OSCE PCUz organizes workshop on gender mainstreaming in anti-corruption

On 11 April, the OSCE PCUz organized a workshop on gender mainstreaming in anti-corruption at the Law Enforcement Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Representatives from government ministries and agencies as well as academia and NGOs were involved in the workshop, led by OSCE Adviser on Gender Issues Javiera Thais Santa Cruz, to discuss the role of gender in anti-corruption work.

Through discussions and examples of gendered corruption, such as job discrimination, unequal access to services and sextortion, participants examined the impact of corruption on men and women, and identified tools needed to improve current approaches. The session emphasized the importance of mainstreaming gender into anti-corruption policies and included interactive group work where participants developed practical examples and strategies for incorporating gender perspectives into institutional frameworks. The event concluded with a collaborative session aimed at identifying challenges and solutions to stakeholder engagement.

Opening the event, Dr. Lara Scarpitta, OSCE Senior Adviser on Gender Issues stated that “corruption is not a gender-neutral topic. Research from the past 20 years shows that women often face corruption differently than men due to societal roles, existing stereotypes, and sometimes limited access to information and justice.”

PCUz Head of Office, Ambassador Antti Karttunen underlined the importance of the event, stating: “the objective of this workshop is to work towards exploring issues of gender equality in relation to anti-corruption and we hope to build on the efforts already accomplished by the OSCE.”

This event comes as part of the PCUz’s support in improving Uzbekistan’s reforms in the sphere of good governance as well as women empowerment.