From Mystery to Mastery: An Interview with ,Takhmina Turdialieva an Uzbek Architect

Introduction of Takhmina Turdialieva

During a recent visit to an Uzbek Embassy event, I had the pleasure of engaging in conversation with Rosa Vercoe.As we conversed, Rosa drew my attention to a young woman standing at a distance, her captivating beauty immediately apparent.

Rosa smiled and beckoned me to join her and introduced me. As I got closer, I realized I had seen her before. She had a striking appearance that was hard to forget.

Her name was Takhmina Turdialieva,a famous architect and entrepreneur from Uzbekistan included in 100 leading women architects in the world. I was fascinated by her and wanted to know more about her amazing work and achievements in architecture. We started a conversation that was both informative and inspiring.

London Post: What are the main objectives and expected outcomes of the international forum “New Uzbekistan – New opportunities, social partnerships for development”?

Takhmina Turdialieva: I think the true goal of the forum is to gather all supporters of gender equality and enable them to exchange experiences, discuss further actions and unite in the name of a common mission.

London Post:How do you foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among women in Uzbekistan and what are the skills and competencies that they need to develop and enhance?

Takhmina: Fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among women in Uzbekistan goes with a number of a multifaceted activities, among which I noticed, quite frequent are providing women with education and training programs, networking opportunities, access to funding, mentorship, promotion of female success stories, policy support and etc.

I think empowering women in Uzbekistan is taken to government policy level, because women make almost half of population of the country, and therefore half potential of the country. Empowering women means developing Uzbekistan’s potential.

Regarding the skills and competencies that women entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan should develop and improve, in my opinion they should be the same as those of men, for example, understanding market dynamics, customer needs, encouraging innovative and creative thinking, developing strong communication skills and networks, developing strong leadership skills.

London Post:What are the main challenges and opportunities that women entrepreneurs face in Uzbekistan and how can they be addressed?
Q4. How do you envision the role and contribution of civil society, business, and government actors in promoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in Uzbekistan?

Takhmina:Women entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan face mostly such challenges, as cultural barriers and gender bias in business environments. However, there are also opportunities for them to prosper due to increasing government support for women-owned businesses. To address these challenges, policymakers implement targeted initiatives like providing financial literacy training, facilitating access to funding and resources, promoting mentorship programs, advocating for gender equality in business policies, and fostering a supportive ecosystem for women entrepreneurs to network and collaborate.

London Post:How do you envision the role and contribution of civil society, business, and government actors in promoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in Uzbekistan?

Takhmina:In Uzbekistan, civil society can advocate for gender equality through awareness campaigns, providing support services, and pushing for policy reforms. Businesses can promote women’s economic empowerment by implementing gender-inclusive policies, offering equal opportunities, and supporting women-owned enterprises. Government actors play a crucial role in enacting and enforcing laws that protect women’s rights, providing resources for gender-focused initiatives, and fostering an enabling environment for women’s participation in the economy.

Since, half population of Uzbekistan is women, in conditions of civil society, challenges of gender equality can be solved naturally. This is the reason, why government focuses on supporting NGO’s, that enable developing civil society.

London Post:How do you assess the progress and impact of the reforms that Uzbekistan has implemented since 2016 to empower women in the country?

Takhmina:I think our society has started to perceive women differently because the value of women is increasing day by day. The role of women these days is artificially exaggerated in relation to men, and this is probably an effective method in stimulating gender balance. Of course, these changes are only taking place, I believe, thanks to government policy. Considering the time and impact degree, the progress is incredibly impressive, having impact on people’s perception always have been most challenging process which can take decades.

Here are some of the works envisioned by Takhmina Turdialieva