ACTED brings together Uzbek NGOs and International Donor and Developing Agencies to enhance ties between them

PRESS RELEASE

March 15, 2019

For Immediate Release

Fostering the role of women CSOs in promoting good governance in Uzbekistan, a project funded by the British Embassy in Uzbekistan, aimed at strengthening the role of women CSOs in governance processes and their capacity to actively contribute to the national women’s rights agenda.

The Government of Uzbekistan increasingly recognizes civil society organizations as important actors of local governance as it is also highlighted in the Sustainable Development Strategy for 2017-2021 which sets the goal of strengthening CSOs and promoting their role in society. In addition, the new law of Uzbekistan on social entrepreneurship provides a unique opportunity for CSOs to boost their revenues and increase their outreach activities. However, the majority of CSOs in Uzbekistan continues to present a significant capacity gap in project cycle management (PCM) and resource mobilisation. Despite being among the most active NGOs, Women CSOs are also ranked the lowest in terms of financial sustainability. Most women CSOs in Uzbekistan lack visibility and experience in public relations’ management which limits their ability to engage with donor organizations and weakens their capacity to raise resources to expand their programs. Moreover, the low level of legal awareness of women CSOs, limits their ability to push the women’s rights agenda at the national level and to actively take part in governance processes.

“We highly appreciate the work of ACTED on enhancing the capacity of women CSOs in Uzbekistan” said Mr. Michael Baum, Deputy Head of Political and Public Diplomacy Section at the British Embassy in Tashkent, “The British government will continue to support women’s rights not only in Uzbekistan, but all around the world”.

“We noticed the effort of the government regarding women’s empowerment and we are ready to support on this process. We acknowledge the work of ACTED in supporting women CSOs and women’s rights”, said Mr. Hans Ullrich Ihm, Senior Project Officer at OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

“The matchmaking event was a great opportunity to meet with donors and to receive valuable information about existing and upcoming fundraising opportunities. We are thankful to ACTED for creating this platform of discussion” said a representative of a women CSO.

About ACTED

Since 1993, as an international NGO, ACTED has been committed to immediate humanitarian relief, to support those in urgent need and to protect people’s dignity, while co-creating longer-term opportunities for sustainable growth and fulfilling people’s potential. ACTED is present in 38 countries and 4 700 staff are dedicated to implement over 450 projects per year, thus reaching around 11 million beneficiaries. In Central Asia, ACTED is engaging across the organisation’s three core pillars: responding to emergencies and building disaster reliance; strengthening civil society, effective governance and social cohesion; and promoting inclusive and sustainable growth to reduce poverty.