Key principles and practices on maternity protection discussed at the ILO webinar in Uzbekistan
On April 8, the International Labour Organization (ILO) within the framework of the UN Joint Programme on Social Protection in Uzbekistan organized the third webinar in a series related to mainstreaming gender equality in employment, economic and social policies and legislation. The webinar was dedicated to maternity protection issues, as such measures are necessary to protect the reproductive role of women.
8 April 2021
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TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN (ILO News) – The webinar was organised by the UN Joint Programme on Social Protection in partnership with the National Gender Commission under the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Members of this commission, representatives of ministries and government agencies, the Committee on Gender Equality of the Oliy Majlis, the Youth Parliament, NGOs, as well as social partners participated in the webinar.
The webinar started with the opening remarks by the Chairman of the Committee on Gender Equality of the Senate of Oliy Majlis Senator Malika Kadirkhanova, , Director of the Public Opinion Research Center “Ijtimoiy Fikr” Ms. Nigina Rakhimova and Mr. Azizkhon Khankhodjaev, ILO National Coordinator in Uzbekistan. Ms. Kadirkhanova spoke about measures being undertaken in Uzbekistan to ensure maternity protection and gender equality at work. She also provided details of the state programme for 2021 that included actions aimed at strengthening maternal and child health.
Ms Nigina Rakhimova, as a member of the Gender Commission, highlighted the importance of this webinar series in improving policy-makers' capacity in Uzbekistan to bring the national legislation in line with international standards. She noted that the current webinar would allow the participants to critically analyse the current situation in Uzbekistan and it could trigger the discussion on the creation of favourable institutional conditions for healthy maternity, comprehensive child development, and full realisation of the family potential both professionally and economically.
Mr Azizkhon Khankhodjaev, the National Coordinator at ILO Uzbekistan, spoke highly about Uzbekistan’s accelerated pace in ratification of international labour standards. According to him, this demonstrates Uzbekistan’s commitment to adhere to international legal norms and with a purpose to improve the national labour legislation, including gender equality and maternity protection. However, this also implies the existence of gender-based problems the government is trying to address, like domestic violence, low participation in the labour market, and the gender pay gap. Mr Khankhodjaev reiterated the ILO’s readiness to support the government of Uzbekistan in these challenging reforms.
The webinar was conducted in an interactive manner with short feedback polls after each presentation. Quick baseline polls before presentations helped the participants refresh their knowledge of legislature on maternity protection and how it is being implemented in real life.
In his presentation, Mr Umberto Cattaneo, Economist at Gender, Equality and Diversity & ILOAIDS Branch (ILO), touched upon the basic principles of maternity protection and their role in promoting several SDGs. He also highlighted key points from Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183) and the ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No 202).
Ms Veronika Wodsak, Social Protection Policy Specialist (ILO), spoke about maternity protection situation around the world¬. Worryingly, only 40.6% of working women worldwide have legal rights to maternity leave, and only 44.9% of women with newborns receive social benefits. She shared some best international practices that help to improve this situation.
After the presentations, the participants were divided into working groups where they discussed key challenges and tried to come up with possible solutions. Presenters from each group shared key points of their discussions. In particular, the participants stress the need to increase legal literacy of working women, enforce compliance, and improve institutional conditions as critical measures to ensure efficiency of maternity protection schemes.
Ms Nigina Rakhimova, in her closing speech, thanked the organisers for sharing essential legal and practical knowledge on maternity protection that would serve as a ground for building favourable and equal opportunities for working women in Uzbekistan. She also thanked all the participants for their active engagement in the discussions that brought up interesting and vital proposals requiring further review.
In her closing remarks, Ms Nilufarkhon Kamalova, National Officer in Social Protection (ILO), touched upon some important problems in ensuring gender equality in the access to the labour market. Apart from many challenges mentioned during the webinar by both speakers and participants, the fact that the majority of labour inspectors are males also causes serious problems for women who want to participate in the labour market. Due to traditional gender perceptions, these inspectors often hinder women from realising their professional potential and implementing their rights for social protection in maternity. Ms Kamalova proposed organizing capacity-building activities for these inspectors to raise awareness of the importance of safe working conditions for women and equal opportunities in the labour market.
The participants welcomed the interactive form of the webinar and particularly short polls. They also expressed high interest in the presented materials, including the report in Russian and videos on maternity protection in Russian and Uzbek languages.
The webinar started with the opening remarks by the Chairman of the Committee on Gender Equality of the Senate of Oliy Majlis Senator Malika Kadirkhanova, , Director of the Public Opinion Research Center “Ijtimoiy Fikr” Ms. Nigina Rakhimova and Mr. Azizkhon Khankhodjaev, ILO National Coordinator in Uzbekistan. Ms. Kadirkhanova spoke about measures being undertaken in Uzbekistan to ensure maternity protection and gender equality at work. She also provided details of the state programme for 2021 that included actions aimed at strengthening maternal and child health.
Ms Nigina Rakhimova, as a member of the Gender Commission, highlighted the importance of this webinar series in improving policy-makers' capacity in Uzbekistan to bring the national legislation in line with international standards. She noted that the current webinar would allow the participants to critically analyse the current situation in Uzbekistan and it could trigger the discussion on the creation of favourable institutional conditions for healthy maternity, comprehensive child development, and full realisation of the family potential both professionally and economically.
Mr Azizkhon Khankhodjaev, the National Coordinator at ILO Uzbekistan, spoke highly about Uzbekistan’s accelerated pace in ratification of international labour standards. According to him, this demonstrates Uzbekistan’s commitment to adhere to international legal norms and with a purpose to improve the national labour legislation, including gender equality and maternity protection. However, this also implies the existence of gender-based problems the government is trying to address, like domestic violence, low participation in the labour market, and the gender pay gap. Mr Khankhodjaev reiterated the ILO’s readiness to support the government of Uzbekistan in these challenging reforms.
The webinar was conducted in an interactive manner with short feedback polls after each presentation. Quick baseline polls before presentations helped the participants refresh their knowledge of legislature on maternity protection and how it is being implemented in real life.
In his presentation, Mr Umberto Cattaneo, Economist at Gender, Equality and Diversity & ILOAIDS Branch (ILO), touched upon the basic principles of maternity protection and their role in promoting several SDGs. He also highlighted key points from Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183) and the ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No 202).
Ms Veronika Wodsak, Social Protection Policy Specialist (ILO), spoke about maternity protection situation around the world¬. Worryingly, only 40.6% of working women worldwide have legal rights to maternity leave, and only 44.9% of women with newborns receive social benefits. She shared some best international practices that help to improve this situation.
After the presentations, the participants were divided into working groups where they discussed key challenges and tried to come up with possible solutions. Presenters from each group shared key points of their discussions. In particular, the participants stress the need to increase legal literacy of working women, enforce compliance, and improve institutional conditions as critical measures to ensure efficiency of maternity protection schemes.
Ms Nigina Rakhimova, in her closing speech, thanked the organisers for sharing essential legal and practical knowledge on maternity protection that would serve as a ground for building favourable and equal opportunities for working women in Uzbekistan. She also thanked all the participants for their active engagement in the discussions that brought up interesting and vital proposals requiring further review.
In her closing remarks, Ms Nilufarkhon Kamalova, National Officer in Social Protection (ILO), touched upon some important problems in ensuring gender equality in the access to the labour market. Apart from many challenges mentioned during the webinar by both speakers and participants, the fact that the majority of labour inspectors are males also causes serious problems for women who want to participate in the labour market. Due to traditional gender perceptions, these inspectors often hinder women from realising their professional potential and implementing their rights for social protection in maternity. Ms Kamalova proposed organizing capacity-building activities for these inspectors to raise awareness of the importance of safe working conditions for women and equal opportunities in the labour market.
The participants welcomed the interactive form of the webinar and particularly short polls. They also expressed high interest in the presented materials, including the report in Russian and videos on maternity protection in Russian and Uzbek languages.