Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The 13th Summit of Women Heads of Parliaments of the Inter-Parliamentary Union member states was held on 17-18 August 2020.

The forum was organized in cooperation with the United Nations in the format of videoconference. The summit was attended by women leaders from 57 countries. For the first time, the event was attended by a delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan headed by the Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbaeva.

The purpose of the large-scale event was to discuss and identify actions necessary to enhance equality between men and women, comprehensive support for women, especially during and after the pandemic.

The summit participants spoke about the measures taken in their countries to mitigate the economic consequences of the pandemic, especially for women, for their full support. It was noted that all over the world, including developed countries, there are problems related to the expansion of political, economic rights and opportunities for women, ensuring access to financial resources. They acquired particular relevance during a pandemic, when women turned out to be the most vulnerable part of the world’s population. And now urgent efforts and measures must be taken to address the pressing issues of discrimination against women.

From this point of view, the experience of Uzbekistan accumulated in this direction was interesting for women leaders. It was emphasized that over the past three years, Uzbekistan has achieved tremendous success in democratizing public administration and society, protecting human rights. At the same time, all-round support for women, the achievement of gender equality are a priority of the state policy of Uzbekistan. This also manifested itself during the pandemic, when the government took effective steps to combat the new threat, protect public health, and provide social protection for families.

Representatives of the beautiful half of humanity make up 48 percent of the country’s working-age population, and during a pandemic, the state’s attention is focused on preserving jobs, comprehensive support for small and medium-sized businesses, creating conditions for women to self-employment, as well as social protection of families in need.

They also spoke about the work to increase the political activity of women.

It was noted that the experience of Uzbekistan in supporting women’s entrepreneurship, as a result of which new jobs are created, is worthy of special attention.

The summit participants were informed about the reforms carried out in Uzbekistan in the field of gender equality. The position of our country on strengthening equality between men and women, measures stipulated by the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was also voiced.

Particular attention is paid to priority areas in which it is necessary to take effective measures. These include climate change, the economic empowerment of women and the availability of financial resources.

The Summit of Women Leaders of Parliaments brings together women in senior parliamentary positions who are responsible for deciding on the parliamentary agenda based on emerging political, economic, environmental and social changes. It is a kind of platform for women leaders to exchange views, experiences, as well as to establish contacts and cooperation.

Countries’ efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, their responses to climate change and emergency management were also reviewed during the two-day prestigious forum leading up to the 5th World Conference of Heads of Parliaments of the World, which will be held from 19 to 20 August 2020. on a new level.

Proposals were developed on the issues discussed, which were reflected in the final document of the Summit of Women Leaders of Parliaments of the IPU member countries.