World Bank Document

IDA’s special theme of gender equality will be addressed across the portfolio. The 

WBG would seek to improve gender equality in Uzbekistan by focusing on: (a) improving human 

capital endowments; (b) removing constraints to more and better jobs; (c) reducing barriers to 

women’s ownership of assets; and (d) increasing voice and agency for women. While Uzbekistan’s 

legal framework for gender equality and women’s rights is relatively strong, practical 

implementation remains weak. A review of barriers to rural women’s participation in formal labor 

markets and entrepreneurial activity will be undertaken in order to have an evidence base for a 

future targeted intervention. The WBG will also support efforts: to increase access to micro-credit 

and medium-sized credit facilities for female entrepreneurs; to provide advisory services, training, 

mentoring, and network schemes for women; and to establish mechanisms to access social 

programs and leverage funds for the creation of assets through community-driven development 

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and rural social infrastructure and services activities. Given the difficulty of changing norms and 

stereotypes, WBG support would be targeted to specific project interventions. For example, public 

awareness campaigns would focus on breaking down gender self-selection in higher education; 

and interventions in energy, transport, and ICT would seek to introduce enabling measures for 

women to enter these male-dominated sectors. To the extent possible, all WBG-financed 

operations would have gender-disaggregated results indicators.