International NGO “Acted” held the final event of the project "Strengthening the role of civil society organizations in the prevention of gender-based violence in Central Asia" and the regional meeting of Central Asian public organizations at the International Hotel in Tashkent.

This event is an important step in the civil society capacity building project to protect women at risk of violence and victims of violence in Central Asia and Uzbekistan. The project is a regional project funded by the French Development Agency (FDA) and implemented as a partner by the Swiss government (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation).

Since 2018, "Acted" has been actively implementing projects aimed at expanding the rights and opportunities of civil society in Uzbekistan. These projects promote effective law enforcement, greater access to support services, and women's economic and legal empowerment. At the same time, it promotes social norms and fair behavior. This activity is supported by the European Commission, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the ENGIE Foundation and the Embassy of New Zealand in Moscow.

As part of this initiative, Acted is empowering civil society to support effective law enforcement, and help women's economic and legal empowerment, while promoting social norms and fair behavior. By strengthening the legal framework, building the capacity of women's service organizations and directly supporting women, “Acted” and its partners aim to help women achieve sustainable lives free of violence and find their place in society.

The event was conducted by the Director of the Democracy and Human Rights Institute, Bilge Menekse, and the Regional Manager for Project Development at Acted, Sayyora Atakhanovna Khodjayeva.

The event was opened by Dilfuza Zakirova, the Country Director of Acted's Uzbekistan branch, Ozoda Parpiboyeva, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Family and Women, Ursula Keller, the Regional Advisor for Cooperation (Management and Migration) at the Swiss Embassy, and Renaud Maud, a representative of the French Development Agency (FDA).

The event was attended by Victoria Sergeevna Alekseeva, Deputy Director for Research and Innovation at the Public Opinion Research Center, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Sociology, and Albina Viktorovna Popenkova, Deputy Director for Financial Issues.

The event included discussions on the results of the project's implementation in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, success stories and best practices from partner organizations, key stakeholders, and women, as well as an analysis of the gathered data. Additionally, it focused on summarizing the outcomes of activities and discussing ideas for future collaborative efforts.

On the 2nd day of the event, the regional meeting of public organizations will continue with seminars and discussions among Central Asian civil society organizations. The main focus was on expanding social dialogue, creating a platform for coming together and networking, and ideas for mutual cooperation were put forward to share experiences on their programs of action and ways forward.

The event ended with the development of an updated strategic road map for 2024-2026.