TASHKENT, 3 November 2022 – United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) together with the "Family and Women" Scientific-Research Institute under the State Committee of Family and Women  launched the ceremony of opening the Demographic laboratory and presented the Demographic portal.The main objective of the demographic laboratory is to facilitate building and strengthening capacity of demographers and civil servants on the population issues, advancing demographic science and promoting demographic research and studies. The demographic laboratory was established in accordance with the President’s Decree number 87 from March 7, 2022 “On measures to further accelerate the work on systemic support for the family and women”.

Participants of the event were the representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education, State Committee for Family and Women, State Statistics Committee, Research Institute "Family and Women", Institute of Forecasting and Macroeconomic Research, Institute of Labor Market Research, Scientific Research Center "Scientific Bases and Issues of the Development of the Economy of Uzbekistan" and academia.

In her opening speech Mrs. Zulaykho Makhkamova, the Deputy Prime Minister, Chairwoman of the State Committee for Family and Women, noted: “It is crucial to attract young scientists to the field of demography, to exchange knowledge and experience between foreign and local scientists, to create a network of young demographer scientists in Uzbekistan, and to equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and qualifications. We are very grateful for UNFPA’s support rendered to our Institute.. I hope our cooperation will be effective and successful. The scientific-educational laboratory is an important step in the development of science in our country, it creates motivation and incentive for the improvement of scientific processes in the field of demography, training of mature personnel and effective activities in the future.”

“Today’s opening of the demographic laboratory marks the transition and prioritization of our partnership with the Research Institute of “Family and Women” towards building and sustaining institutional capacity in Uzbekistan on population issues. UNFPA stands ready to support these efforts, including national capacity building on conducting high quality demographic research and data visualization,” – said Ms. Florence Bauer, the UNFPA Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The global population is projected to reach 8 billion on 15 November 2022. Despite all challenges humanity is facing, poverty was reduced and remarkable advancements in healthcare achieved. Demographic shifts fundamentally determine the progress towards most of the development goals, specifically the Sustainable Development Goals. 

In 2021, UNFPA launched a demographic resilience programme in the EECA region, brought together the governments, academia, CSOs, IFIs, private sector and youth. Demographic resilience, as a concept, emphasizes the importance of population dynamics for socioeconomic development and individual well-being, as well as for political stability and security.   

Uzbekistan is a role model in this regard, as UNFPA’s partnership and effective cooperation with the Research Institute of “Family and Women” are translating the demographic resilience concept into practice. Demographic resilience policy being developed in Uzbekistan is the first in Central Asia. There is a great interest from Central Asian countries and beyond to learn Uzbekistan’s experience in developing this concept.

About UNFPA:

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. UNFPA's mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA calls for the realization of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, quality maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education.

About " Family and Women" Scientific-Research Institute:

" Family and Women " Scientific-Research Institute is a specialized state scientific-research organization which helps to strengthen "mahalla and family" institutions, to transforms citizen assemblies into true collaborators of the population, to implements the idea of "healthy family - healthy society" on the basis of scientific, methodological and analytical information provision.