TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, March 5. The World Bank's 2024 Women, Business, and the Law (WBL) annual report highlights Uzbekistan's global progress toward legal gender equality, Trend reports.
Among the five countries recognized for significant improvement since October 2022 are Uzbekistan, along with Jordan, Malaysia, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
The report's 2024 edition features an index that evaluates 190 countries against 10 indicators: safety, mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, childcare, entrepreneurship, assets, and pension.
Uzbekistan has notably implemented four key reforms that have advanced gender equality, particularly in the areas of pay and marriage. These reforms have propelled Uzbekistan's position by 11.9 points in the 2024 WBL index, now standing at a score of 82.5. Remarkably, Uzbekistan now shares the same score as Singapore, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, marking substantial progress in Central Asia.
Specifically, Uzbekistan has mandated equal pay for work of equal value and eliminated restrictions on women's employment in industrial and hazardous jobs. In October 2022, a new Labor Code was adopted, aligning with international labor standards by incorporating these provisions.
Furthermore, Uzbekistan has enacted legislation aimed at safeguarding women from domestic violence. In April 2023, amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Liability were introduced to directly address domestic violence, encompassing physical, psychological, and financial abuse within family relationships and establishing criminal penalties for such offenses.
The World Bank has actively supported Uzbekistan's reforms highlighted in the 2024 WBL report, providing the government with analytical and financial assistance. This support includes development policy operations delivered in 2021 and 2023, aimed at fostering transformative social and economic reforms across various sectors.
