekistan today” newspaper)