Respect for women is an important criterion for the well-being and democratization of society

The formation of a powerful and progressive state is based on a number of factors. In this process, the active participation of women in socio-political activities, ensuring their rights and freedoms is an important factor in the economic development of the country and the democratization of society. 

The role of women in the formation and development of a new generation on the basis of any social structure is incomparable. The principles of ensuring guarantees of equal rights and opportunities for everyone operate in the society. These are legality, democracy, equality of women and men, the inadmissibility of gender discrimination, openness and transparency.
Of particular importance is the activity of women in society, their political and legal culture in the development of the state, which occupies a worthy place on the world stage and in the international community. 
In the modern process of globalization, the role of women in the formation of an active citizenship of the new generation in relation to the rapidly changing conditions and challenges of the time is more important than ever. Therefore, the main essence of the reforms is to support the exit of women with new ideas and initiatives, ensuring their active participation in socio-political processes. And this is possible provided that the elevation of human honor and dignity is primarily carried out through the veneration of women and respect for them. 
Today, taking bold steps to lay the foundation of the third Renaissance in the New Uzbekistan, we will not be mistaken if we say that the reforms are carried out thanks to women living in our country with a sense of happiness.   
The new Renaissance period depends primarily on the development of science and the strength of national spirituality. With a deep understanding of the changing reality, new opportunities are being created for women's participation in education and science. In order to encourage women to science, a Society of Women Scientists was created and 50 billion soums were allocated from the State Budget to support and further stimulate the activities of the new association. This strengthened the desire of many women to become scientists. 
As the President noted, the truth that has been formed in the people since ancient times, "Teaching one girl, you teach the whole nation" is more relevant today than ever.
An example of social justice and equality in the country is the reforms to ensure the full participation of women in the management of society and public affairs, their socio-economic and legal support. In short, there have never been such conditions and benefits, which are an expression of high attention at the level of state policy to the fate, present and future of compatriots. 
Legal and institutional frameworks have been improved
Comprehensive reforms aimed at increasing the value of women in the country are crucial. In particular, article 46 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan states: "Women and men have equal rights." This serves as the main legal basis for systemic reforms in the field of gender equality, increasing the role of women in society and public administration. 
In recent years, comprehensive measures aimed at ensuring the rights and legitimate interests of compatriots, strengthening their role in society, and supporting the institution of the family have risen to a new qualitative level. Uzbekistan has joined all the main documents protecting women from any discrimination. As an example, international documents can be cited: the Convention on Maternity Protection; the Convention on the Political Rights of Women and on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; Protocol on the Prevention, Suppression and Punishment of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and others. 
The country has adopted laws "On guarantees of equal rights and opportunities for women and men", "On the protection of women from harassment and violence", "On the protection of reproductive health of citizens". Mandatory gender-legal expertise of legislative acts has been introduced.
At the direct initiative of the Head of State, more than 30 decrees and resolutions, as well as government resolutions, have been adopted on issues of support for women. In March of this year, the Decrees of the head of state were signed "On measures to improve the system of work with families and women, support for the mahalla and the older generation" and "On measures to further accelerate the work on systemic support for families and women", the Presidential decree "On the organization of the activities of the State Committee for Families and Women". 
These normative legal acts are of particular importance in the following positive aspects: 
- a new State body has been created specializing in professional work with families and women - the State Committee for Families and Women; 
- the main directions of the unified state policy in the field of support for women, protection of their rights and legitimate interests have been determined;
- a new mechanism for working with women has been created - the practice of targeted and targeted work with women in mahallas;
- new legal mechanisms have been introduced to ensure women's rights and protect them from harassment and violence - the Prosecutor's Office monitors the implementation of legislation in this area;
- a new package of guarantees and benefits of the state has been introduced for women to receive education, to engage in scientific and creative activities;
- the existing mechanisms providing for the support of women's entrepreneurial activity, assistance to them in ensuring a decent life have been improved;
- a new system has been established aimed at maintaining women's health, early detection and prevention of diseases characteristic of them, as well as protection of motherhood;
- new mechanisms and effective platforms for communication with women have been laid.
The Presidential Decree "On measures to further accelerate the work on systemic support for families and women" dated March 7, 2022 approved the National Program to increase the activity of women in all spheres of economic, political and social life of the country for 2022-2026, as well as a Plan of comprehensive measures aimed at its implementation in 2022-2023. 
In order to organize systematic work on the consistent implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Global Agenda until 2030, the 5th goal is to ensure gender equality and empower all women and girls, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers resolution "On additional measures to accelerate the implementation of National Sustainable Development Goals and Objectives for the period up to 2030" dated February 21, 2022, it is in tune with the reforms in the field of ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men in our country. Within the framework of this goal, measures have been taken to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls everywhere; all forms of violence against women, including human trafficking; sexual exploitation and other forms of exploitation; prevention of early and forced marriages. Nine tasks have been set to ensure the full participation of women at all stages of political, economic and social life, as well as equal opportunities for leadership in decision-making, universal health coverage for comprehensive health care in the field of reproductive health and not only. 
In order to fulfill these tasks, the Senate of the Oliy Majlis approved a Strategy for achieving gender equality in the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030. 
As a logical continuation of the efforts, the Development Strategy of the New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026 provides for a number of goals and objectives for the realization of the rights and legitimate interests of women. In particular, the five goals of the Development Strategy set targets on the issue of women and girls. Thus, goal 69 "Support for women and further increase their activity in society" provides for the creation of an atmosphere of intolerance to harassment and violence against women in society, ensuring their rights and legitimate interests.
Today's results of the efforts undertaken in the interests of compatriots are inextricably linked with the fundamental improvement of the institutional framework in this area. The importance of the issue of gender equality and the role of women in society in the first period of independence, at the beginning of democratic reforms in 1991, was once again confirmed with the formation of a separate state structure - the Women's Committee.
In recent years, the institutional framework in this direction has been radically improved, a Committee on Women and Gender Equality has been established in the Senate of the Oliy Majlis. The State Trust Fund for the Support of Women was introduced and by Presidential Decree of March 1, 2022, it was transformed into the State Trust Fund for the Support of Families and Women. Initially, the Republican Public Women's Council began its work under the leadership of the Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, Tanzila Narbayeva. Later, the Republican Commission on Increasing the Role of Women in Society, Gender Equality and the Family was established.

In addition, the position of a women's activist has been introduced in order to work specifically on the development of women's entrepreneurship, employment, and poverty reduction. The Women's Entrepreneurship Center, which helps compatriots find their place in society, has become a real help for those who want to do their own business.
Support for women in our country, ensuring their rights and legitimate interests are among the priorities of state policy, as well as the result of reforms carried out in this direction. The innovations envisaged in the Plan of Comprehensive Measures are aimed at increasing the activity of women in the economic, political and social life of the country. 
The unique experience of the New Uzbekistan is based on six directions. 
1. Protection of the rights and legitimate interests of women 
- development of a legal definition of the concept of "harassment of women" in national legislation; establishment of administrative responsibility for physical pressure and violence against young students; introduction of a mandatory procedure for appointing a guardian or trustee to a child by parents traveling to foreign countries for a long time;
- Accession to the Convention on the International Procedure for the Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (The Hague, November 23, 2007);
- creation of a system of payment of maternity benefits to women officially employed at self-supporting enterprises and organizations, assistance in the formation of a socio-spiritual climate in the families of women released from penal institutions;
- study of the implementation of legislative acts adopted on the basis of the conventions on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, on maternity protection, on the rights of the child, and other issues.
2. Increasing economic, social and political activity 
- taking measures for employment in 2022 - 140 thousand women, in 2023 - 150 thousand; assistance in employment by attracting paid public works in 2022 - 66 thousand women, in 2023 -74 thousand;
- assistance in employment through the allocation of subsidies in 2022 - 17,062 women, in 2023 - 19,020, the creation of the platform "National Dialogue of Women leaders" in the republic and regions;
- bringing up to 30 percent of the share of women in the total number recommended for graduate studies at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, up to 30 percent - participating in the project "One million programmers".
3. Support for those in need of social protection
- payment of compensation to 14 thousand women on rent for housing, placement of 12 thousand in social housing based on the terms of social rent;
- providing one-time financial assistance to six thousand women in need of housing, living in non-residential premises included in the "women's notebook";
- providing one-time financial assistance to at least 100 thousand included in the "women's notebook";
- carrying out works on the purchase of building materials and repair of housing in need of repair for 30 thousand women;
- in-depth medical examination of 484,333 venerable mothers free of charge;
- organization of treatment of 12,919 venerable mothers in sanatoriums of organizations and trade unions; 
- ensuring the employment of 300 thousand women in need of social protection, unemployed through the "women's notebook" system. 
4. Promotion of the family institute
- preferential referral (annually) based on the schedule of 1000 disadvantaged and low-income families on a tourist trip within the country;
- strengthening the role of the mediation institute in the prevention of family divorces; 
- preparation of proposals for the development of the Concept of Demographic Sustainability of Uzbekistan for the period up to 2030;
- creation of the national portal "Demography" on the basis of the laboratory, as well as coverage of the achievements and developments of scientists working in this field.
5. Prevention of crime and delinquency among women 
- strengthening the role of civil society institutions in the protection of women's rights;
- improving the effectiveness of the mechanism of interaction "family - mahalla - educational institution" in working with underage girls;
- carrying out individual preventive work with women who are on preventive registration.
6. Organizational mechanisms for the effective implementation of the above priorities, which ensure their consistency and strict control. This will undoubtedly serve to create new opportunities for women to live a truly happy life, to take a strong place in the family and society.
Under the chairmanship of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a video conference was held on March 1 this year to further improve the system of support for women and further strengthen their status in society. A number of benefits for girls' education were discussed. Starting from the new academic year, the contract money for the training of girls in the magistracy will be fully covered by the State budget (200 billion soums for 23 thousand people). Important practical initiatives have been put forward: it is planned to send 50 girls annually to prestigious foreign universities for bachelor's degree and 10 for master's degree. In each region, the contract for the training of 150 girls from low-income families and bereaved parents (2.1 thousand in total) will be paid from the local budget. Universities will also create conditions for distance learning of female students with young children. It is planned to allocate at least 300 quota places for admission to doctoral studies. Every year, at least 50 percent of the target quotas in exact sciences, technology and law will be provided for admission to universities. The reform process also brings to a higher level the fact that from the new academic year for the first time it is determined to establish the issuance of interest-free loans for seven years to pay for training contracts. 
As a result of the reforms of recent years, the number of women in the national Parliament has reached the level corresponding to the recommendations established by the UN, and amounted to 32%. The share of women in entrepreneurship is 35%, and in higher education exceeds 46%. In the general guardianship of the state, about 1.5 thousand women specialists work in leadership positions at various levels. The share of women in the system is 33%. And this figure is growing. A new direction has been introduced in the social protection system - "women's", "youth" and "iron" notebooks for studying and solving the problems of compatriots. Over the past three years, about 400 thousand women and girls have been employed on the basis of the "women's notebook". Systematic measures are being taken to provide housing, improve the living and working conditions of women in need, and increase their incomes. 
The state pays special attention to women's health. After all, the health of society is characterized primarily by how healthy women are. 
As the President noted, taking care of the health of mother and child is taking care of the whole society, about our future. To this end, a system of free provision of pregnant women and children under 15 years of age with seven types of vitamins, medicines for parasitic diseases has been created since 2021. Last year, these events covered 11 million compatriots. 
The State becomes the main reformer in the protection of human dignity, rights and freedoms. Increasing the role of women in society, protecting their interests in the political, legal and social spheres is a key condition for the formation of the generation of the third Renaissance in the New Uzbekistan.

Malika Kodirkhonov.
Chairman of the Senate Committee of the Oliy Majlis 
Of the Republic of Uzbekistan
on Women's issues and gender equality.