Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 25 January, an international forum on the topic “New Uzbekistan: new opportunities and social partnership for development” was held at the headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London.

The event was attended by over 100 high-ranking participants, including representatives of the EBRD, members of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, representatives of ministries, NGOs and the business community.

During the international forum, it was noted that successful interaction has been established between government bodies, business structures and civil society institutions of Uzbekistan, and assistance is being provided in solving problems related to women's entrepreneurship and expanding the economic opportunities of women.

At the opening of the forum, the Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, Chairman of the Republican Commission on Increasing the Role of Women in Society, Gender Equality and Family, Tanzila Narbayeva, especially emphasized that over the past 7 years, fundamental changes have been made in our country in ensuring human rights and interests, liberalizing the economy.

– Today, entrepreneurs of Uzbekistan are confidently entering world markets. Bureaucratic barriers have been eliminated, forced labor and child labor have been completely eradicated, and practical results have been achieved in ensuring gender equality. All this receives well-deserved recognition from the world community. It is important that civil society institutions have intensified their activity to achieve such results, work in this direction will continue, noted Tanzila Narbaeva.

The Chairperson of the Senate, emphasizing the importance of the assistance provided by international partners in achieving the high goals set, recognized that the EBRD has become a strategic partner of Uzbekistan on the path to sustainable development.

It should be noted that among the countries of Central Asia, Uzbekistan is a leader in projects financed by the EBRD. These investments are being made in a variety of sectors, from renewable energy to banking. The portfolio of banking projects in the country exceeds 4 billion euros, and over the past four years, projects worth 3.3 billion euros have been launched.

President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso emphasized that a strong partnership and cooperation has been established between Uzbekistan and the EBRD, one of the common strategic priorities is to stimulate gender equality and expand the economic opportunities of women. This direction is reflected in the new Strategy for 2024-2029 for Uzbekistan, approved yesterday by the Board of Directors of this financial structure.

– Indeed, today Uzbekistan is recognized as the leading country in implementing reforms in Central Asia. We will continue to support Uzbekistan on this issue, and I look forward to strong cooperation in 2024 and beyond,” the EBRD President emphasized.

The forum presented innovative developments implemented in Uzbekistan since 2016, not only in the field of public administration, but also in all areas, including the development of non-governmental non-profit organizations, women's entrepreneurship, and the use of financial and non-financial resources.

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 32nd annual meeting of the EBRD Board of Governors and business forum paid special attention to the main areas of cooperation with international financial institutions, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, including further support for women entrepreneurs.

Indeed, in recent years, Uzbekistan has undergone fundamental changes in the structure of public administration, economics and entrepreneurship, several initiatives have been implemented, and positive steps have been taken to increase the role of women in society.

Today, Uzbekistan is implementing several initiatives aimed at creating opportunities for civil society institutions to establish social partnerships both within the country and with the international community to study positive experiences and develop strategies that will be implemented in the future.

During the forum, expert panel discussions were organized on issues of success, best practices, problems and solutions related to women's entrepreneurship, including its financing and educational programs.

The event participants studied good practices and developed their strategies for the future.