The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will host the second Regional Women’s Summit themed, ‘Women in Trade: Challenges and Opportunities in Central Asia. Best Practices.’ on September 21, 2022, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The summit aims to integrate gender considerations into all sectors of the economy in Central Asia countries, particularly in trade and customs.
Join the regional summit and networking event in person. The event will be also held on Zoom in English and Russian languages with simultaneous translation available in both languages and livestreamed on YouTube. To register for the summit and receive a meeting invitation, fill out the e-registration form.
Co-hosted by USAID’s Trade Central Asia activity, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and U.S. Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), the event will bring together women-owned and women-managed businesses, activists, businesswomen associations, government agencies and NGOs.
USAID Uzbekistan Mission Director Mikaela Meredith and CLDP Attorney-Advisor Tamar Satterwhite will attend the summit. The summit’s sessions are:
Session #1 ‘Women in customs: How gender balance can make customs more resilient, credible and representative?’ This session will highlight the importance of gender equality and diversity in the customs sector, recommending adoption of a holistic approach to encouraging Central Asian customs agencies to consider gender inclusiveness in internal policies (including human resource management, leadership and career development), and external policies (stakeholder collaboration and border cooperation).
Session #2 ‘The role of e-commerce in global trade: How can women in developing countries harness e-commerce?’ This session will provide an overview of e-commerce development in Central Asia, with discussions on the regulatory and institutional environment, the challenges, and ongoing efforts made in policy reforms and initiatives for developing and promoting e-commerce in the region. Panelists will share views on promoting dialogue between the public and private sectors and identifying concrete actions for undertaking sustainable and inclusive e-commerce ecosystem development.
Session #3 ‘The impact of current geopolitical changes on the global trade and supply chain’. This session will discuss the benefits of opening the Women in Transport and Logistics (WiLAT) Uzbekistan office (including the creation of a platform for discussing gender balance) and current geopolitical changes regarding supply chain, air transportation, and global trade issues.
A networking session will provide businesswomen associations with an opportunity to learn about each other’s expertise, network, build regional relationships, exchange ideas, and put their skills and abilities to the greatest use. These measures are of great importance in achieving gender equality and inclusion in Central Asia by developing a vision for regional cooperation between leading businesswomen associations.