4 June, TASHKENT – A training seminar for law students on ‘Delivering Gender-Sensitive Justice’ was held today at the Hilton Tashkent City, hosted jointly by the Tashkent State University of Law and the University of World Economy and Diplomacy. This event has been conducted in cooperation with the ‘Rule of Law Partnership in Uzbekistan’ project of the Supreme Court, USAID and UNDP.

Significant advancements have been made in protecting women’s rights in Uzbekistan over the past two years, within the current process of reforming the national judicial system. Two notable laws have been established, including ‘On guarantees of equal rights and opportunities for women and men’ and ‘On the protection of women from oppression and violence’. The practice of conducting gender expertise of Uzbekistan’s legislation and the national Ethical Code of Judges has been introduced, while a Community of Women Judges has been established, and a roadmap is in place to increase the numbers of women working in this vital profession.

All these measures have strengthen women’s empowerment in Uzbekistan, while helping fulfil the objectives of national Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 16 in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

The purpose of this seminar has been to make law students aware of the gender aspects of delivering justice, through the lens of gender sensitivity, with particular emphasis on the prominent hurdles women face in accessing legal assistance. Key matters discussed at the training included the application of international standards on gender equality within Uzbekistan’s judiciary, existing national legislation on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and the judiciary’s role in protecting women’s rights and access to justice. 

A main focus of this training was a review of legislative aspects of delivering gender-sensitive justice. This component included an analysis of relevant international standards and national legislation, as delivered by specialist of the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan L. Iskhakova. 

There was also a review of international judicial and quasi-judicial practice in cases related to gender equality issues, with specific reference to UN human rights bodies and regional judicial bodies. This segment was delivered by F. Khamdamova, Doctor of Philosophy in Legal Sciences and Head of the Department of Civil Law and International Law Sciences of the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.

The training event’s agenda also contained practical exercises to reinforce the information provided by national experts. These included the conducting of a practice gender expertise of legislation, specifically of the Ethical Code of Judges, and an in-depth discussion of the financial, technological and cultural challenges women face while seeking justice in Uzbekistan.

24 students took part at the training seminar, 15 women and 9 men, including 12 students from the Tashkent State University of Law and 12 from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy.

Over past years the ‘Rule of Law Partnership in Uzbekistan’ project has worked extensively to ensure that the national judiciary and laws effectively protect the rights of women, including by creating gender parity and equality among judicial staff and judges. These outcomes are essential prerequisites for ensuring Uzbekistan’s judicial system effectively protects women’s right to justice.