Uzbekistan Country Gender Assessment: Update

Uzbekistan: Horticulture Value Chain Development Project. 
Gap progress report. Uzbekistan Resident Mission.
167 
appendix 2.

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56
Uzbekistan Country Gender Assessment Update
• 
Support capacity building under the auspices of Gap implementation, with not less 
than 30% female participation.
• 
Collaborate with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, NGOs, tadbirkor 
ayol (BWa), and the Hunarmand (Handicraft) association in specific capacity 
development interventions for the development of SMes and agriculture; marketing 
skills; and familiarity with the specificities of operating rented farms, taxes and loans, 
insurance systems, agriculture development, and business planning, and management 
laws, creation of cooperatives and unions, more modern agricultural skills and 
techniques taking into account agricultural specificities, and processing technologies 
(e.g., cheese making, the preparation of homemade butter).
• 
Collaborate with the WCU and other state and non-state stakeholders on the 
extension of interventions among women farmers in financial and nonfinancial bank 
services for female clients. 
F. Transport and roads
1. Context
In its 
Connecting to Compete
(2014) report on global logistics, the World Bank ranked 
Uzbekistan 129th out of 160 countries, with a score of 2.39 (logistics; 5, the best). the report 
also ranked Uzbekistan’s infrastructure 148th globally.
168
Uzbekistan serves three of six Central 
asia Regional economic Cooperation (CaReC) corridors. as a double-landlocked country 
with over 31.8 million people, Uzbekistan depends to a considerable degree on its transport role 
for the country’s development.
169
the Uzbek agency for automobile and River transport
170
is the national administrative authority for streamlining and controlling automobile and river 
transport.
171
public transport is seriously limited in the rural areas. the often-used modes of transport to the 
district center are private minibuses and taxis, which are costly and not very safe. a survey by 
the Food and agriculture Organization of the United Nations noted that goods in rural areas 
are sold mainly at local and district markets, largely because of the cost and time required to 
transport them.
172
therefore, home workers and craftsmen often prefer to sell goods from home 
or to take them to the nearest local market.
168 
World Bank. documents and Reports. 
Connecting to Compete: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy (English).
 http://
documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/819531467075312039/Connecting-to-Compete-trade-logistics-in-the-global-
economy
169 
Country Meters. Uzbekistan population. http://countrymeters.info/ru/Uzbekistan
170 
Uzbek agency of the automobile and River transport. http://www.autotrans.uz/ru/
171 
established under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan #296 of (11 July 1998). 
On Establishment of 
Uzbek Agency for Automobile and River Transport.
172 
UN Food and agriculture Organization. 2016. Central asia and the Caucasus association of agricultural Research 
Institutions (CaCaaRI). 
Assessment of the Possibilities for Income Diversification through Rural Crafts Development. In 
support of Small Businesses and Job Creation for Women and Men in Rural Communities in the Republic of Uzbekistan
. p. 
19–21 (in press).

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Mainstreaming Gender in ADB Operations, by Sector
57
Outdoor electric lighting in public spaces, including bus stops (currently controlled by several 
state entities),
173
is found mainly in urban settings.
174 
Such lighting is inconsistent and presents 
discomfort and insecurity to travelers, particularly women and girls.
2. Government Commitments
the modernization of railway infrastructure is a priority for the country. Since its founding 
in 1994, temir Yollari, the Uzbekistan railways state company, has gradually modernized 
the railways, unifying the railways network, introducing electrification and modernization, 
and improving rolling stock. a total of 2,446 km (52%) of the network has been electrified. 
the 4,669 km Uzbekistan rail network carries about 60 million tons of freight and 15 million 
passengers annually. Consistent growth in Gdp (more than 7% per year since 2004) has 
contributed to strong demand for rail transport.
175
the government has initiated critical sector-wide reforms in automobile transport and roads. 
In particular, the realignment of transport sector institutions has transformed Uzavtoyul, a 
road agency, into the State Committee for Roads, which is responsible for developing and 
maintaining all roads in Uzbekistan, including state and local roads. the government also 
reorganized the Republican Road Fund under the Cabinet of Ministers to focus mainly on 
financing.
176
3. Key Gender Equality Issues
poor road conditions are especially challenging in cold weather, as they increase the 
vulnerability of the rural population in meeting their social needs (e.g., accompanying younger 
children when traveling to and from school, accompanying children and elders to health 
facilities, shopping at markets, visiting relatives in neighboring areas). these chores depend 
largely on safe transport and roads. Unreliable public transport therefore presents a serious 
barrier to job access for the population, particularly women; to access jobs; affects attendance 
at education and training facilities; and limits access to good-quality health services and 
information hubs.
177
173 
Currently, several government entities deal with street lighting but do not associate with Uzbekenergo (i.e., local