Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Arifah Fauzi, expressed her support for the collaboration between Indonesia and Uzbekistan to advance gender equality.

Fauzi said, “International collaboration is important for the two countries to learn each other’s success story and promote a more equal and inclusive world.”

During a bilateral meeting with Uzbekistan’s First Deputy Chairman of the Senate, Sodiq Safoyev, on the sidelines of the 69th Commission on the Status of Women in New York, she expressed her desire for the dialogue to enhance collaboration between Indonesia and Uzbekistan in advancing the rights of women and children. The discussion aimed to fortify the partnership between the two nations in their shared commitment to gender equality and child welfare.

During the meeting, both sides explored strategic initiatives and exchanged best practices to enhance women’s participation in politics and advance gender-based policy reforms in their respective countries. Fauzi commended Uzbekistan for achieving 34.6% women’s representation in parliament as of February 2024, surpassing the 30% affirmative quota. She highlighted this accomplishment as a testament to Uzbekistan’s strong commitment to gender equality.

“This achievement shows Uzbekistan’s strong commitment to achieving gender equality,” she applauded.  The minister continued, “we believe, good practices in the two countries can be a lesson and encourage progress in Indonesia.”

She stated that Indonesia is actively working to increase women’s political representation. During the 2024-2029 term, women’s representation reached 22% in the House of Representatives (DPR), 19% in the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD), and 37% in the Regional Representative Council (DPD).

Following the meeting, both parties agreed to establish a joint agreement, with the Uzbek government planning to invite Fauzi to visit Uzbekistan to assess the progress of its women’s empowerment initiatives.

Earlier, on Friday, March 14, Fauzi reiterated Indonesia’s dedication to accelerating gender equality and women’s empowerment during the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

“Indonesia is strongly committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment. This commitment is the main driver for our real action in reducing the gender inequality index from 0.472 in 2020 to 0.447 in 2023. This was due to various policies and programs designed to improve women’s welfare in various aspects of life,” she noted.