Gender and governance in Europe & CIS

Alternative reporting: a door to equality

Uzbekistan, 19 August 2008 – Representatives of women’s NGOs from all regions of Uzbekistan were familiarized with the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and other issues on women’s rights protection at a UNDP-backed workshop. During the workshop, participants listened to presentations, engaged in practical tasks and discussions to determine the role of NGOs in CEDAW implementation and monitoring as well as in the preparation of alternative reports. In addition, an international expert came from Turkey to present participants with the Turkish experience on CEDAW implementation, on national and alternative reports preparation and submission.

The workshop – “The role of the NGOs in CEDAW implementation and reporting” – was organized within the joint project of UNDP and the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan Legislative and Institutional Capacity Development for Women’s Empowerment in Uzbekistan with cooperation of the representative office of the National Democratic Institute in Uzbekistan. The project is directed at supporting and building the capacity of the government, civil society and mass media in reducing the gender gaps via raising awareness of and implementing the recommendations of the CEDAW Committee to Uzbekistan.

Turkey is a country where a wide range of women’s NGOs operate. Evre Kaynak, programme coordinator for the group Women for Women’s Human Rights – New Ways and an expert on CEDAW implementation, shared some of Turkey’s substantial experience in submission of alternative reports to UN Committees. Such exchange of international experience will be very useful for the leaders of women’s NGOs on alternative report preparation and CEDAW implementation.

The government of Uzbekistan will report to the CEDAW Committee this month for the fourth time since signing the Convention, while other organizations have up to one year to submit ‘shadow’ reports. These alternative reports are an opportunity for the civil society to raise sensitive issues within a clear procedural framework and to get coverage for important issues which might not come out so strongly in official submissions, as well as forming a basis for further discussions with the state. All reports – the official submission and any shadow reports also made – are considered by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, when that committee considers periodic national reports.

Malika Inakova, manager of the project “Legislative and Institutional Capacity Development for Women’s Empowerment in Uzbekistan”, said: "Leaders of women’s NGOs are actively working in the sphere of women’s rights protection, and raising awareness amongst them on international and national mechanisms of women’s rights protection, on judicial practice of Uzbekistan, involving them into the implementation and monitoring of CEDAW is an important issue. We hope that participants will contribute to improving the situation on women’s rights protection in regions”.

One of the participants, Zulfiya Tukhtahodjaeva, the head of women's NGO coalition ‘Mehr’, said: “I consider CEDAW Convention as a manifesto, holy script, based on which my organization carries out activities.”

The CEDAW Convention adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is an international document on the rights of women. Uzbekistan was the first Central Asian country to ratify the convention, in 1995, and has reported twice to the CEDAW Committee on its implementation.

Women for Women’s Human Rights – New Ways

UNDP Uzbekistan 
 

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