On 18 May 2024, Tashkent celebrated a great event at the Tashkent Botanical Garden: the Festival of Europe Day and the 30th Anniversary of the EU-Uzbekistan Partnership. Organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan, this vibrant festival brought together 50 EU-funded projects from across Uzbekistan and the region. It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the remarkable achievements and collaborations between the European Union and Uzbekistan in various areas of development. Projects of AFEW International and its partners were also showcased!
A partner of AFEW International in Uzbekistan, Ischonch va Hayot (IVH), presented the project “Advocating vulnerable groups’ rights through a stronger civil society in Uzbekistan”. This initiative, implemented by AFEW International and IVH since 2022 with financial support from the European Union, aims to empower vulnerable groups in Uzbekistan, such as abused women, people with disabilities, individuals living with or at high risk of HIV, migrants, youth, and other vulnerable categories. The project seeks to protect their rights and freedoms by strengthening and developing local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and enhancing their capacity, thereby contributing to the development of civil society in Uzbekistan. At the event, our partners shared the project’s accomplishments, and beneficiaries shared their success stories.
Another partner of AFEW International – NGO Nurbonu Centre – presented together with IVH a new joint project titled “Empowering Voices for Inclusive Development: Strengthening Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Samarkand, Namangan, and Tashkent, focusing on women and youth”. This initiative is also implemented with financial support from the European Union and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Astana. The main objective is to strengthen CSOs as independent actors of effective governance and development. Specifically, the project targets 15 local CSOs in the Tashkent, Namangan, and Samarkand regions, enabling them to better fulfill their roles as independent development actors. The project is focused on people with HIV and those from HIV-affected groups, particularly women and youth, who are more prone to social exclusion and thus highly vulnerable.
AFEW International expresses its sincere gratitude to the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan for organizing this grand festival in celebration of Europe Day 2024 and the 30th anniversary of the EU-Uzbekistan partnership. This exciting and inspiring event was filled with joy and festive spirit for many attendees.
This publication was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of AFEW International and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
