Uzbekistan Country Gender Assessment: Update

Completion Report: Uzbekistan: Water Resource Management Project
. UZB L2492/2493.
b
In 2014, in amu-dariya, Kegeyli, and Shumanay districts of Karakalpakstan, only 12% of the population were provided with 
drinking water. adB. 2016. UZB: L2069 
Amu Zang Irrigation Rehabilitation Project.
Gap progress reports, 2014–2016.
c
“three types of associations were established: (i) a public commission in each district under the local 
hokimiyat 
and consisting of the project management unit and representatives from Suvokava, the health-care sector, sanitary 
epidemiological services, and local branches of the WCU, the Makhallya Foundation, and the Federation of trade Unions, 
to monitor and assist in the implementation of Gap interventions, ensure the active involvement of women in decision 
making, and assist in the regular collection of sex-disaggregated data on various indicators; (ii) information consultation 
centers under Suvokava units, to process customers’ complaints on water supply issues and provide a prompt action 
response; and (iii) WCas in the target communities, each one bringing together up to five respected and proactive 
community members, to conduct outreach interventions and raise awareness of the rights and obligations of water 
consumers and of sanitation and hygiene issues, through training in
 makhallyas
and pilot schools and other activities.
a good example of national ownership was the cosponsorship initiative in 2014 -2015, under which state and non-state 
stakeholders sponsored the printing of project leaflets with a sharpened gender focus and donated hygiene packs to 1,865 
school students in five project regions (amounting to SUM24 million).

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Mainstreaming Gender in ADB Operations, by Sector
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Faulty toilet and bathroom equipment cause frequent leakage in secondary schools and 
secondary vocational educational institutions, resulting in wasteful use of piped water and 
closure of indoor sanitary facilities. as a result, teachers and students must use old outdoor 
facilities, with negative sanitary and health implications, especially for girls and women.
8. recommendations
• 
Given the current focus of water-related projects on improving water supply while 
the sewerage system remains the same, in planning water supply projects, consider 
renovating the sewerage system to prevent its failure.
• 
(For the donor community) provide additional support for WSS-related projects 
and also address water pollution concerns. Suvokava local staff have pointed out the 
occurrence of water pollution in the secondary filtration nets of water purification 
systems.
• 
at the start of the project, support the establishment of sex-disaggregated quantitative 
baselines on attendance at schools, households’ expenditure on treatment and 
medicines, levels of more common diseases among the population of project localities, 
and time poverty.
• 
Support the MHCS in disseminating and discussing the project Gap with all 
stakeholders at the start of project implementation. Relevant implementers must be 
consulted on any Gap revisions.
• 
Support the MHCS in reestablishing at least intermittently the position of gender 
specialist in WSS projects, to focus on Gap implementation.
• 
to ensure national ownership and sustainable positive outcomes, support the MHCS 
in developing and endorsing the sector’s gender strategy covering staff- and client-
oriented policies in all branches of operation.
• 
In the implementation of the corporate gender policy, use the information 
management system to regularly collect and maintain sex-disaggregated data on 
project activities. Capacity-building interventions should involve the implementing 
agency at the central level, the project team, and community facilitators in setting 
quotas for female participants.
• 
In Gap planning, process should envision allocation of sufficient funds for baseline and 
end-line surveys to evaluate the trends of key indicators.
• 
(For the executing agency) Given the high turnover, discuss and develop an 
interagency mechanism for preserving institutional memory.
• 
(For the MHCS) encourage public sector stakeholders to collaborate in project 
processes. Such encouragement does not necessarily require money, but might rather 
include public acknowledgment of the contribution.
• 
Support the MHCS in further improving the database systems of information and 
consultation centers and WCas, and in developing sustainability mechanisms.
• 
to ensure broader dissemination of projects’ knowledge products, support further 
collaboration between the MHCS and the WCU, other state and non-state 
stakeholders, and mass media facilities.
• 
to ensure the construction and maintenance of sanitation facilities, involve both men 
and women in interventions because men mostly control the family budget, hygiene 
promotion, and education.

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34
Uzbekistan Country Gender Assessment Update
C. Finance
adB’s financial operations in Uzbekistan support rural housing and small businesses.
97
this 
support merges with good governance and capacity development to increase access to public 
services and improved infrastructure.
98
Multi-finance facility projects involve several equally 
important sectors and are implemented through close engagement with participating national 
financial institutions (commercial banks).
Uzbekistan has a two-level banking system: at the upper level is the Central Bank, the main 
regulator of financial and monetary policy, and at the lower level are commercial banks and 
micro-credit organizations. By the end of 2017, 26 commercial banks—including 3 state banks, 
5 banks with foreign capital, 11 JSC banks, and 7 private banks—were registered in Uzbekistan. 
In addition, foreign banks have six accredited representative offices in the country.
99
Under its 
multi-finance facility portfolio, adB collaborates with eight commercial banks, five of which 
implement corporate gender policies initiated under adB projects.
1. Developing Small and Medium Enterprise and Private Entrepreneurship
Overall productivity in Central and West asia remains low. Key barriers to private sector 
development include a lack of effective financial management skills, complicated bank 
procedures, high interest rates, and a lack of equity financing mechanisms.
100
Small and medium enterprises (SMes) have a predominant share of Uzbekistan’s gross 
domestic product (Gdp)—a share that has grown slowly, from 56.1% in 2014 to 56.9% in 
2016. In January–June 2017, SMes accounted for 46% of Gdp and established more than 
16,000 small businesses. Industry and construction had the largest number of SMes (34%).
101
Further, the SMe sector is a leading formal employer in the national economy, accounting for 
78.2% of all employed people in 2016. Women’s share of the total number of micro, small, and 
medium enterprise (MSMe) employees, including farm workers, also grew slowly, from 21.7% 
in 2014 to 22.5% in 2016. Uzbekistan has achieved near gender parity in large companies and 
nongovernment organizations (NGOs). the rate has been stable since 2014 and amounted to 
49.5% in 2016.
102
the absolute numbers of women’s representation in SMes are impressive: “In 2015 more than 
120,000 small businesses, more than 4,550 farms (though constituting only 5% of total farms) 
97 
the definition for multi-sector in