It is kind of symbolic that International Women's Day is celebrated in early spring. Both spring and women embody beauty and elegance. 

These days 8 March International Women's Day is being widely celebrated as a national holiday throughout the country. 

An event has been held in the capital city. Prominent women working in various spheres in the Republic of Qoraqalpoghiston, the regions and the city of Tashkent were invited to the event. 

Participants in the event laid flowers at the monument of independence and kindness, the Happy Mother sculpture. They familiarized themselves with great improvement and construction work carried out in the capital city. They also saw a play entitled "Iymon" (faith) at the Uzbek National Academic Drama Theatre. 

A festive event has been held in the "Nowruz" state function house on the occasion of 8 March International Women's Day. 

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev participated in the festive event and congratulated the country's women and girls on this holiday. 

15 girls were found to be deserving of a high state award for their special achievements in such spheres as literature, art, science, education, sport and culture. 

The Head of State conferred Zulfiya state awards on these 15 girls. 

This year's laureates of Zulfiya state awards, Nigora Tursunqulova, a student of the light industry and services vocational college in Mirobod district of Tashkent city, a participant in the 2016 Olympic Games; Ayjamal Karamatdinova, a student of academic lyceum No 1 under the Qoraqalpogh state university; sincerely expressed gratitude to the President for the care and attention being given to further raising the activeness of women and girls in the life of society. 

Mothers, advisers on religious enlightenment, morality and education issues, representatives of women's organizations, various ministries and departments and Zulfiya state award laureates held conversations over a generous dinner. 

People's poets of Uzbekistan, Iqbol Mirzo, Mahmud Toir and Sirojiddin Sayyid read out poems devoted to mothers and women. 

T.Norboyeva, the chairperson of the Women's Committee of the republic and deputy prime minister, said that large-scale work being carried out in this country to ensure the observance of human interests, to improve women's living conditions and health and to make it possible for them to realize their talent was giving high results. 

The First President's decree dated 25 May 2004 "On additional measures to support the activity of the Women's Committee of Uzbekistan" was an important factor in improving the work of this committee, in raising women's status in society, in strengthening the moral climate in neighbourhoods and in the formation of healthy families. 

In the 2017-2021 action strategy for five priority areas of the development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a whole range of measures are specified to raise the socio-political activeness of women, strengthen their role in society and state administration, ensure the employment of women, girls and graduates of vocational colleges, widely attract them to entrepreneurial activities and strengthen family values. Special attention is also given to women's issues in the Year of Dialogue with the People and Human Interests state programme. 

The festive event concluded with a concert by famous artistes and young performers. 

UzA