Declaration of the Asian Women’s Forum

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We, the participants of the Asian Women’s Forum, held on May 13-14, 2024 in Samarkand,

 

considering that the people of the United Nations have in the UN Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human being and in the equal rights of men and women,

 

recalling the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 2263 on 7 November 1967, where noted that the full and complete development of a country and the welfare of the world and the cause of peace requires the maximum participation of women on an equal basis with men in all fields,

 

recalling the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 34/180 on 18 December 1979, which stated that discrimination against women violates the principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity, is an obstacle to the participation of women, on equal terms with men, in the political, social, economic and cultural life of their countries, hampers the growth of the prosperity of society and the family and makes more difficult the full development of the potentialities of women in the service of their countries and of humanity,

 

taking note of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 48/104 on 20 December 1993,

 

reaffirming that since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform of Action the status of women has advanced in some important respects in the past decade, but that progress has been uneven, inequalities between women and men have persisted and major obstacles remain with serious consequences for the well-being of all people,

 

emphasizing the need to assure equal rights and opportunities for men and women, as enshrined in the United Nations Millennium Declaration,

 

recognizing the central role of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) in leading and coordinating action to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women within the United Nations system, as well as in supporting all countries’ efforts to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women, as set out in the United Nations resolution on women’s political participation,

 

taking into account resolution 22/3 adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council on 21 March 2013, and recognizing that women and girls with disabilities are subject to multiple, aggravated or intersecting forms of discrimination, including in the context of realizing their right to work on an equal basis with others,

 

drawing attention to the importance of the United Nations resolution 77/159 of 14 December 2022, which was developed at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and unanimously approved at the session of the General Assembly,

 

recognizing again the urgent need for the universal application to women of the rights and principles with regard to equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human beings, and noting that those rights and principles are enshrined in international instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,

 

concerned that, despite the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other instruments of the United Nations and the specialized agencies and despite the progress made in the matter of equality of rights, there continues to exist considerable discrimination against women,

 

noting the contribution of civil society, including non-governmental, women’s and community organizations, as well as youth organizations and all other stakeholders, including private sector,

 

considering it necessary to ensure universal recognition in law and practice of the principle of equality between men and women,

 

given the particular vulnerability of women in the post-pandemic period in many countries,

 

promoting fundamental principles and rights at work, as well as decent and productive work opportunities for all women and men in conditions of freedom, equality, social security and respect for human dignity,

 

taking into account the speech of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 8 March 2024, including his observation that at the current rate of development, achieving gender equality may take about three hundred years, and that by 2030 more than 340 million women and girls will continue to live in extreme poverty,

 

reaffirming that achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment is integral to each of the 17 goals,

 

call on all participating states to continue to support the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including through systematic gender mainstreaming, sustainable financing for gender equality, and monitoring and evaluation progress using data and strong accountability systems and institutions;

 

support the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to adopt the special resolution of the United Nations General Assembly dedicated to expanding international cooperation in the field of protecting the rights and interests of women in the Asian region;

 

recommend strengthening bilateral and multilateral international cooperation, as well as public-private partnerships, to implement commitments to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women;

 

call on all participating states to eliminate, prevent, and respond to all forms of violence against all women, girls, and children in public and private spaces, and all harmful practices, including child, early, and forced marriage through multisectoral and coordinated approaches to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators of violence and end impunity, and take appropriate measures to create a safe, enabling and violence-free working environment for women, including by ratifying key international treaties that protect against gender-based violence and harassment;

 

reiterate our commitment to addressing the barriers to women’s economic empowerment, unlocking opportunities, increasing economic activity, preventing the gender pay gap, valuing care work and creating an enabling environment for women's entrepreneurship, and improving the social status of women in Asia;

 

encourage and support the importance of taking affirmative action, where necessary, to increase the employment rate of women, including persons with disabilities, in the public and private sectors, ensuring that such affirmative action is developed and promoted in a manner that recognizes the value of diversity in the workplace and equal career development opportunities for women and men;

 

recommend that necessary measures should be taken to eradicate discriminatory practices based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women;

support all participating States in implementing reforms aimed at ensuring full and equal access of women to science, innovation, and digital technologies, creating conditions for access to information and communication technologies and security in the information environment for rural and other more vulnerable categories of women – migrants, people with disabilities;

recommend continuing to strengthen further the work and implementation of programs aimed at protecting families, motherhood, and childhood, strengthening the reproductive health of women, improving the medical culture of the population, and creating equal access to medical care and health services;

urge all participating States to respect international human rights law, including humanitarian law,

comply with international standards guaranteeing the protection of the honor and dignity of women and children,

take the necessary measures to protect children and women in armed conflict and emergencies,

ensure fair justice for those responsible for war crimes against children and women,

include the protection, rights and well-being of children and women affected by armed conflict in all peace processes, peace agreements and planning and programming for post-conflict recovery and reintegration,

create appropriate conditions for raising children in the spirit of mutual understanding, tolerance, friendship between peoples, peace and universal brotherhood;

 

believe that Asian governments need to take comprehensive measures to empower women and increase their participation in collective efforts to combat climate change, as well as women’s participation in decision-making and policymaking processes in the field of environmental protection and climate management;

 

urge continuous support to civil society at the local, national, regional, and global levels to improve and promote gender equality and the empowerment of all women, and ensure enabling environments with an open, inclusive, and transparent engagement;

 

call for recognition of the important role of the women’s movement and non-governmental organizations in raising awareness of the problem of violence against women and reducing its severity, as well as supporting, and strengthening the activities of the women’s movement and non-governmental organizations and collaborating with them at the local, national and regional levels;

 

believe that it is important to promote international and regional cooperation to develop regional strategies to combat violence, human trafficking, and forced labor, exchange experiences, and finance programs related to the elimination of violence against women, as well as promote meetings and seminars to familiarize all people with the root causes of violence against women and deepen their understanding of this problem;

 

commit ourselves to ensure that countries of Asia develop a society in which women and men work together to build a world where everyone can live in equality, development and prosperity in the 21st century.

 

 

Samarkand

14 may, 2024