Center for Natural Resources and Sustainability

Meet Kholikzoda Mavdzhuda: Consultant in the energy sector. Total work experience in the energy sector is 38 years. In 1985 she graduated from the Faculty of Energy at the Polytechnic Institute, specializing in electrical supply of industrial cities and enterprises and agriculture.

Professional background

After graduation, Mavdzhuda Kholikzoda worked:

From 1985 to 1991 she had worked as an engineer of commissioning works, an engineer of design-estimate group at the Department of Electric Networks and Substations of the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Management of the Republic of Tajikistan.

In 1991-1998 she was working as Deputy Director of Land Reclamation Construction, Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan.

From 1998 to 2006 worked as power engineer, Project Manager and Head of Department of Statistics, Planning and Contracts at Republican Center for Coordination of Disaster Mitigation Projects under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan.

From 2006 to 2007 she worked as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Tajikistan.

From 2007 to 2015 she worked as Head of Energy Supervision of the Republic of Tajikistan.

From 2015 to 2022 she worked as Deputy Chairman of Barki Tojik Open Joint-Stock Holding Company and Director of the Distribution Networks Department.

Since 2015 she has been the Chairman of the State Examination Commission at Tajikistan Polytechnic University named after M. Osimi.

Challenges

Mavdzhuda worked with great pleasure, regardless of the surprised looks of her acquaintances. Those close to her had grown accustomed to her unusual work over the years. Mavdzhuda loves her work, as she said it was a pleasure to do.

“Since my childhood, I was very interested in exact and natural sciences. I liked mathematics, physics, chemistry and computer science. That is why I became a power engineer. I worked on an equal footing with men. My father was initially against it, saying that it was not a woman's field and that I should become a doctor or an economist. But I chose the profession of an engineer. I travelled a lot around the districts, worked with contractors building energy facilities, practiced more and even taught at the institute for a while. After marriage there were problems/obstacles, stereotypes and attitudes that prevented me from working in the energy sector. My husband and mother-in-law were against me working in this sector, and said it was not a woman's job, but I was determined and with the support of my parents I managed to continue working in the sector” says Mavdzhuda.

Moment of inspiration

Throughout her career, there have been many memorable moments related to her professional activities in the energy sector:

“In 2006, I was appointed Deputy Minister of Energy, I was the first woman to hold this position, which until then had always been held by men, and I was appointed to that position by order of the Government, the President of the country. That was the first moment. The second moment was when I was studying at the University of Advanced Technologies of the World in Singapore, where I spent two months studying the latest technologies together with a number of experts from various countries,” said Mavdzhuda. Another glorious moment for me was the big event that took place in Tajikistan on June 5, 2021. It was the first time such an important and unique ceremony was held in the country. Dushanbe hosted an awards ceremony for the “Top 100 Successful Women of Tajikistan”, where I was one of the 100 successful women of Tajikistan.

Quote: “The main thing is to be happy, not the first under any circumstances”.

“The road to success is quite challenging and often leads us to failure, turning into the downfalls of our lives. Success requires a lot of hard work, patience and courage to overcome challenges and all possible obstacles. Success is not easy to achieve. As a woman, I have balanced work and family responsibilities. Today, I am happy that I did not stop, that I found the courage and patience, that I worked hard and achieved a lot in life. I am happy that my children - son and daughter - followed my footsteps and chose a career in the energy sector and are now working for society”.

Acknowledged success

During my career in the energy sector, I have been awarded Certificates of Merit from Barki Tojik Open Joint-Stock Holding Company and the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Tajikistan and a medal for Excellence in the Energy of the Republic of Tajikistan. I received a medal and a certificate of honor and was awarded the title of Honored Power Engineer of the CIS countries, says Mavdzhuda.

Climate change is a very multifaceted problem. Therefore, important to note that climate change has the greatest impact on particularly vulnerable groups, including the living conditions of women. Moreover, climate change also exacerbates already existing social inequalities.

In many countries, including in many parts of Central Asia, women are still dependent on men. They are less mobile and consequently have limited access to information, including on adaptation measures.

In many countries the responsibility for daily life falls on the shoulders of women. Many economic activities are traditionally considered "women's" activities. In addition, men are often forced to migrate to larger countries to work. This places new responsibilities on women to take care of the household. Climate change brings droughts and natural disasters, further aggravate women’s working conditions.

Moreover, because women spend most of their time cooking, they suffer from respiratory diseases. This is due to the use of poor-quality fuel. In addition, their reproductive function is also at risk.

Due to massive tree felling, the women have to travel long distances to collect firewood, often in life-threatening situations.

"Thus, such working conditions leave women no time for education and self-development. As a result, women’s potential to fight climate change remains untapped. The traditional social structure of society, where the stereotype of women's 'subordinate' status is still prevalent, has a serious impact on this situation.

This means that women’s participation in decision-making on climate change should be a development priority. First, it will greatly enhance our effectiveness in combating climate change in general. Second, each of us should have the opportunity to contribute to the improvement of our living conditions. Especially in rural areas with the high level of male labour migration, women can and should be a key driver for initiating adaption measures," says Mavdzhuda Kholkzoda, a consultant in the energy sector.