Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- During the regional forum held these days in the capital of the country, the results of Uzbekistan's chairmanship in the Dialogue of Women Leaders of Central Asia were summed up.

The speakers noted that in 2021, the Dialogue of Women Leaders of Central Asia was able to receive at the highest level recognition and support for the aspirations of women of the states of the region to play a more active role in political, socio-economic, cultural and humanitarian processes on the way to sustainable development, ensuring peace and stability in the region.

Natalia Gherman, Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia:

- I stress the importance of the Dialogue contributing to capacity building and strengthening of cooperation among women in the region at all levels.

The Dialogue has the potential to contribute to the development of responses to such existential threats as climate change and environmental degradation. This is one of the most serious regional challenges - in particular, it is a challenge to peace and security in the region. More analysis is needed on the risks of these processes for women and girls and more efforts are needed to implement inclusive and gender-sensitive policies to prevent and overcome the consequences of environmental degradation.

I would like to note the fruitful and effective activities of the Dialogue of Women Leaders of Central Asia under the chairmanship of Uzbekistan. The pace set in the first year of functioning of the regional platform will undoubtedly serve the further development of the Dialogue.

A. El-Yasir, UN-Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia:

- During the first year of its existence, the Dialogue of Women Leaders of Central Asia has become the most important political platform for women leaders in Central Asia. The dialogue has brought people together to address issues of paramount importance in our world: sustainable development, women's political leadership, the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, economic opportunities.

We have seen its impact, including at the recent Eurasian Women's Forum, how the Dialogue has focused on the participation of women in political and public life in consultations on the latest Commission on the Status of Women.

UN Women is proud to support the work of the Dialogue. Today, when Dialogue sums up the results of the first year of its work and looks to the future, it has something to be proud of. Dialogue can drive positive change in 2022 and beyond.

Due to the fact that the term of the chairmanship in the Dialogue is one year, the forum also considered the issue of transferring the chairmanship to another country in 2022.

Thus, by consensus, it was decided to transfer the chairmanship of the Dialogue next year to Turkmenistan.

Tanzila Narbaeva, Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, Chairperson of the Dialogue of Women Leaders of Central Asian Countries:

- Over the short period of its existence, our Dialogue has shown that it can serve as an important factor in bringing our countries and peoples closer together, act as a kind of catalyst for the development of regional approaches to ensuring gender equality and sustainable development in Central Asia, and also play a significant role in realizing the potential women of the region in all spheres of life.

Without the care and support of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the heads of states of Central Asia, such an active development of the women's movement would not have been possible.

As the current chairman, I support the application of my Turkmen colleague to chair our Dialogue next year.

I also want to note that Uzbekistan will continue to make efforts to support regional cooperation in the field of gender equality and sustainable development in Central Asia.

We are ready to share the experience of the chairmanship of the Uzbek side in the Dialogue with our partners, primarily with the next chairman of the regional platform, in order to maintain its stability and consistency.