ILC114 - EU Statement - Committee on Application of Standards - Uzbekistan C.100/111

International Labour Conference

114th session 

Geneva, 8 June 2026

Committee on Application of Standards

Uzbekistan

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) and Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No.111)

Thank you Chair.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova, the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, as well as the United Kingdom align themselves with this statement.

The EU and its Member States are committed to the respect, protection, and fulfilment of human rights, including labour rights. We promote universal ratification and effective implementation of fundamental ILO Conventions and support the ILO in developing and promoting international labour standards and supervising their application.

The principle of equality and non-discrimination constitutes a fundamental element of international human rights law. In the European Union’s founding treaties and the Constitutions of the EU Member States, the prohibition of discrimination is recognized as a core principle, including equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation, as well as equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value.

In 2021, Uzbekistan became a beneficiary of the European Union’s GSP+ scheme, which grants market access. As a beneficiary, Uzbekistan is called to effectively implement the 27 international conventions underpinning the scheme, notably on human and labour rights including ILO Convention No. 111.

In 2025, the European Union and Uzbekistan signed an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. This will broaden cooperation and strengthen the regulatory framework for trade and economic relations.

The European Union and its Member States take note of the steps to strengthen equality and non-discrimination, including new provisions in the Labour Code, relevant national strategies and dedicated institutions. We nevertheless remain concerned that the legal framework does not yet provide comprehensive protection against discrimination in employment and occupation. We take note of the Government’s information that the Labour Code prohibits direct and indirect discrimination, and encourage Uzbekistan to ensure that these concepts are clearly defined and effectively applied in law and practice. We also welcome the reported adoption in second reading, on 15 May 2026, of amendments adding colour and political opinion as prohibited grounds of discrimination, and encourage their swift final adoption, implementation and effective enforcement.

We therefore encourage the Government to continue its efforts and complete this process so as to ensure effective legal protection for all workers against both direct and indirect discrimination in all aspects of employment and occupation and on at least all grounds mentioned in Convention n°111. In this respect, we welcome the roadmap developed with the social partners and ILO support to strengthen implementation of the fundamental Conventions, including through methodologies to identify discrimination in labour and strengthen data collection and analysis.

The European Union and its Member States also take note of efforts to advance equality between women and men. Nevertheless, significant gender gaps persist. Women’s labour force participation remains lower than men’s, women continue to be underrepresented in management positions, and a disproportionately high share of young women are neither in employment, education nor training. We also note concerns regarding persistent stereotypes, occupational segregation and the concentration of women in female-dominated and lower-paid sectors.

We therefore echo the Committee’s call to strengthen efforts to challenge gender stereotypes, expand women’s access to education and vocational opportunities, and reduce occupational segregation, including through targeted action supported by gender-disaggregated data.

We are also concerned by the significant gender pay gap. We note that this gap is linked to structural factors, including occupational segregation, the disproportionate burden of family responsibilities borne by women, and gender-based discrimination. We encourage the Government to take concrete measures to address these causes with a view to reduce the gender pay gap through a multi-dimensional approach and to provide regular, disaggregated data on pay disparities across sectors and occupations.

We also wish to underline the importance of clarity and consistency in national legislation concerning the principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value. We encourage the Government to ensure coherence across all relevant legal provisions so as to provide legal certainty and facilitate the effective application of this principle in practice.

The EU and its Member States stand ready to support Uzbekistan with the aim to strengthen the Government’s capacity to address the issues raised and in meeting its obligations under the ratified Conventions. We will continue to follow closely the situation in the country.

Thank you

1. ^  North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.