Uzbekistan on The Path of Digitalization: Achievements and Plans

Farrukh Khakimov,

Head of Department at the Development Strategy Center, Uzbekistan

For developing countries and for Uzbekistan, in particular, digital transformation has a potential to further modernize society and integrate national economy into the global processes, - says the expert. - In this vein, in the framework of the ongoing reforms and in the new Development Strategy of Uzbekistan for the coming five years special attention is being paid to digitalization of major spheres and to build a true information society in the country.

Uzbekistan prioritized digitalization and development of information-communication technologies (ICT) yet in early 2000s. For instance, Uzbekistan has been implementing an integrated program of National Information and Communication System Development 2013-2020, the National Action Strategy on Five Priority Development Areas 2017-2021, the “Digital Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy and the latest the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026 to implement digital transformation in national economy, industry and society in general.

Consequently, in a relatively short period of time, Uzbekistan has achieved visible results in the sphere of digitalization and ICT development. In particular, substantial progress has been observed in introducing e-government and ICT in public sector for the last few years, when in 2013 was launched “Single portal of interactive government services” – central e-government service of the country.

Moreover, digital and IT infrastructure of the country has remarkably improved, considerable amount of resources were invested which built solid foundations for better ecosystem of the ICT.

As a result, in the country, according to the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Statistics, in the field of Information and communication during 2017-2021, the gross value added increased more than 2 times and reached 11.8 trillion UZS (more than 1 billion US dollars) in 2021.

In addition, since the creation of IT parks in Uzbekistan, the industry’s export volume has grown 50 times and reached 46 million US dollars. The number of park residents increased from 147 to 500, more than 300 new companies were opened and 8,500 highly paid jobs have been created. Currently more than 11 thousand young people work in IT parks.

The total length of fiber-optic communication lines in the country has been remarkably expanding since 2017. For instance, during 2017-2022 it has increased almost 6 times and reached 118 thousand kilometers as of January 2022.

Since 2017, the overall bandwidth speed of the international networks has been increased more than 28-fold – from 64.2 to 1800 Gbit/s in January 2022.

As of January 2022, in Uzbekistan following the public administration reforms and digitalization of the sphere 56% public services provided through the portal of interactive public services (e-government portal). The number of public services on the e-government platform of the country (my.gov.uz) reached 307 and 1.3 million citizens are actively using such electronic public services. Whereas, the total number of Internet users in Uzbekistan reached 27.2 million.

At the same time following the revealed vulnerabilities and challenges in the sphere, the government has revised and upgraded its national digitalization strategy under the impact of the global pandemic.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan recognized the power of digitalization in transforming society, whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has made that transformation essential.

In this vein, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s Decree on October 5, 2020 has approved countries Strategy “Digital Uzbekistan – 2030” and “Roadmap” for its implementation. According to the document from all state obligatory payments such as fees and fines are being made through provided online payment-services. Furthermore, in line with the Strategy “Digital Uzbekistan – 2030” more than 400 information systems, electronic services and other software products in various areas of socio-economic development are being carried out automatically.

Among expected results of “Digital Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy are high-quality and inexpensive Internet and mobile communications, the reduce of the digital divide between cities and villages.

Adoption of the “Digital Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy and the “road map” for its implementation in 2020-2022 creates, first of all, a legal basis for the transition to a digital economy. The document includes such priority areas as the development of digital infrastructure, e-government, the national digital technology market, education and advanced training in the field of information technology.

The strategy considers approval of two programs: digitalization of regions and digitalization of industries. Thus, two approaches are considered as territorial and industrial. Undoubtedly it will provide the most comprehensive coverage and effective implementation of the document.

The most important conditions and guarantees for the successful implementation of the Strategy is to ensure funding and increase the digital literacy of the population. So, according to the document, the Ministry for Development of Information Technologies and Communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan, together with other relevant governmental bodies will take measures to complete the digitalization of preschool education, health care and secondary schools by the end of first stage of the implementation period.

The implementation of the Strategy will ensure the provision of high-quality digital services to the population, reduce corruption, increase the level of citizen involvement in government decision-making processes, modernize the system of higher and secondary education in order to ensure the competitiveness of citizens not only within the country, but also in the regional and global labour markets.

The Strategy contributes the implementation of other national strategic documents and programs and, first of all will be important for achieving the national goals and objectives in the field of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for the period up to 2030, as well as the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026.

The Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026 which has been adopted on January 28, 2022 covers seven priority areas of further reforms regarding a good governance, public administration, the rule of law, economic development, social policy, spiritual enlightenment, security as well as an open, pragmatic and active foreign policy. In turn, the seven priority areas identify hundred target goals to be achieved by 2026.

Digitalization of several important spheres such as public services both at central and local levels by improving “e-government”; the judicial system; law enforcement; the traffic control system; healthcare system; social services as well as social protection, banking and agriculture sectors and other main spheres of the national economy have been targeted in the new Development Strategy.

In particular, improvement of the e-government of Uzbekistan and bringing the share of electronic public services to 100 %, implementation of “Mobile ID-identification” system of a person in the provision of public services, introduction of “digital passport of citizens” and “digital authority” project have been prioritized to digitalize public administration and optimize administrative procedures at central and local levels.

By maintaining stable growth rates of it is planned to reach 4,000 US dollars GDP per capita and join the group of countries with “upper-middle income” by 2030. In this regard, the development of the digital economy is also defined as the main “driver” with an increase in its share by at least 2.5 times by the end of 2026. Moreover, it is planned to expand the volume of the software products industry 5 times, and software export - 10 times, up to 500 million US dollars, the level of digitalization of production and operational processes in the real sector of the economy, in the financial and banking sectors to 70% by the end of 2026. Moreover, digitalization of urban planning and construction, development of cities in accordance with the concept of “Smart City” has been prioritized.

Certainly, in the context of the global pandemic and in general digital technology and services play a central role in recovering from the pandemic and also building resilient economies. Therefore, expanded digitalization and digital transformation should be the main priorities for developing countries, like Uzbekistan. For the last decade, Uzbekistan has achieved remarkable results in the sphere of digitalization and ICT development, especially, in provision of digital public services. Meanwhile, along with ongoing cooperation with South Korea, Russia, Estonia, China it is necessary to attract more technologically advanced countries such as Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, Japan and others to ICT sector of the country by diversifying geography of international partners. Investing in digital eco-system, ICT infrastructure and qualified IT services will further facilitate modernization of national economy and accelerate inclusive growth in all spheres.

The right to liberty and security of person is a right guaranteed by the Constitution

Feruza Eshmatova,

The Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of Uzbekistan for Human Rights (Ombudsman)

In the Republic of Uzbekistan, where more than 36 million people, representing more than 140 nationalities and ethnicities live, in accordance with the Constitution everyone has equal rights and obligations. It must be recognized that ensuring fundamental human rights and freedoms is a priority among the reforms carried out in Uzbekistan.

First and foremost, reforms in the field of human rights are directly related to The Strategy of Actions on five priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2017-2021, which was adopted at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

As part of this historic document, much work has been done through annual state programs to ensure the rule of law, improve the judicial system, liberalize the penitentiary system, ensure gender equality, prevent torture, ensure openness and transparency, strengthen freedom of speech and to provide another opportunity for those who have lost their way and to integrate them into society on the basis of humanitarian principles.

In this regard, the adoption of the National Human Rights Strategy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2020 was one of the important steps in ensuring human rights.

In addition, good results have been achieved in cooperation with the International Labor Organization and the World Bank to eradicate forced labor and child labor.

Particular attention is also paid to ensuring the rights of people with special needs. In particular, a new law on the rights of persons with disabilities entered into force in 2021. The Parliament of Uzbekistan ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Most importantly, these positive changes have been recognized and supported by the international community. The fact that Uzbekistan was elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the first time is also the practical result of five years of reforms.

Undoubtedly, the role of the Strategy of Actions in ensuring new modern and effective mechanisms for the protection of human rights and freedoms in the activities of the Institute of the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights (Ombudsman), established in 1995, is invaluable.

Since it is within the framework of the Strategy of Actions, the Ombudsman has the right, in accordance with the law, to apply to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan, participate in its sessions and express his opinion on all issues considered by the court, to apply to the courts in the interest of citizens and without payment of state duty, to apply to the committees of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan with a proposal to consider the issue of hearing the information of representatives of public authorities on eliminating the identified violations of the legislation in the field of rights and freedoms of citizens, to make submissions to the heads of state bodies and other organizations on the elimination of identified violations of legislation in the field of human rights and freedoms, the reasons and conditions that make them possible for consideration within the prescribed period.

In addition, in 2019, the institution of the National Preventive Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture under the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for human rights (Ombudsman) was created and strengthened by the relevant legislation. According to it, the Authorized Person should take measures to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment through regular visits to places of detention.

As a logical continuation of the reforms, two presidential documents concerning the activities of the Ombudsman were signed this year. The Resolution of the Head of the state "On additional measures to improve the system of detection and prevention of torture" dated June 26, 2021 approved the system of detection and prevention of torture in accordance with the generally recognized principles and norms of international human rights law, improved the mechanism of prompt and impartial consideration of appeals and mechanism of bringing the perpetrators to justice, providing victims of torture with social, legal, psychological and medical assistance and compensation. Also, the identification of cases of torture and the widespread involvement of civil society institutions in their prevention was identified as priority areas, and the activities of the NPM under the Ombudsman were further improved.

In particular, public groups have been created under the Ombudsman to identify and prevent cases of torture. They are responsible for revealing the facts of torture and sending petitions to the appropriate state body for their prompt elimination, as well as for participating in the consideration of appeals on cases of torture and developing methodological recommendations for the examination of cases of torture.

Another document is the Decree of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On measures to improve the activities of the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights (Ombudsman) " dated September 10, 2021. One of the main innovations of the document is that it endowed the Ombudsman with the right of legislative initiative.

This is due to the fact that the most effective proposals for the protection of human rights are formed in the daily activities of the Authorized Person for Human Rights, in direct interaction with the people, state and public organizations, the judiciary and the expert community. Problems that need to be solved also arise in this process. In this regard, the new Decree will serve to strengthen the practical significance of the institution of the Ombudsman.

The above Decree of the President also strengthens the activities of the Ombudsman in the regions. It was approved that from January 1, 2022, regional representatives of the Ombudsman will work on a permanent basis. This will help to solve problems and questions of our citizens locally.

An assessment of the effectiveness of the work of the Ombudsman in any country can be made by analyzing the statistics of appeals sent directly to him/her and their consideration. This is due to the fact that appeals are sent to the Authorized Person for Human Rights only if people have confidence in him/her.

The Ombudsman together with representatives of the public systematically organized "monitoring visits" to places of detention of persons with limited freedom of movement, and 177 monitoring visits were carried out in 2021 (76 in 2020).

During the visits, detention conditions for persons with limited freedom of movement, including housing, food, labor, the condition and quality of medical care, awareness-raising and educational work with persons with limited freedom of movement, compliance with sanitary and hygiene requirements during the coronavirus pandemic were examined, and other similar cases were studied.

It is noteworthy that during these monitoring visits, media representatives, who were given the opportunity to see the conditions in penitentiary institutions with their own eyes and personally meet with convicts and prisoners also took part.

It should be noted that the Ombudsman also took an active part in the presidential election on 24 October 2021. In particular, during monitoring visits to penitentiary institutions the Ombudsman studied the issues of equipping the polling stations in accordance with the established requirements in terms of ensuring the right of voters to vote by secret ballot without any pressure or barriers.

In order to ensure the right of voters to choose and the right of candidates to campaign, the issues of creating equal conditions for campaigning of candidates, their proxies and political parties through meetings with citizens were also studied.

At the same time, in cooperation with representatives of the Association of Disabled People of Uzbekistan, the conditions created for people with disabilities were studied. In 2021 elections, separate booths were allocated for people with disabilities. Ramps were installed at the entrances and exits, the visually impaired were provided with stencils with the Braille alphabet, sign language interpreters were involved to polling stations. As a result, the obligations enshrined in the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities were fulfilled and conditions were created for this category of citizens to exercise their electoral rights in full and on an equal basis with others.

In conclusion, it should be noted that within the framework of the Strategy of Actions significant work has been done and important steps have been taken to ensure human rights, honor and dignity, as well as to strengthen and support the activities of the Ombudsman. As a result of the reforms carried out in 2020, Uzbekistan for the first time in its history was elected to the UN Human Rights Council for a three-year term by a majority vote at the UN General Assembly. At the same time, we understand that this decision places a huge responsibility on Uzbekistan and that the protection of human rights is а continuous process.

That is why the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan has put forward the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for the next five years. This document, based on the new principle "human - society - state", embodies the idea of "New Uzbekistan - People's and Humane state".

The Development Strategy also seeks to ensure the rights and legitimate interests of everyone through the Sustainable Development Goals, planned until 2030 and adopted on the principle of «Leave no one behind».

Undoubtedly, these results are worthy of recognition, but we still have many goals ahead. I think that the chain of reforms to ensure human rights and interests will continue to produce positive results every year.

Openness as Prerequisite and Essential Pillar of Reforms in the New Uzbekistan

Openness and transparency are considered among the most effective tools in the fight against corruption and its prevention. Thus, the efforts instigated in Uzbekistan to secure the rule of law, introduce effective forms of openness and transparency, establish genuine public control over the activities of government authorities have been gaining momentum as decisive and steadfast in nature.

As a result, initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, considerable positive strides have been conspicuous lately in the country in combating various forms of bureaucracy and corruption. In particular, new procedures have been established to ensure the openness and transparency of the activities of government bodies and organizations, so have the conditions necessary for effective public oversight. To this end, within a short period of time the system for considering appeals from individuals and corporate bodies has been radically redefined, the People’s Receptions, Helplines and Virtual Reception of the President were launched. Thus, the head of state demonstrated readiness for open communication with citizens. In addition, a functioning mechanism has been set up in each ministry and government agency to work with appeals in the form of ministerial helplines and virtual receptions or field receptions.

Moreover, the widespread use of digital and online technologies has helped bolster the government accountability before the civil society. In particular, the Open Data Portal (data.gov.uz), the registered database of legal entities and business entities (my.gov.uz) and other platforms play an important role in reducing and eliminating bureaucracy, as well as combating and preventing corruption.

The adopted regulatory acts of conceptual significance and other administrative reforms aimed at preventing corruption also bear fruit in ensuring the openness of government authorities and administrative bodies.

For example, in order to prevent theft of budgetary funds, the Public Procurement Law was adopted. Now, according to this normative act, all information on public procurement is posted on d.xarid.uz portal. Efficient mechanisms of public control have been created, and the newly launched Open Budget portal has allowed the population to be directly involved in the management of budget funds.

In accordance with the 22 September 2021 Resolution of President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, an effective system overseen by the local population and the general public was introduced for spending budget funds and surplus amount of the forecast of local budget revenues. The act also kick-started the Initiative Budget project.

For reference: In the first season of the Initiative Budget project in 2022, a total of 70 thousand initiatives were received from citizens, 2,215 of which won the contest. More than 6.7 million people took part in voting on these projects. Thirty-four percent of the winning initiatives were related to secondary school renovation projects.

In addition, a system was instituted whereby the sale of public property, real estate, land plots, vehicles, license plates, the right to build and install outdoor advertising facilities, those for speed cameras should be realized through open online auction (https://e-auksion.uz/).

Another example: a newly created system establishes mandatory public discussion of draft laws as well as draft regulatory acts to be adopted by the President and the government, with the launch of the portal regulation.gov.uz.

This, in turn, contributes to the transparency of important decisions planned for adoption, and the practical implementation of the principle of accountability to citizens.

One of the main achievements in this area is the improvement of press services that inform the public about the activities of government bodies and organizations. That is, all government bodies and organizations have press services, and the status of spokespersons has been raised to the level of advisers to the head of a government agency on information policy.

In addition, the maximum openness and transparency of statistical data for a wide range of domestic and foreign users has been ensured. Accordingly, open statistical data are posted on the Open Data Portal, including information on public procurement, registration of patents, medicines and medical products, public transportation, land use and other information.

Similar systemic and consistent reforms have significantly improved the position of Uzbekistan in a number of international rankings and indices, one of the main of which is the index of openness.

For example, as of 2020, Uzbekistan rose by 125 positions, to 44th in the Open Data Inventory Ranking. The introduction of the practice of disclosing indicators in 20 areas of state and public administration proved instrumental.

And, in the updated Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International for 2021, Uzbekistan climbed six positions compared to 2020, ranking 140th out of 180 countries.

As a logical continuation of the reforms, on June 16, 2021, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed a decree envisaging additional measures to ensure the openness of the activities of government bodies and organizations, as well as the effective implementation of public control, which, according to both local and international experts, has become a truly groundbreaking document.

The decree approved the list of socially significant information to be posted as open data, and clearly defined government bodies and organizations that develop data, as well as procedure for publishing open data.

Committees on information policy and ensuring openness in government bodies under the Legislative Chamber and the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, as well as standing commissions on information policy and ensuring openness in local government bodies under regional, district and city councils of people’s representatives started operating.

The Anti-Corruption Agency is tasked with coordinating and constantly monitoring the openness in the activities of government authorities, expanding the list of open data, strengthening public control and cultivating in civil servants a culture of public accountability.

A new department for ensuring the openness in activities of government bodies and organizations has been created within the Agency structure.

Based on the information disclosed by government bodies and organizations, local media, including major media outlets, published about 140 news reports and journalistic investigations.

The Anti-Corruption Agency has established a system of continuous monitoring of the timely placement of socially significant information in designated resources as open data approved by the Decree.

For example, in January-February 2022, the Agency published on its official website reports on the study of the work done by 135 ministries and departments, local government bodies regarding the placement on its official websites and the Open Data Portal of the necessary information about its activities, in particular about public procurements, expenses for business trips of officials and for the reception of foreign guests, and others.

At the same time, from December 1, 2021, sessions of the Legislative Chamber and the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, regional, district and city Councils of people’s representatives are mandatorily broadcast live on TV channels and the Internet. The live broadcast of the sessions serves to raise the level of legal awareness of citizens and their direct acquaintance with the content and significance of the discussed legislative acts, as well as with the opinions of the experts who developed them.

Over the past period, the Agency submitted 26 statutory notices and 35 warning letters to ministries, departments and local governments to eliminate violations identified as a result of monitoring and analysis.

Now it is planned to work on this issue on an ongoing basis, to organize seminars with the involvement of experts from nongovernmental organizations working in this area. One of the main issues on the agenda is expanding the list of open data and raising it to a qualitatively new level, developing proposals for the further development of the area.

Over the past period, legislation on the activities of government bodies and organizations in the field of openness has been fully documented, reasonable proposals have been developed to fill existing gaps and improve mechanisms that do not give the expected results. In particular, three laws, one resolution of the President and three resolutions of the government and one departmental document aimed at regulating the openness were adopted.

For example, a draft law ‘On amendments to the Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan on administrative responsibility’ has been developed. According to it, the new Code of Administrative Responsibility is supplemented by a new article 2157, which provides for a fine of 3 to 10 reference calculation values for officials of government authorities who violate the requirements of openness legislation.

Another important issue is that in accordance with the Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan ‘On additional measures to further improve the activities of the Anti-Corruption Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan’, a Public Control Development Fund was established under the Agency.

From now on, the preparation of materials on the openness of the activities of government bodies and organizations, the financing of projects of NGOs, other civil society institutions to ensure openness in government bodies and organizations, as well as research in this area and a number of other areas will be implemented at the expense of the Fund.

Also, at the expense of the Fund, the work of a call center with a single short number ‘1253’ was established, which allows citizens to promptly report facts of corruption.

In addition, the Agency plans to form an Openness Index (rating) of government bodies and organizations and publish the rating based on the results of each year.

Most importantly, the Index allows to visually show the level of openness of any government body and organization to the public.

The Anti-Corruption Agency pays special attention to further improving the position of Uzbekistan in international rankings and indices by improving the efficiency of work in this area.

In particular, to improve the position of the country, a comprehensive analysis of the Open Government Factor, WJP Rule of Law Index, was carried out (Uzbekistan ranked 122nd out of 139 countries with the highest index over the past 6 years in terms of the Open Government Factor - 0.37 points in 2021). Based on the results of the analysis, a program of measures was developed to improve the country’s position in this international index. In addition, as of 2022, steps are being taken to further improve and update Uzbekistan rankings in the Open Data Inventory, the Rule of Law Index, the Global Open Data Index, and the Open Data Barometer.

If we want to achieve fundamental changes in the field of openness, we must, of course, meet the requirements of generally recognized standards through membership in international organizations. In this regard, Uzbekistan became a member of the International Open Data Charter last year. The Charter works to ensure openness and transparency of information from over 150 governments and organizations around the world.

The Agency established close cooperation with this organization and, together with the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan, with the support of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, developed recommendations and the Final Report on open datasets on combating corruption in Uzbekistan. The priority is to further expand access to open data, create an open data infrastructure based on international standards.

In a word, the policy of openness and transparency in Uzbekistan will now only gain momentum, the government will be even more open, greater transparency will be ensured, cooperation between citizens and authorities will continue to improve and develop. After all, openness and transparency are not only a requirement of the time, but also a prerequisite and essential pillar of reforms in the New Uzbekistan.

At the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, an international multifunctional transport and logistics hub for humanitarian assistance is being created in Termez

Today, the threat of a humanitarian crisis and the undermining of global food security is growing throughout the world because of the severe economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, disruption of global logistics and climate change.

The grave humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is of particular concern to the international community. Today, the Afghan people are facing serious socio-economic problems. According to UN estimates, Afghanistan is actually on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. Almost half of the country's population, 18 million people, is vitally dependent on humanitarian aid. More than half of all Afghan children under the age of five will suffer from malnutrition in the near future.

Speaking at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that "in the current difficult period, it is impossible to isolate Afghanistan, leave it alone with the existing big problems." In the current situation, the main issue requiring the urgent attention of the world community and coordinated global actions is to prevent the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.

In order to fully support the humanitarian activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and foreign states in Afghanistan and other countries, on June 21, 2022, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree "On measures to create an international multifunctional transport and logistics hub for humanitarian assistance" on the basis of the Termez Cargo Center logistics terminal in the Surkhandarya region.

The initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to create an international hub in Termez is in demand and timely. It makes a significant contribution to the efforts of the international community to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan and other parts of the world.

An important advantage of the international hub being created in Termez is its unique geographical location with land and rail connections with Afghanistan. It is the only logistics terminal in Central Asia near the border with Afghanistan, which makes it the most important international hub of strategic importance.

To date, international organizations are already actively using the capabilities of Termez for the timely and high-quality delivery of humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan and other countries.

In particular, in December 2021, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sent the first batch of humanitarian aid from Termez to Afghanistan, consisting of 40 tons of basic necessities. In February 2022, the Department sent 20 tons of humanitarian aid with basic necessities from Termez to Tajikistan as part of assistance in preparing for a possible influx of refugees from Afghanistan. UNHCR has given the Management office in Termez the status of a Regional Humanitarian Logistics Center with the possibility of expanding the geography of humanitarian cargo deliveries.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) regularly sends humanitarian supplies from Termez to Afghanistan. According to GDP data, from November 2021 to the present, about 42 thousand tons of food products were sent through Termez to Afghanistan.

In an article "Uzbekistan, in cooperation with the UN, provides humanitarian support to Afghanistan," published on the website of the UN News Center, it is emphasized that Termez has turned into a "road of life" for millions of Afghans: warehouses with UN humanitarian supplies are located here.

Ramiz Alakbarov, Permanent Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN in Afghanistan, noted that he was amazed at the level of interdepartmental and cross-border cooperation in Termez. "This is an example of how UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR, and our coordination offices are joining forces across borders to deliver aid to the Afghan people." In his opinion, it would be impossible to establish the operation of a high-tech cargo hub in Termez and transport such a large amount of aid across the border without the assistance of the government of Uzbekistan.

Today, such reputable international organizations as the International Organization for Migration, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the European Union and other international structures are showing a practical interest in using the unique transport and logistics capabilities of the International Hub.

Of course, the creation of an international multifunctional transport and logistics hub to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and other states in Termez will be an important contribution of Uzbekistan to ensuring regional and global security and stability, strengthening good-neighborly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation with Afghanistan and leading international organizations.

“Dunyo” IA

Judicial reforms of Uzbekistan - a new era, new approaches

Dilshod Aripov,

Advisor to the Director of the

Supreme School of Judges under the

Supreme Judicial Council of the

Republic of Uzbekistan

During the past period, large-scale legal reforms have been carried out in Uzbekistan, along with all other fields. From the first years of independence, one of the important steps chosen in the way of building civil society was formation of an independent judiciary based on the principle of separation of powers.

Especially over recent years, fundamental changes and reforms have been carried out over the judiciary of our state. According to the Strategy of Actions on Five Priority Areas of Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021, initiated by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan – Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the task of ensuring the rule of law and reforming judicial system was defined as a special priority.

This task, first of all, was directed at ensuring the real and effective protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, achieving true independence of judiciary, strengthening legality, implementing principles of equality and competitiveness of parties in trials, strengthening the role of judicial community bodies in ensuring the true independence of judiciary, implementing principle of the judicial self-governance and ensuring openness and transparency in the formation of judicial corpus.

The large-scale judicial reforms implemented in our state are being positively evaluated by international and foreign experts. Their feedbacks are being echoed in the articles published by independent experts and in their speeches in international events.

The former Minister of Justice of Slovenia - Goran Klimenčič, positively evaluated the changes implemented in the judicial system of Uzbekistan . He marked positively the procedure of announcing court decisions and expressed the view that this procedure shall be carried out by the way of ensuring reliable protection of the personal data of parties to disputes. John Tanheim - former judge of the federal court of the state of Minnesota (USA) shared positive feedback about the judicial reforms, directed at ensuring the independence of courts and judges, having been carried out in the last five years, and noted that Uzbekistan`s such efforts is placing it in the leadership position among other Central Asian states .

It is well-known fact that everyone has the right to demand an independent and impartial judicial proceeding. This right is reflected in Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in a number of other international documents as well as is included into our national legislation. Only an independent court can instill confidence that infringed rights can be recovered and protected by an impartial and transparent trial.

In this regard, the reforms planned to be carried out on the basis of the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan envisage further democratization and liberalization of the judiciary, strengthening the true independence of the judiciary, and improving mechanisms for reliable protection of the rights and legal interests of citizens.

The Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated July 24, 2020 “On additional measures to further improve the operation of courts and increase the efficiency of justice” has played a significant role in launching a qualitatively new stage of the systematic reforms. Within the framework of the Decree, the following priority tasks related to the elimination of problems on the way of improving the institutional foundations of justice provisions and ensuring the true independence of the judiciary were implemented:

First, organizational and structural changes have been introduced into the judicial system in order to expand the mechanisms of ensuring the equality and competitiveness of parties to make impartial, transparent and fair court decisions;

Second, courts of general jurisdiction of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, regions and Tashkent city have been established on the basis of equivalent courts of civil, criminal and economic matters by the way of maintaining strict specialization of judges and establishing separate judicial panels for court proceedings. Besides this, those courts are chaired by one court chairman. The chairman has his/her deputies, who lead the judicial panels for civil, criminal and economic matters. This serves to form a uniform judicial practice in the localities and to prevent unnecessary waste of resources of physical and legal persons due to the fragmentation of courts;

Third, the institution of supervisory review of court decisions has been abolished. As a result, repeated review of court cases in several instances in the order of supervision, unjustified and purposeless increase in the volume of work in the courts have been eliminated, thereby, the emergence of corruption factors has been estopped;

Fourth, the procedure for the prosecutor`s participation in court has been adapted to advanced foreign experience and international standards. In particular, legal mechanisms have been created allowing termination of criminal case on the grounds of rehabilitation if public prosecutor withdraws from the charge, recalling cases from courts by the prosecutor only if there is an appeal from the parties, exclusion the participation of the prosecutor on his own initiative during civil and economic proceedings initiated by other parties. Strengthening of such provisions with legal norms has certainly served to ensure the independence of judiciary, the principles of equality and competitiveness of parties in the court;

Fifth, the department of cooperation with the public and mass media has been established within the structure of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan. As a result, press services have been established in the structure of regional and equivalent courts. This has become important in ensuring the transparency of the activities of judicial bodies.

The adoption of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Courts” on July 28, 2021 has become a new step towards ensuring the true independence of courts and inviolability of judges, as well as strengthening transparency in the activities of courts. As a result of the establishment of legal guarantees of openness of court cases by the law, the opportunity for media representatives to participate in the court session, without hindrance and to take photos, video and audio recordings in the prescribed manner, have been created.

It is important to note that judicial reforms are not only important for strengthening the independence of courts, but also for expanding the rights of physical and legal persons to submit appeals to courts. In particular, as a result of changes and additions to the laws at the initiative of the Head of State, the following legal guarantees have been introduced, aimed at ensuring the right of individuals to submit claims to courts:

- the current rates of state duties of submitting claims to courts have been revised and reduced;

- from May 6, 2017, the Representative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the protection of rights and legal interests of business entities has been provided with the right to submit claims to courts in the interests of business entities without paying a state duty;

- from October 11, 2017, councils of farmers, farms and landowners have been provided with the right to file claims to courts, in the interests of farmers and landowners without paying the state duty, against the wrongful actions or inactions of state bodies or public officials;

- from July 4, 2018, it has been determined that the paid state duty is to be returned in case if a dispute is resolved through mediation;

- from April 24, 2019, it has been determined that claimant, who submitted a claim to courts regarding the protecting rights of children is to be exempted from paying state duty and other fees;

- from September 3, 2019, victims of harassment and violence have been exempted from paying state duty when submitting claims to court in order to seek compensation for material and moral damages;

- from September 12, 2019, the Agency for the Protection of Consumer Rights has been exempted from paying the state duty on claims submitted to courts for the purpose of protecting consumer rights.

A new judicial structure has been established within the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan, empowered with an exclusive right to consider investment disputes and cases related to competition between individuals or legal entities and state bodies, when then amount of the dispute exceeds 20 million US dollars. The parties wishing to submit such claims can refer directly to the Supreme Court, which is entitled to consider such claims as the court of the first instance.

According to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On measures to fundamentally improve the system of financing the activities of judicial bodies” , starting from 2021, it has been determined that the salaries of judges and judicial personnel of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Supreme Court, judges of lower courts, staff of the Supreme School of Judges is to be financed from the State Budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan. It can be noted that the adjustment of the monthly salary of judges to international standards corresponds to their social status. This, in turn, demonstrates one of the additional factors of the independence of courts and judges.

The reforms carried out in the last five years aimed at increasing the status of advocates and preventing illegal interference in their activities has led to an increase of the effectiveness of their activities. For example, on May 12, 2018, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On measures to radically increase effectiveness of the institute of bar and expand independence of lawyers” was adopted, according to which the activities of the Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Uzbekistan were revised so as to adapt it to meet such aims as: establishing strong and independent bar corpus; creating a transparent system of granting the status of an attorney; strengthening the guarantees of lawyer`s professional activity; introduction of innovation and communication technologies to the field of advocacy.

In accordance with the amendments introduced to the Criminal Procedure Code, a suspect caught in the scene of crime has been granted with a right to privately meet the defense attorney before the procedural actions related to him start to be carried out. Besides this, any kind of explanatory letters or testimony from suspects, accused or defendant may be obtained only with the written permission of the investigator, prosecutor or judge and with the presence of the defense counsel (except in cases of refusal of the defense counsel).

It should be noted that in recent years fundamental reforms aimed at reducing the workload of judges and increasing their efficiency have been continued.

The Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On amendments and additions to certain legal documents of the Republic of Uzbekistan in connection with creation of more favorable conditions for submitting claims to courts and the introduction of a simplified procedure for civil proceedings” was adopted. As a consequence, a separate and new chapter was introduced into the Code of Civil Procedure of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In the case, if the value of a claim does not exceed twenty times of the amount of basic calculation - for legal entities, ten times – for individual entrepreneurs, and five times – for physical persons, then, such cases are considered according to a simplified procedure. Simplified procedure entails that the decision on the case is made without conducting a court hearing and listening to the parties` testimonies.

Article 33 of the UN Charter states that mediation is a method of resolving international disputes, and that parties involved in any dispute that may threaten the maintenance of peace and security shall initially resolve the dispute through negotiations, inquiries, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, or settlement. It should be noted that before referring the dispute between parties to courts, there was no mechanism during which the parties were explained about possibility of concluding a settlement agreement or resolving dispute in alternative ways.

When a dispute was resolved by courts, parties would bear excessive costs in the form of state duty and waste excessive time. In this regard, the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On additions and amendments to the Code of Administrative Liability” became an important legal basis for democratization and liberalization of the judicial system of our state, protection of human rights, freedoms and legal interests.

According to this document, for the first time in our national legislation, a new procedure was introduced according to which a case on misconduct entailing administrative liability can be terminated in case if parties mutually reconcile the dispute. If we take a glance at the statistics, in 2018-2021, 2,489 of the lawsuits accepted for processing by the economic courts were left unheard due to the mediation agreement reached between the parties of those disputes .

The introduction of modern information technologies into the activities of courts is being carried out rapidly. Citizens have been provided with an opportunity to apply remotely to courts, participate in court hearings and obtain necessary information and data. In particular, the following interactive services have been launched in the court system:

- “Claim” (exsud.sud.uz) – a service to send claims to courts in electronic form, monitor the process of considering cases online and receive judgments in e-form;

- “Electronic payment system” (billing.sud.uz) – a single electronic payment system enabling calculation of the amount of state duty and court fees;

- “Collection of judgements” (public.sud.uz) – a database of court judgements;

- “Samples” (templates.sud.uz) – a database of samples of claims and applications for civil and economic proceedings;

- “Calculator” (calculate.sud.uz) – an electronic calculator to evaluate the state duty to be paid for civil and economic litigation;

- “Schedule of Meetings” (jadval.sud.uz) – an online database of cases assigned to courts of first, appeal and cassation instances;

- “Electronic reception” (qabul.sud.uz) – a system of online registration for personal meetings with the management of the Supreme Court.

- “Video conferencing” (vka.sud.uz) – a video conferencing system allowing participants to join court hearings online.

- a videoconference communication system was established between courts and penal institutions.

As a result of these reforms, confidence of citizens in the judicial system is increasing. This can be noticed in the growing number of appeals to courts as well as increasing number of acquittals and decisions in favor of physical and legal persons. Thus, a general population has began considering courts not as a punishing body, but as a tool to protect their interests and rights. In order to further strengthen such trust, it will be necessary for courts to act without deviating from the law, to protect the interests of citizens, to restore their violated rights, to follow this path steadily, and on this basis to win the trust of the people.

Religious tolerance and interfaith consent in Uzbekistan

With the declaration of independence and the commitment of the Government of Uzbekistan to the ideals of democracy, the choice of a secular path for the development of society gradually made it possible to create equal legal conditions for the existence of religions in general and religious groups in particular.

In the religious sphere, this large-scale work is carried out by the relevant state bodies and institutions of civil society and is aimed at providing citizens with the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of conscience; strengthening religious pluralism, tolerance, and interfaith dialogue in particular.

One of the significant results of the joint work is the adoption in December 2018 by the UN General Assembly of a special resolution “Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance”.

The adoption of the resolution was the practical implementation of the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, put forward at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. The main goal of the proposed resolution is ’’ensuring universal access to education, the elimination of illiteracy and ignorance.”

It is noteworthy that the resolution was not only unanimously supported by all UN member states, but and adopted with the co-authorship of over 50 countries. This testifies to the high recognition by the international community of the relevance and timeliness of the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan.

The document is intended to "promote tolerance and mutual respect, ensure religious freedom, protect the rights of believers, and prevent their discrimination.”

The resolution emphasizes the important role of promoting peace, human rights, tolerance, and friendship. Also, it recognizes the importance of integration, mutual respect, tolerance, and understanding in the name of strengthening security and peace on the planet.

The document welcomes all international, regional, and national initiatives aimed at promoting interreligious, intercultural, and interfaith harmony and combating discrimination against individuals based on religion or belief.

At the same time, the adopted resolution calls on UN member states to implement appropriate communication strategies, such as large-scale advocacy in national and international media, as well as on the Internet, and disseminate educational information about tolerance, non-violence, and freedom of religion or belief.

The document also recognizes the key role of UNESCO in promoting peace and security in the world by expanding cooperation among nations through education, science, and culture.

Over the past five years, significant changes have taken place in Uzbekistan and large-scale reforms have been implemented in many areas, including in the religious and educational sphere.

A number of legislative acts aimed at further improvement of activities in the religious sphere have been adopted.

In order to study Islam in-depth and teach its scientific foundations, the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan was established. The academy specializes in teaching secular and religious knowledge, and training qualified personnel in the interpretation of the Koran, Islamic law, religious dogma, and hadith.

In Uzbekistan, peculiar mechanisms are involved in the revival of national and religious values, the study and promotion of the rich scientific and spiritual heritage of great ancestors, strengthening of religious tolerance in society - the activities of the Center for Islamic Civilization, international research centers named after Imam Bukhari, Imam Termizi and Imam Maturidi have been established.

As a result of large-scale reforms and transformations carried out in the religious sphere, the Higher Madrasah Mir Arab in Bukhara and the School of Hadith Studies began their activities in Samarkand.

In addition, the uWaqf’ Charitable Public Foundation was established under the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, among the tasks of which is financing the reconstruction ot mosques, holy places of pilgrimage and visiting, and other facilities, providing a material and technical base, and providing material support to workers in this area. The Foundation got the opportunity to dispose of funds received on 3 accounts: charitable, waqf, and zakat (ushr, fidya, fitr).

ln accordance with the adopted legislative acts, in order to further improve the activities of the Committee for Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a new composition of the Council for Religious Affairs, which is a public advisory' body under the Committee, was approved.

In addition, a department for work with women has been created in the structure of the Committee for Religious Affairs, and the position of a deputy chairman in charge of this area of work has also been introduced. A Republican propaganda group has been set up to coordinate spiritual and educational work among women.

At the same time, Uzbekistan attaches great importance to the preservation of religious and spiritual heritage, the enrichment of existing funds, the creation of the necessary conditions for local and foreign researchers to work with historical sources, and a comprehensive study of samples of historical and cultural heritage.

Today in the country, in order to ensure interethnic and interfaith harmony in society, a legislative framework has been created that provides for the observance of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens.

The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan establishes the norm on freedom of religion for everyone. Attention is also paid to the improvement and liberalization of national legislation in the field of religion. Simplified procedures for obtaining permission to produce, import, and distribute religious literature. The procedure for state registration of religious organizations has been further optimized.

At present, the new Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” has entered into force, which will contribute to the full provision of the constitutional rights of citizens of the country to freedom of conscience and religion.

Currently, only 2 335 religious organizations of 16 religious denominations operate in Uzbekistan. Of these, Muslim organizations 2142.

There are also 178 Christian organizations operating in Uzbekistan, 8 Jewish communities, 6 communities of the Baha'i Faith, one Hare Krishna society, and one Buddhist temple, as well as the interfaith Bible Society of Uzbekistan.

Recently, Uzbekistan has registered 96 religious organizations, of which 2 higher and one secondary specialized Islamic educational institution in Bukhara, Samarkand, and Termez, 74 mosques, and 19 churches.

At the same time, the national legislation of Uzbekistan does not provide for any restrictions on the number of religious organizations or the timing of their registration.

Religious organizations operating in the republic, along with other public organizations, actively participate in spiritual and educational work, make a significant contribution to improving the spirituality of society, the formation of strong beliefs among young people based on patriotism, as well as inter-confessional and inter-ethnic tolerance.

It should be noted that the religious policy in Uzbekistan is based on the principles of the secular nature of the state, religious tolerance, and equal treatment of all religions. Representatives of various nations and ethnic groups professing Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and other religions carry out their activities in the republic on equal terms.

All conditions have been created for the adherents of each confession, allowing them to freely practice their religion without any hindrance.

Believers freely pray in mosques, churches, and synagogues, observe tasting, and make pilgrimages as well. Religious organizations have the right to own territory, publish literature, train their religious ministers, and organize pilgrimages to sacred places.

The freedom of religion guaranteed by the national legislation of Uzbekistan has created all the necessary conditions for meeting the religious needs of all citizens - representatives of 138 national and ethnic groups.

Representatives of different faiths freely celebrate all religious holidays. Therefore, from year to year, Eid al-Adha and Ramadan Eid are celebrated on an increasingly large scale - among Muslims, Easter and Christmas - among Christians, Passover, Purim and Hanukkah - among Jews, Navruz - among Bahai, as well as festivities dedicated to Buddha and Krishna and other big events.

Believers make a pilgrimage to holy places: Muslims to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj and Umrah rituals, Christians to Russia, Greece, and Israel, and Jews to Israel.

During the years of independence, about 330 thousand Muslims made a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, including 130 thousand - Hajj and 200 thousand - Umrah, more than 2.5 thousand Christians and Jews visited religious shrines in Israel, Russia, Turkey, Italy, Georgia, and Greece.

In order to meet the spiritual needs of society, a large amount of religious literature of various kinds has been published annually. For full coverage of the religious life of Uzbekistan, a number of newspapers and magazines are published, including the newspapers “Islom Nuri”, ‘‘Слово жизни”, the magazines “Khidoyat”, “Восток свыше”.

Currently, a set of measures is being systematically implemented in Uzbekistan to protect the population from the negative impact of destructive ideas that reflect the radical extremist ideology and religious fanaticism.

An important step in this direction was the application of acts of pardon. In particular, since 2017, 19 decrees of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan have been adopted on pardoning persons who had committed crimes.

It should be noted that over the past five years, within the framework of the consistent policy pursued in Uzbekistan in the field of protecting the rights and freedom of citizens, special attention has been paid to measures aimed at protecting the rights, freedom, honor, and dignity of not only citizens living in the republic, but also our fellow citizens who find themselves in a difficult life situation in foreign countries.

Unfortunately, some Uzbek citizens, who fell under the influence of alien ideas and believed in false promises, joined the ranks of international terrorist organizations in different years and in zones of armed conflicts abroad. Spouses, fathers of some of the women returned as part of humanitarian operations, died during armed clashes.

Considering this circumstance, on behalf of the President of Uzbekistan, in 2019-2021, five “Mehr” humanitarian actions were successfully carried out, within which more than 500 citizens of the republic, mainly women and children, were returned to their homeland from the zones of armed conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

In order to further assist in their speedy reintegration and rehabilitation at the state level, a set of measures has been implemented to provide timely medical, psychological, material, and moral assistance. To date, all repatriates have been created the necessary conditions for their adaptation to peaceful life and integration into society and provided access to educational and other social programs, including the provision of housing and employment.

The Uzbek authorities are focusing on establishing a constructive dialogue and cooperation with international organizations and experts in the religious field.

During visits to Uzbekistan by the UN High Commissioner on human rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein (May 2017) and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier (April 2018) discussed the current state of affairs, praised the reforms in our country, noted that Uzbekistan pays special attention to ensuring inter-ethnic harmony and religious tolerance, strengthening friendship between representatives of various nations and nationalities.

Following the visit to Uzbekistan of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, Ahmed Shahid (October 2017), a separate document was adopted on the implementation of a set of measures in the field of religion.

The Special Rapporteur noted the progress made in simplifying the procedures for registering and carrying out the activities of religious organizations, as well as improving the system of religious education in the country.

The UN representative welcomed the interaction of the Uzbek authorities with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and stressed the interest in promoting reforms in the field of protecting religious freedom in the country.

One more piece of information. In December 2020, the US State Department excluded Uzbekistan from the so-called. “Special watch list” to ensure religious freedoms.

It should be noted that in 2018, given the significant improvement in the situation in the field of ensuring religious freedoms, Uzbekistan was excluded from the list of “countries of particular concern”. Since 2006, the Republic had been on this “black list” for 12 years.

The exclusion of Uzbekistan from the “special watch list” is a huge achievement and international recognition for our country.

In general, it is worth noting that an important distinguishing feature of the religious life of modem Uzbekistan is the inadmissibility of establishing advantages or restrictions for one religion in relation to other confessions.

One of the main priorities in reforming society in order to ensure interethnic harmony and religious tolerance is to ensure and protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, and their equality before the law, regardless of race, gender, nationality, language, social origin, beliefs, religion, personal and social status, which enshrined in the Constitution of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan consistently and strictly fulfills its international obligations in the field of ensuring religious freedom within the framework of international human rights treaties.

It is known that current Uzbekistan has acceded to more than 70 major international human rights instruments. Accession to these documents contributed to the creation of an effective system for the protection of human rights in Uzbekistan.

It is important to mention that the policy pursued by Uzbekistan in the field of religion, aimed at strengthening interfaith dialogue and religious tolerance in society, is an important factor in stability and security.

In conclusion, it should be emphasized that the large-scale reforms being implemented in the country are a clear confirmation of the consistent continuation by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan of the implementation of the principle “Everything for the sake of man, for the sake of his future”.

Committee of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan

On the path to the normative and institutional development of the fight against corruption

Акmаl Burkhanov

Director of the Anti-corruption Agency

of the Republic of Uzbekistan

The fight against corruption has also become a priority area of state policy m Uzbekistan. This can be seen in the conceptual regulatory' acts adopted m recent years in this area, on the example of administrative reforms aimed at preventing corruption.

The fact that the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the Law "On combating corruption" in the first days of taking office became the first important step in the formation of the state policy in combating corruption in Uzbekistan.

I. During the past 5 years, more than 80 normative legal documents aimed at putting an end to corruption in all spheres of state and society construction, including more than 10 normative legal documents regulating the field of combating corruption, were adopted.

The Decree of the President "On measures to create an environment of intolerant attitude against corruption, to reduce corruption factors in state and community management, and to expand public participation’' became another important conceptual document aimed at early prevention of corruption. The laws "On the openness of activities of the state pow'er and the state governing bodies" and "On public control", as well as the Resolution "On additional measures to ensure active participation of citizens in the budget process" made it possible to assess ever action of all categories of officials among the general public and the people.

The Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On additional measures to ensure the transparency of the activities of state bodies and organizations, as well as effective implementation of public control", was adopted as a logical continuation of the reforms implemented in the sphere. The Decree approved the list of information that every state body and organization should publicly announce.

The Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On measures to introduce a system for rating the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts" serves to introduce openness to public administration, further strengthen systematic work in information openness for general use, transparency and quality of the information by international requirements. A system for rating the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts was introduced following this Resolution.

It should be noted that the recently adopted Decree of the President "On measures to increase the level of openness of the activities of state bodies and organizations and introduce the evaluation system’’ is starting a new era in the improvement of the openness policy in the country.

By the decree, the Anti-Corruption Agency will create an annual transparency index of state bodies and organizations and publicly announce it through the electronic platform "eanticor.uz" and media.

II. The activity of newly established Institutional structures in the system is also of great importance in the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts. In 2019. the Resolution of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan ’"On the establishment of the Committee on Combating Corruption, Judicial and Legal Issues"' was adopted. A Committee on Combating Corruption and Judicial Affairs was established in the Senate of the Oliy Majlis in the same year.

The Anti-Corruption Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan was established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan of June 29, 2020 '"On additional measures on improvement of the anti-corruption in the Republic of Uzbekistan"'. The Republican Inter-Departmental Commission for Combating Corruption and its regional inter-departmental commissions were reorganized into the National Anti-Corruption Council of the Republic of Uzbekistan and its regional councils.

Among the key tasks entrusted in them are the implementation of a systemic parliamentary control over the execution of anti-corruption legislation and state programs, hearing reports from officials of government agencies engaged in anti¬corruption activities. The key tasks also include the development of measures for eliminating legal loopholes that allow and create conditions for corruption in the current legislation, studying the generally recognized principles and norms of international law in the field of combating corruption and, based on it, the development of proposals for further improvement of the current legislation.

Public Service Development Agency was established under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan by the Decree of the Head of the state "On measures to radically improve the personnel policy and civil service system in the Republic of Llzbekistan" and the Resolution “On measures to organize the activities of the State Public Service Development Agency under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan".

According to the Decree, it was determined that recruitment to public service shall be carried out based on open independent competition, fair evaluation of candidates in the activities related to recruitment to the civil service and career advancement of personnel, application of the principle of meritocracy aimed at choosing the most worthy among them.

Training of potential personnel in the fight against corruption has become one of the priority tasks of the Academy of the General Prosecutor's Office. In 2019, the Academy of the General Prosecutor's Office opened a special master"s course in "Combating Corruption". The Academy has established close cooperation with about 60 prestigious organizations in the world, and carries out training based on a completely new system, combining theory and practice.

The Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan of December 7, 2020 "On measures to ensure the genuine independence of judges and increase the effectiveness of preventing corruption in the judiciary” provided for the establishment of the Judicial Inspectorate for Ensuring Immunity of Judges and Preventing Corruption at the Judicial Inspectorate for Ensure Immunity of Judges, which contributes to the prevention and elimination of corruption in the most crucial areas, as well as the timely identification of corruption factors.

Decisions made by the National Anti-Corruption Council intensifies the process of conducting surveys among various segments of the population. In 2021, several more social surveys were conducted. In particular, UNICEF, together with Ureport, conducted a survey on the topic "Are young people involved in the fight against corruption? '. The survey involved 16.189 young people and 81 percent of them expressed their readiness to report on acts of corruption, while 39 percent do not consider bribery to be corruption.

In December 2021, the “Ijtimoiy Fikr” (Public Opinion) Center conducted a survey on the state policy in the field of combating corruption and the activities of the Anti-Corruption Agency. The results demonstrated that 82 percent of our population perceive corruption as an urgent problem, while 43 percent of respondents said that the fight against corruption m Uzbekistan is implementing quite successfully.

The Anti-Corruption Agency together with relevant agencies and departments conducted a study within the framework of the project “Creating the first anti- corruption laboratories in Uzbekistan to study corruption risks at the stage of enrolling children in schools”:

The survey covered 114 schools in Uzbekistan, involving parents of primary school students, primary school teachers and school directors. Following the results, a number of recommendations were developed. Those include the development of urgent measures to ensure transparency in school admission with the engagement of parents, the general public and specialists (psychologists, pediatricians, speech pathologists).

In addition, it was recommended to implement an Open Data electronic system to ensure maximum transparency of activities of the Ministry of Public Education, its structural divisions, and even the processes in each preschool institution (admission, educational process, assessment (examination), reporting).

Another example, the Anti-Corruption Agency conducted an anonymous survey- on the activities of law enforcement agencies in regions with a difficult crime situation from February 16 to April 6. 2021. The survey identified the presence of corruption risks in law enforcement agencies. The Agency developed proposals and recommendations to eliminate them. It is important that the analysis of this kind of sociological studies serves to improve the activities of the Agency and the anti¬corruption policy in general. Particular attention is paid to improving the legal awareness and legal culture of the population in combating corruption.

Thus, in December 2021, as part of the Anti-Corruption Week timed to the International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9, about 500 events of various levels and formats were organized, including forums and conferences, competitions, promotions and flash mobs, round tables, trainings and talks shows with the active involvement of representatives of the general public, especially young people.

The Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan in cooperation with the UNODC Office in Central Asia organized trainings on the topic 'Prevention of corruption in the public education system' and anti-corruption classes for schoolchildren. In 2020, anti-corruption classes were organized in schools in three districts of three regions, and in 2021 in the whole country'.

Open Data Challenge 2021 Hackathon included a special category - The Fight Against Corruption. The Ministry of Higher and Secondary' Specialized Education held the republican contests "The Best Anti-Corruption Textbook" and 'The Best Anti-Corruption Teaching and Methodological Manual’' among the academic staff of higher educational institutions. Moreover, in order to systematically inform the general public on the ongoing reforms in the field of combating corruption, Uzbekistan Anti-Corruption Digest online magazine has been created and published monthly in Uzbek, Russian and English.

For to actively involve and support NGOs in cultivating in society intolerant attitude towards corruption, as well as raising their awareness, 11 (25 percent) representatives of NGOs have been included in the composition of the National Anti- Corruption Council of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In 2021. the "Openness and Transparency in Uzbekistan’' Analytical Center started operating. It is the first independent public organization studying corruption and transparency. The Center focuses on supporting the formation of an intolerant attitude towards corruption in society and the improvement of mechanisms for openness, transparency and accountability in government.

This year, the Anti-Corruption Agency with other government agencies in cooperation with UNDP announced a Joint Contest "Involving Civil Society Institutions in the Development and Implementation of Innovations in Preventing and Combating Corruption”. Similar projects aimed at increasing the social activity and legal culture of the population are important because they are an excellent incentive to be indifferent to such vices as fraud, bribery and extortion in society. In fact, the most effective and rational measure to effectively combat all forms of corruption is the intolerance.

Eradication of forced labour - striking example of the political will

In recent years, thanks to the strong political will of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a completely new system of ensuring human rights and freedoms has been created in our country on the basis of large-scale reforms carried out to glorify human dignity and comprehensively protect their interests.

At the same time, the work on improving national legislation, bringing them into line with international standards, reforming agriculture and other sectors, the widespread application of market principles, mechanization of the industry, decent payment were key factors m prevention of child and forced labour in our country.

One of the achievements of Uzbekistan over the past five years is the complete abolition of forced labour.

If we look at the results of the International Labour Organization's Third Party Monitoring report (2019), it shows that since 2013 Uzbekistan has been achieving a gradual progress in eradication of forced labour. For instance, in 2015-2016 Cotton Campaign forced labour was 14 percent, from year to year this figure had gradually decreased to 4 percent in 2020 and reached to 1 percent in 2021.

Moreover, the government intensified law enforcement efforts in 2019. The number of staff of the Labour Inspectorate contributing to compliance during the harvest doubled from 200 to 400. Ike Labour Inspectorate investigated 1,282 forced labour cases during the 2019 cotton harvest.

Furthermore, ILO monitors confirmed that wages had increased compared to the previous harvest which was another effective mechanism to eradicate the issue. Generally, cotton pickers received their wages on time and in full.

There is no exaggeration to say that the abolition of the global boycott against Uzbek cotton by the International Coalition “Cotton Campaign” was a vivid example of the effectiveness of large-scale reforms.

Legal and institutional reforms against forced labour

Uzbekistan has ratified 19 conventions and 1 protocol of the International Labour Organization with the aim of complementing the norms of international law into our national legislation.

According to Convention No. 29 of the International Labour Organization, forced labour is any work or service which people are forced to do against their will, under threat of punishment. In 2014, Uzbekistan became the first country in Central Asia to ratify the Protocol №29 of the International Labour Organization on Forced Labour.

Need to note that the national legislature system of Uzbekistan fully complies with international standards. The article No. 7 of the Labour Code of Uzbekistan defines the forced labour as coercion to perform work under threat of any punishment.

In order to improve tins sphere, 32 nonnative-legal acts were adopted in 2019-2021. The Presidential decree "On additional measures to further improve the system of combating human trafficking and forced labour’ from July 30, 2019, has created a new system of coordination of stale bodies activities in the field of combating human trafficking and forced labour to increase the image of our country in the international arena.

The authority of Uzbekistan paid great attention to the institutional reforms as well. According to the decree, the National commission and the National rapporteur institute on combating human trafficking and forced labour were established. Also, subcommissions were established to fight against human trafficking and forced labour.

In order to eliminate forced labour, the legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan introduced norms that strengthen administrative liability and criminal liability.

One of the most effective measures was the implementation of criminal responsibility for the use of child labour and forced labour. In order to reform agriculture by reducing state participation in the cotton sector, the system of mandatory- volumes of harvested cotton has been abolished.

Measures taken to combat forced labour

Monitoring of forced labour prevention is continued. In particular, for the first time since 2019, monitoring was conducted with full human rights defenders. In 2021, 17 independent observers were provided with badges to ensure unimpeded access to cotton fields.

At the same time, the international Labour Organization’s Third Party Monitoring, National Monitoring by the Federation of Trade Unions, Monitoring of the Labour Inspectorate were conducted simultaneously.

Parliamentary oversight by senators and local deputies involving journalists and bloggers was set Representatives of civil society institutions and human rights activists were also widely involved in the monitoring.

The Uzbekistan media reported actively on forced labour issues in 2019. Journalists and bloggers were encouraged by the Government to cover forced labour cases critically. The State Labour Inspectors have also started to investigate complaints about forced labour.

As a result of monitoring, administrative liability for forced labour was implemented against 259 people m 2019 (132 people during the cotton season), 103 people in 2020 (41 people during the cotton season), in 2021 year 75 people (5 people during the cotton season)

It should be noted that thanks to the strong political will of the president of the

Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as the extensive work carried out with the active participation of representatives of civil society together with the International Labour Organization and tripartite partners of the National Commission on Combating Forced Labour, such success have been achieved.

Touching upon the future plans, the International Labour Organization announced in Uzbekistan its final conclusion in 2021 that during the cotton harvest season, systematic child labour and forced labour were not used at all, as well as monitoring works m this direction were completely transferred to the Uzbek side.

Earlier, Uzbekistan’s achievements in ending forced labour were noted by the US State Department. As a result, the international community' highly appreciated the reforms carried out in this direction in our country.

While these results provide an opportunity to ensure human rights and develop the industry, particularly the cotton and textile industries, on the other hand, it lays a greater responsibility to maintain the achieved results which requires consistent continuation of systematic work in the field.

Now it is necessary not only to combat forced labour, but also to constantly monitor the creation of decent w orking conditions in all areas. In this regard, any incoming appeals and messages from social networks in the field ot labour relations will not be ignored.

On June 25, 2020, a Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (covers situation in 192 countries) was published. During the Trafficking in Persons Report l aunch Ceremony Mike Pompeo, the head of the State Department, highlighted in his speech the great efforts of Uzbekistan in solving this problem are setting a new standards for the countries of the region.

Despite the end of boycott, Uzbekistan remained in TIER 2 in the global reports such as “Global Report on Trafficking in Persons" (IS State Department) and "The Worst Forms of Child Labour" (US Department of Labour).

One of the main recommendations in these reports is to monitor the forced labour and decent working conditions in other sectors of this economy - silk production, construction, textile and catering

In this regard, it is important to improve the positions in the international community, to pay attention to expanding cooperation between Uzbekistan and the International Labour Organization.

In September 2021, in cooperation with International Labour Organization Uzbekistan Decent Work Country Programme for 2021-2025 was adopted

The main focus of the programme is paid on the principles of decent work, reduction of informal employment and issues of social protection in accordance with international standards.

It should be noted that in cooperation with the International Labour Organization, the analysis of working conditions in other sectors of the economy, as well as cases of forced labour are being studied.

According to a study conducted by the International Labour Organization in the field of silk in 2021, there are no cases of systematic involvement in forced labour in the silk industry, children are not involved in the cultivation of silkworms. Many consider the eating conditions in the workplace to be good or acceptable, and only 1 percent are known to be dissatisfied with the quality of the food. Three-quarters of the workers had employment contracts and were satisfied with the amount of wages.

Currently, these studies are being conducted in the field of construction. We are confident that the quality statistics obtained during the study on working conditions, including forced labour, will be a good source of information for thefurther development of effective policies in these sectors.

Freedom of speech in society: modern trends and realities

“Of course, many local officials do not like sharp and critical content [in the press]. They disrupt their peaceful and carefree existence. But openness and freedom of speech are the demand of the times, the demand of the reforms in Uzbekistan.”

Shavkat Mirziyoyev,

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan

In a society where freedom of speech and press is not ensured, there is no chance for the development of mass media, as freedom of speech and press is one of the main conditions for democratic development and formation of civil society. Thus, freedom of speech and press is the “cardiovascular” system of democracy.

Article 29 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan provides that everyone`s right to freedom of thought and speech shall be considered as his/her personal rights, which was implemented into the practice by the Laws “On guarantees and freedoms of information”, “On principles and guarantees of information freedoms”, “On protection of journalistic activities”, “On mass media”, “On openness of activities of state authorities and management bodies” and many others. Thus, more than 10 laws and more than 100 legal acts have been adopted aimed at developing mass media, publishing and printing and strengthening freedom of speech and information.

Unfortunately, keeping the state at a distance from freedom of speech and press for years has left its “results”. Uzbekistan was listed among states with the lowest rating of freedom of speech, transparency and human rights. Serious disparities between real and posted statistics, forceful concealment of facts (forced labor, cotton monopoly, deplorable state of human rights, impoverishment of the population, etc.), attempts to hinder press` efforts to highlight facts have altogether resulted in Uzbekistan being considered as authoritarian state with no freedom of speech and trade. This even resulted in adopting restrictions on the trade with Uzbek nation`s wealth and pride – Uzbek cotton. From the first days of presidentship, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, feeling that the situation was approaching the “red line” and being aware of possible consequences of such situation, had paid a great attention to the development of the freedom of speech. As a result, press and mass media started obtaining freedom.

How can we feel those changes? In the past 4-5 years, independent national Internet publications able to attract millions of audiences have been formed. Many private TV and radio channels have been launched. If in 2019 there were 559 sources of information services in state and non-state organizations - official websites, channels on social networks - by the end of 2021, this number reached 2410. The practice of immediate reaction by the ministries and other government agencies to critical statements of mass media representatives, including bloggers, have been launched. The increase of the response rate by government agencies to critical materials from 12% in 2018 to almost 90% in 2020 and almost 100% in 2021 can serve as a confirmation to the above.

A group of bloggers, which is not afraid of revealing problems with a number of followers more than that of some official publication, has appeared in Uzbekistan. Noteworthy that in the 2000s, journalists used to be pressurized and banned for telling the truth, but today, a blogger, who reveals problems and issues is being rewarded by the state. Now, the journalistic investigations of problems are not being prosecuted or punished. It has become natural for a journalist or blogger to hold a microphone and appear in front of a minister or a senior official asking them questions. Noteworthy that that the leader, who once did not want to face the press and was afraid of it, has also developed the skill of communicating with the media. The principle of openness and transparency of state agencies has been established not on paper, but in reality. It will not be an exaggeration to say that covering the activities of ministries, committees, hokims and law-enforcement agencies through the websites of these organizations or other social networks has become part of normal daily work.

Ensuring implementation of the constitutional rights of citizens on freedom of speech and information, developing the media sector, strengthening the role of the mass media in the socio-political and socio-economic spheres of the state were identified as main directions of the state policy. In particular, by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. PF-4947 dated February 7, 2017, the “Strategy of Actions on the five priority directions of the development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021” highlighted strengthening the role of mass media as a priority direction of development of the state. As part of the action strategy, the decrees of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan from August 11, 2017 “On further improvement of management in the press and information sector”, from February 2, 2019 “On additional measures for the further development of the information sector and mass communications”, from August 9, 2017 “On the establishment of the public fund “Ilkhom” to support the creators of Uzbekistan”, from August 10, 2017 “On measures to further develop the activities of the Creative Union of Journalists of Uzbekistan”, from August 15 “On additional measures to further develop the activities of cultural and art organizations, creative associations and mass media, and to stimulate the work of industry employees” have become an important step towards development of mass media.

The major reforms carried out in the field are aimed at ensuring implementation of the constitutional rights of citizens on freedom of speech and information, strengthening the role of mass media in this regard, creating equal conditions for them in the media market, protecting the rights of journalists, developing state support mechanisms for the development of printing and information-library activities. In order to systematize application of legislation in the field of information, promote and develop projects of normative legal documents aimed at the development of mass media, press, publishing-press and information-library activities, a special agency – the Center for Mass Communication Issues of the Information and Mass Communication Agency was established within the structure of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the basis of the former Center of the Press and Information Agency of Uzbekistan.

It should be noted separately that within the framework of the Strategy of Actions, the legal framework for media liberalization and freedom of speech was improved in Uzbekistan, and 12 legal documents were adopted in the last five years. In particular, by the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 476 from April 18, 2018, a separate Article 51 entitled “State support of mass media” was added to the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Mass Media”. According to the article, mass media should be provided with benefits and preferences in terms of taxes and other mandatory payments and tariffs, financial support through the system of state subsidies and state grants. In addition, according to the Article 19 of the Law, the period of state registration of mass media was reduced from one month to fifteen days. Additionally, if previous edition of the Article 22 of the law stated the decision of refusal to register of mass media could be appealed only to the court, now, a special review mechanism has been introduced in order to investigate the reasons of refusal.

The adoption of these documents has become a real reason for fundamental changes in the field. In some sense, the goals have been achieved to some extent. In particular, compared to 1991, number of mass media in our state has increased by 4 times, publishing houses by 13 times, and printing companies by 12 times, and their material and technical base and human resources have significantly improved.

As one of the bright results of the reforms in the field, the International Press Club was established in our country, its format and working method was a novelty for our national media environment, and it attracted attention and trust of not only journalists, but also the general public. Another noteworthy event has become establishment of the Information and Mass Communications Agency under the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the basis of the Press and Information Agency of Uzbekistan in order to effectively implement the state policy in the field of information in new conditions. This agency is responsible for a number of tasks aimed at coordinating media activities, protecting the rights and interests of journalists, strengthening cooperation with foreign media companies, creating opportunities of full use of foreign web resources and sites, telling shortly, ensuring the diversity of opinions in the information field. After the establishment of the Agency, great importance was attached to the incorporation of information services in all government agencies. This entails that more than a thousand information services are operating today. This is due to the fact that unless openness and transparency do not start from the highest point, the expected results will not be achieved. There is a great need for timely delivery of decisions and decrees, legislative documents to the population for the benefit of society and people. This, in turn, leads to situation of spreading of biased and incorrect information by unreliable sources.

As one of the latest steps taken in the development of the media sector, the decision of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 294 dated June 28, 2022 "On measures to support mass media and develop the field of journalism" can be recognized.

This document was adopted in order to implement the development strategy of New Uzbekistan, as well as to strengthen the protection of legal interests of mass media and to develop the field of journalism. It defines a number of tasks related to the support of mass media, electronic and printed publications.

At this point, it is necessary to emphasize that law enforcement agencies also have an important role in ensuring freedom of press and speech in Uzbekistan. The release of a number of journalists and bloggers, who were imprisoned for different periods of time or involved in the investigation process until 2017-2018, or the termination of investigative actions against them, indicates a sharp change in the attitude towards free thinkers in the society. Another noteworthy point is that public coverage of the achievements and shortcomings in the field with the efforts of the press services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor's Office and the judicial system makes its due contribution to ensuring freedom of speech.

In order to continue the reforms in this field more consistently, the new “Development Strategy of Uzbekistan for 2022-2026” has put forward other important tasks such as building a people-friendly state by increasing human dignity and further developing a free civil society, further strengthening of the role of mass media and protection of professional activities of journalists, taking measures to provide additional support by the state to the mass media that are operating and covering state policy in the field of inter-ethnic relations, illegal interference and obstruction in the media's activities, further strengthening of liability pressurizing or confiscating illegally materials or documents from media representatives, and creating an international “Media Forum” with the participation of foreign and national journalists and experts.

In conclusion, in the Republic of Uzbekistan, significant work is being done to ensure freedom of speech, to reorganize the system of the information and mass communications sector, and to increase the role of mass media in solving the problematic issues of socio-political and socio-economic development.

Religious tolerance in Uzbekistan - changing approaches and views

With the declaration of independence and the commitment of the Government of Uzbekistan to the ideals of democracy, the choice of a secular path for the development of society gradually made it possible to create equal legal conditions for the existence of religions in general and religious groups in particular.

In the religious sphere, this large-scale work is carried out by the relevant state bodies and institutions of civil society and is aimed at providing citizens w ith the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of conscience; strengthening religious pluralism, tolerance, and interfaith dialogue in particular.

One of the significant results of the joint work is the adoption in December 2018 by the UN General Assembly of a special resolution ’’Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance”.

The adoption of the resolution was the practical implementation of the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, put forward at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. The main goal of the proposed resolution is “ensuring universal access to education, the elimination of illiteracy and ignorance”.

It is noteworthy that the resolution was not only unanimously supported by all UN member states, but and adopted with the co-authorship of over 50 countries. This testifies to the high recognition by the international community of the relevance and timeliness of the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan.

The document is intended to "promote tolerance and mutual respect, ensure religious freedom, protect the rights of believers, and prevent their discrimination."

The resolution emphasizes the important role of promoting peace, human rights, tolerance, and friendship. Also, it recognizes the importance of integration, mutual respect, tolerance, and understanding in the name of strengthening security' and peace on the planet.

The document welcomes all international, regional, and national initiatives aimed at promoting interreligious, intercultural, and interfaith harmony and combating discrimination against individuals based on religion or belief.

At the same time, the adopted resolution calls on UN member states to implement appropriate communication strategies, such as large-scale advocacy in national and international media, as well as on the Internet, and disseminate educational information about tolerance, non-violence, and freedom of religion or belief.

The document also recognizes the key role of UNESCO in promoting peace and security in the world by expanding cooperation among nations through education, science and culture.

Over the past five years, significant changes have taken place in Uzbekistan and large-scale reforms have been implemented in many areas, including in the religious and educational sphere.

A number of legislative acts aimed at further improvement of activities in the religious sphere have been adopted.

In order to study Islam in-depth and teach its scientific foundations, the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan was established. The academy specializes in teaching secular and religious knowledge, and training qualified personnel in the interpretation of the Koran, Islamic law, religious dogma, and hadith.

In Uzbekistan, peculiar mechanisms are involved in the revival of national and religious values, the study and promotion of the rich scientific and spiritual heritage of great ancestors, strengthening of religious tolerance in society - the activities of the Center for Islamic Civilization, international research centers named after Imam Bukhari, Imam Termizi and Imam Maturidi have been established.

As a result of large-scale reforms and transformations carried out in the religious sphere, the Higher Madrasah Mir Arab in Bukhara and the School of Hadith Studies began their activities in Samarkand.

In addition, the “Waqf’ Charitable Public Foundation was established under the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, among the tasks of which is financing the reconstruction of mosques, holy places of pilgrimage and visiting, and other facilities, providing a material and technical base, and providing material support to workers in this area. The Foundation got the opportunity to dispose of funds received on 3 accounts: charitable, waqf, and zakat (ushr, fidya, fitr).

In accordance with the adopted legislative acts, in order to further improve the activities of the Committee for Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a new composition of the Council for Religious Affairs, which is a public advisory' body under the Committee, was approved.

In addition, a department for work with women has been created in the structure of the Committee for Religious Affairs, and the position of a deputy chairman in charge of this area of work has also been introduced. A Republican propaganda group has been set up to coordinate spiritual and educational work among women.

At the same time, Uzbekistan attaches great importance to the preservation of religious and spiritual heritage, the enrichment of existing funds, the creation of the necessary conditions for local and foreign researchers to work with historical sources, and a comprehensive study of samples of historical and cultural heritage.

Today in the country-, in order to ensure interethnic and interfaith harmony in society, a legislative framework has been created that provides for the observance of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens.

The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan establishes the norm on freedom of religion for everyone. Attention is also paid to the improvement and liberalization of national legislation in the field of religion. Simplified procedures for obtaining permission to produce, import, and distribute religious literature. The procedure for state registration of religious organizations has been further optimized.

At present, the new Law ‘’On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations" has entered into force, which will contribute to the full provision of the constitutional rights of citizens of the country to freedom of conscience and religion.

Currently, only 2 335 religious organizations of 16 religious denominations operate in Uzbekistan and 2142 of these are Muslim organizations. There are also 178 Christian organizations operating in Uzbekistan, 8 Jewish communities, 6 communities of the Baha'i Faith, one Flare Krishna society, and one Buddhist temple, as well as the interfaith Bible Society of Uzbekistan.

Recently, Uzbekistan has registered 96 religious organizations, of which 2 higher and one secondary specialized Islamic educational institution in Bukhara, Samarkand, and Termez, 74 mosques, and 19 churches.

At the same time, the national legislation of Uzbekistan does not provide for any restrictions on the number of religious organizations or the timing of their registration.

Religious organizations operating in the republic, along with other public organizations, actively participate in spiritual and educational work, make a significant contribution to improving the spirituality of society, the formation of strong beliefs among young people based on patriotism, as well as inter-confessional and inter-ethnic tolerance.

It should be noted that the religious policy in Uzbekistan is based on the principles of the secular nature of the state, religious tolerance, and equal treatment of all religions. Representatives of various nations and ethnic groups professing Islam, Christianity , Buddhism, Judaism, and other religions carry out their activities in the republic on equal terms.

All conditions have been created for the adherents of each confession, allowing them to freely practice their religion without any hindrance. Believers freely pray in mosques, churches, and synagogues, observe fasting, and make pilgrimages as well. Religious organizations have the right to own territory, publish literature, train their religious ministers, and organize pilgrimages to sacred places.

The freedom of religion guaranteed by the national legislation of Uzbekistan has created all the necessary conditions for meeting the religious needs of all citizens - representatives of 138 national and ethnic groups.

Representatives of different faiths freely celebrate all religious holidays. Therefore, from year to year, Eid al-Adha and Ramadan Eid are celebrated on an increasingly large scale - among Muslims, Easter and Christmas - among Christians, Passover, Purim and Hanukkah - among Jews, Navruz - among Bahai, as well as festivities dedicated to Buddha and Krishna and other big events.

Believers make a pilgrimage to holy places: Muslims to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj and Umrah rituals, Christians to Russia, Greece, and Israel, and Jews to Israel.

During the years of independence, about 330 thousand Muslims made a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, including 130 thousand - Hajj and 200 thousand - Umrah, more than 2,5 thousand Christians and Jews visited religious shrines in Israel. Russia, Turkey, Italy, Georgia, and Greece.

In order to meet the spiritual needs of society, a large amount of religious literature of various kinds has been published annually. For full coverage of the religious life of Uzbekistan, a number of newspapers and magazines are published, including the newspapers “Islom Nuri" “Word of Life" (Слово жизни), the magazines “Khidoyat", “East from above" (Восток свыше).

Currently, a set of measures is being systematically implemented in Uzbekistan to protect the population from the negative impact of destructive ideas that reflect the radical extremist ideology and religious fanaticism.

An important step in this direction was the application of acts of pardon. In particular, since 2017, 19 decrees of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan have been adopted on pardoning persons who had committed crimes.

It should be noted that over the past five years, within the framework of the consistent policy pursued in Uzbekistan in the field of protecting the rights and freedom of citizens, special attention has been paid to measures aimed at protecting the rights, freedom, honor, and dignity of not only citizens living in the republic, but also our fellow citizens who find themselves in a difficult life situation in foreign countries.

Unfortunately, some Uzbek citizens, who fell under the influence of alien ideas and believed in false promises, joined the ranks of international terrorist organizations in different years and in zones of armed conflicts abroad. Spouses, fathers of some of the women returned as part of humanitarian operations, died during armed clashes.

Considering this circumstance, on behalf of the President of Uzbekistan, in 2019-2021, five “Mekhr" (Mercy) humanitarian actions were successfully carried out, within which more than 500 citizens of the republic, mainly women and children, w ere returned to their homeland from the zones of armed conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

In order to further assist in their speedy reintegration and rehabilitation at the state level, a set of measures has been implemented to provide timely medical, psychological, material, and moral assistance. To date, all repatriates have been created the necessary conditions for their adaptation to peaceful life and integration into society and provided access to educational and other social programs, including the prov ision of housing and employment.

The Uzbek authorities are focusing on establishing a constructive dialogue and cooperation with international organizations and experts in the religious field.

During visits to Uzbekistan by the UN High Commissioner on human rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein (May 2017) and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier (April 2018) discussed the current state of affairs, praised the reforms in our country, noted that Uzbekistan pays special attention to ensuring inter-ethnic harmony and religious tolerance, strengthening friendship between representatives of various nations and nationalities.

Following the visit to Uzbekistan of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, Ahmed Shahid (October 2017), a separate document was adopted on the implementation of a set of measures in the field of religion.

The Special Rapporteur noted the progress made in simplifying the procedures for registering and carrying out the activities of religious organizations, as well as improving the system of religious education in the country.

The UN representative welcomed the interaction of the Uzbek authorities with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and stressed the interest in promoting reforms in the field of protecting religious freedom in the country.

One more piece of information. In December 2020, the US State Department excluded Uzbekistan from the so-called. “Special watch list” to ensure religious freedoms.

It should be noted that in 2018, given the significant improvement in the situation in the field of ensuring religious freedoms, Uzbekistan was excluded from the list of “countries of particular concern”. Since 2006, the Republic had been on this “black list” for 12 years. The exclusion of Uzbekistan from the “special watch list" is a huge achievement and international recognition for our country.

In general, it is worth noting that an important distinguishing feature of the religious life of modern Uzbekistan is the inadmissibility of establishing advantages or restrictions for one religion in relation to other confessions.

One of the main priorities in reforming society in order to ensure interethnic harmony and religious tolerance is to ensure and protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, and their equality before the law, regardless of race, gender, nationality, language, social origin, beliefs, religion, personal and social status, which enshrined in the Constitution of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan consistently and strictly fulfills its international obligations in the field of ensuring religious freedom within the framework of international human rights treaties.

It is known that current Uzbekistan has acceded to more than 70 major international human rights instruments. Accession to these documents contributed to the creation of an effective system for the protection of human rights in Uzbekistan.

It is important to mention that the policy pursued by Uzbekistan in the field of religion, aimed at strengthening interfaith dialogue and religious tolerance in society, is an important factor in stability and security.

In conclusion, it should be emphasized that the large-scale reforms being implemented in the country are a clear confirmation of the consistent continuation by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan of the implementation of the principle “Everything for the sake of man, for the sake of his future”.

Sodiqjon Toshboyev,

Chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of

Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan

New Uzbekistan on the way of the ongoing reforms

Last year the Uzbek people has celebrated the 31th anniversary of the Independence. During last 6 years the large-scale creative and improving work is being carried out on the idea “New Uzbekistan”. Human rights protection is considered one of the priorities of our state policy. Today the country has a stable political system that meets the modern criteria of democracy and human rights, and the legislative, executive and judicial authorities at all levels are actively working to strengthen respect for human rights and to promote human rights education throughout the country. But the most important is that the Uzbek society maintains respect for the principles of the Rule of law and human rights.

The strategic goal of building “New Uzbekistan” is laying the foundations for the Third Renaissance. As it is well-known that the territory of modern Uzbekistan in the ancient times was the cradle of two great renaissance epochs - the First (enlightenment - IX-XII centuries) and the Second (Temurid - XIV-XV centuries) Renaissance.

Today Uzbekistan is becoming a country of democratic transformation, big opportunities and practical deeds. This process is the greatest result of our reforms during last years. Uzbekistan has also developed national indicators for the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

New Uzbekistan’s Development Strategy – a roadmap for realization of Human Rights Policy

We always know that without ensuring human rights, it is impossible to advance socio-economic, political, legal, cultural and humanitarian development of states. The President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has initiated a comprehensive and ambitious New Uzbekistan’s Development Strategy for next 5 years with 7 priority areas of the country's development. The 7 priority areas are:

First priority – Creation of a humane state by increasing human dignity and further development of a free civil society;

Second priority – the transformation of the principles of justice and the rule of law into the main and necessary condition for the development of the country;

Third priority – Development of the national economy, ensuring its growth rates at the level of modern requirements;

Fourth priority – Conducting a fair social policy, development of human capital;

Fifth priority – Ensuring spiritual development, cardinal reform and raising this sphere to a new stage;

Sixth priority – Solving universal problems based on national interests;

Seventh priority – Strengthening the security and defense potential of the country, conducting an open and pragmatic, active foreign policy.

According to the President’s initiative, “the New Uzbekistan is a state, developing in strict compliance with the universally recognized norms in the field of democracy, human rights and freedoms, on the basis of the principles of friendship and cooperation with the international community, the ultimate aim of which is to create a free, comfortable and prosperous life for our people”.

New Uzbekistan’s Development Strategy will mark the beginning of a new stage of our national development on the basis of a new principle: “human being - society – state”. The implementation of the new reforms to this end have become an objective necessity, a major strategic task.

Uzbekistan was the first Central Asian State to establish a system of national human rights institutions, which includes Parliamentary Ombudsman, Children's Ombudsman, Business Ombudsman and National Human Rights Centre.

In June 2020 the National Human Rights Strategy of Uzbekistan was adopted for the first time and is being consistently implemented. It provides for the implementation of the recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council and the treaty bodies. The adoption of the National Strategy took into account the views of not only the expert community, but also the general public and international organizations.

Uzbekistan maintains an active and constructive dialogue with the UN Charter and Treaty bodies, specialized agencies and Special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. The Government has submitted timely 41 periodic reports on the implementation of the main international human rights treaties, as well as on the follow-up to the recommendations of the treaty bodies. During last 4 years three UN Special rapporteurs visited Uzbekistan: Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.

This year we are waiting for a visit of the UN Special rapporteur on torture and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

In his speeches at the sessions of the UN General Assembly, the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council, as well as in his Address to the Uzbek Parliament, the President of Uzbekistan identified the key priorities of New Uzbekistan on human rights: ensuring the right to health; gender equality; protection of the rights of persons with disabilities; protection of the youth rights; human rights education; strengthening the independence of the courts; the fight against torture; development of regional cooperation on human rights; development of civil society institutions.

From this year Uzbekistan’ representative is a deputy chair of the UN Human Rights Council. Last year on our initiative the Human Rights Council adopted resolution on young’s rights during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative to adopt an International Convention on the Rights of Youth and establishment the institution of a Special Rapporteur on Youth Rights put forward by the President of Uzbekistan from the high rostrum of the United Nations General Assembly, has been supported with great interest by the international community.

Uzbekistan actively participates in the United Nations World Programme for Human Rights Education. Together with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, we are planning to hold a Global Forum on Human Rights Education.

The fight against torture is a priority area of judicial and legal reforms in Uzbekistan. The work has begun on the implementation of a national preventive mechanism for the elimination of torture. We intend to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture.

Uzbekistan also intends to continue to promote the establishment of a regional human rights mechanism in the Asian region. In this regard, a permanent platform has been created – the Samarkand Forum on Human Rights.

Parliamentary diplomacy of New Uzbekistan

More than 25 years, I have served in the positions of a Deputy of the Oliy Majlis (the national parliament). I can say with complete confidence that I know from the inside all benefits and problems of the parliamentary system. Now the work of our parliament rapidly changed. The wise words “Justice is the basis of the state and the motto of the rulers”, inscribed on the portal of the residence of our great ancestor Amir Temur (Tamerlane) – the Oqsaroy Palace in Shakhrisabz, carry a very deep meaning.

Today such fundamental democratic concepts and phenomena as “human rights and freedoms”, “rule of law”, “openness and transparency”, “freedom of speech”, “freedom of religion and belief”, “public control”, “gender equality” are becoming an integral part of our life.

Uzbek Parliament is in favor of intensifying inter-parliamentary dialogue with an international structures and the National parliaments of foreign countries at various levels. It was emphasized that there are a strong political willness between our sides on topical issues on the bilateral and international agenda. It is gratifying that contacts are regularly maintained between the Parliamentary Friendship Groups. Now we have established more than 50 such groups with our foreign parliaments as well as Uzbek parliamentarians are close with the IPU, European Parliament, PA OSCE and other international parliamentary structures.

By a joint decision of the Council Chambers of the Uzbek Parliament of September 25, 2020, the Concept of Parliamentary Diplomacy was approved. It defines strategic goals and objectives, priority directions, principles and mechanisms for the implementation of the activities of the Parliament on international cooperation. In recent years, our Parliament has become an active subject of foreign policy. The geography of parliamentary diplomacy is expanding and its effectiveness is increasing. This makes it possible to establish close ties in the socio-political, economic and cultural spheres, contributes to the strengthening of friendly relations between our countries.

One of the positive indicators of friendly relations is that Uzbekistan and many countries on a permanent basis support each other’s candidacies for the UN institutions, OSCE and other international structures. In this regard, the Uzbek side expressed gratitude for the support of Uzbekistan’s candidacy for membership in the UN Human Rights Council for 2021-2023, as well as the development of the UN International Convention on the Rights of Youth.

We can note that at present the role and importance of inter-parliamentary ties in the development of interstate relations is increasing markedly. It is necessary to continue harmonizing legislation, to participate in the development and expansion of the legal framework for cooperation, as well as inter-parliamentary ties in the field of science, education, culture and tourism.

Last June the Uzbek Parliament organized the International Forum of Global Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in Bukhara.

We had organized the Sustainable Development Week motto to “Leave no one behind!”, with the participation of the IPU Secretary General, members of national parliaments of foreign countries and other international participants. The Forum is aimed at strengthening the inter-parliamentary cooperation in implementing the SDG, exchange of experience and promoting new ideas and initiatives.

In addition, at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly Uzbekistan Leader has proposed to adopt a special resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on enhancing the role of parliaments in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring human rights.

In Uzbekistan, the implementation of gender policy and the protection of women's rights have been elevated to the rank of fundamental priorities of state policy. The readiness of the Uzbek side was also expressed to share its experience in promoting women's rights and gender equality with the international community and to study the best practices of other countries in this direction.

Uzbek parliament jointly with the IPU are organizing the next 14th Summit of Women Speakers of the Parliaments of the World, which is scheduled to be held in 2022 in Samarkand.

New stage of democratic reforms

Today the process of democratic transformations in New Uzbekistan has become irreversible. Last President’ and parliamentary elections demonstrated the growing political activism of the population and parties, the role of civil society institutions and the influence of the media.

The gender equality policy became a priority for Uzbekistan policy, and the role of women in public administration is growing. In our Parliament the number of women deputies has doubled. Such negative phenomena as forced and child labor, which have been a big problem for us for many years, have been completely eradicated. In accordance with the call of the United Nations to reduce the number of stateless persons, more than 70 thousand of our compatriots were granted the citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Today the most important areas of our economic strategy are a comprehensive increase in the well-being and living standards of people, which demands the creation of new jobs, sources of income, poverty reduction, and the development of our villages and cities.

A completely new and unique system for solving social problems has been created in our country. That is the reason why we have recently introduced such practices as «Iron book», «Women’s book», «Youth book», « Kindness book», «makhallabay» (meaningfully, each community residential area – ‘one by one’) and «khonadonbay» (meaningfully, each house – ‘one by one’). Proceeding from this, the problems are thoroughly studied on the spot, not based on some abstract indicators, but taking into consideration the problems of each family and citizen, women and youth who need help and support, thus we tackle them timely and effectively.

The President Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined new priorities for public administration of the education system, as a result, the preschool education system has been completely reformed, modern standards of general education, vocational and higher education have been introduced. In the last 4 years alone, dozens of branches of leading foreign universities have been opened in the republic, the program “Digital Uzbekistan - 2030”, the Concept “Youth of Uzbekistan - 2025” have been developed and are gradually being implemented.

Imparting greater mobility and optimization of the management system of executive authorities, radical reform of the civil service and administrative procedures, including the provision of services to the population, the introduction of effective mechanisms to combat corruption. In fulfilling these tasks, it was the Head of State that proposed the Concept of Administrative Reform in the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as the creation of the Civil Service Development Agency under the President and the Anti-Corruption Agency.

The new procedure for approving ministers by parliament was introduced, which is detailed in accordance with foreign practice. Now a candidate for membership in the Cabinet of Ministers is considered and approved at a meeting of the Legislative Chamber of the Uzbek parliament after its preliminary consideration by the responsible committee, fractions of political parties.

A candidate presents an action plan that provides for legal, economic, social, organizational and technical measures to achieve targets and tasks for the future, interconnected with the action program of the Cabinet of Ministers. If the Legislative Chamber rejects the candidacy for membership in the Cabinet of Ministers, the Prime Minister submits a new candidate for consideration and approval. A member of the Cabinet of Ministers takes up his duties after his approval by the President.

The practice has been also introduced, according to which the Prime Minister, together with members of the Government, quarterly submits to the chambers of the Oliy Majlis a report on the progress of the implementation of the state program for the corresponding year, the tasks arising from the Address of the President to the Oliy Majlis, as well as on execution of legislative acts.

Uzbek parliament has also established the Parliamentary Commission on the observance of international obligations on human rights. In cooperation with the UK Parliament, the Parliamentary Commission organized an online training course consisting of five modules on implementing the international obligations on human rights. The Parliamentary Commission is also responsible for monitoring of the National Human Rights Strategy.

In our country, where over half of the population is young, an extensive work is underway to ensure that every young person takes a worthy place in society and demonstrate their potential. The Youth Parliaments and the Agency for Youth Affairs are operating in Uzbekistan. In last June the Youth parliamentary event “I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!” was successfully held under the auspices of the IPU.

Attention to persons with disabilities is a priority

It is known that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the first human rights treaty adopted in the 21st century. One of the priorities of the state policy in the field of protection of the rights of persons with disabilities is the universally recognized norms and principles of international law in the exercise of civil, economic, political and other rights and freedoms provided to persons with disabilities, as well as ensuring equal opportunities with other citizens in accordance with international agreements of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

More than 760,000 people with disabilities live in Uzbekistan. They are covered by social protection and support, medical and social rehabilitation measures. A new Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into force last year. The Parliament of Uzbekistan also ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Uzbekistan also proposes to create a Regional Council for the self-realization of People with Disabilities.

Important measures are also being taken for the social adaptation and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. In recent years, 27 medical and social institutions have been reconstructed, 1,5 thousand medical and rehabilitation beds have been created that meet modern requirements. The number of types of prosthetic and orthopedic products and rehabilitation equipment provided to our citizens free of charge has been increased from 22 to 27. In the system of public education, the implementation of the program for the development of inclusive education has begun, and more than 300 schools have created the necessary conditions for teaching children with disabilities. In addition, the Interagency Council on the affairs of persons with disabilities operating permanently under the Government was established with participation of disabled persons NGOs.

Now we are preparing a draft of National actions plan on implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with a broad participation of civil society institutions and international partners as well as representatives of disables persons.

For the active participation of citizens with disabilities in the social, economic and political life of the country, a "barrier-free" environment will be created. In particular, measures will be taken to create a special infrastructure in the construction of government buildings, social facilities, parks, as well as in public transport, the system of public services for persons with disabilities, increase the number of special information portals, television programs, literature and libraries. Persons with disabilities will be provided with subsidies for the purchase of housing, and preferential loans for improving housing conditions. Most importantly, a system of constant dialogue between heads of all levels and responsible persons of state bodies with persons with disabilities will be established to study and solve their problems.

Akmal Saidov

First Deputy Speaker

of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis

of the Republic of Uzbekistan,

Director of the National Center for Human Rights

Uzbekistan Achieves Significant Results in Elimination of Forced Labor

In recent years, under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev , systemic reforms have been carried out in country on the basis of the idea of “New Uzbekistan – a democratic and humane state” aimed at building a new Uzbekistan and ensuring the well-being of our people. Importantly, these efforts are yielding expected results.

This can be seen in the fact that as a result of systemic reforms in new Uzbekistan, a new spirit and mood, a new life, which meets the age-old aspirations of our people and meets our national interests, is entering our way of life.

New Uzbekistan is a country that develops on the principles of friendly cooperation with the world community, adhering to universally recognized norms and principles of democracy, human rights and freedoms, and ultimately aims to create free and prosperous life for uzbek people.

The reforms are based on the tasks of serving the people, obtaining the consent of the population, living with its pain, solving its problems.

Importantly, in this process great attention is paid to ensuring human rights and freedoms while maintaining openness and transparency. The main result in this direction and the international recognition is that for the first time Uzbekistan has been elected a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for a term of three years – 2021-2023.

Improving the system of labor relations, ensuring employment, creating decent working conditions and preventing forced labor have become a key task in ensuring human rights and have risen to the level of government policy.

Thanks to the strong political will of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the system of labor relations has been radically reformed, comprehensive changes have been carried out in the field, significant results have been achieved in eliminating forced labor.

A clear example of this is the lifting of the “cotton boycott” imposed on Uzbekistan by the international coalition ” Cotton Campaign” on March 10 this year.

It should be noted that the abolition of the boycott of Uzbek cotton will create millions of new jobs in our country, especially in the regions, increase employment, open new markets and implement many promising investment projects.

Also, in 2016, the European Parliament decided to join the Textile Protocol of Uzbekistan due to the elimination of systemic child labor in our country.

In 2020, the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced Uzbekistan’s compliance with the US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) on labor rights and concluded that based on the European Commission’s analysis, Uzbekistan meets the criteria for participation in GSP + .

Last year , the US State Department included Uzbekistan in the list of “second-category countries” in its annual report on human trafficking in the world.

These successes are the result of structural reforms in the field of labor relations, which have been implemented in the strengthening the legislative and organizational framework, implementation of international standards, agricultural reform, development of institutional framework, systematic monitoring and research, intensification of cooperation with civil society and specialized international organizations.

In order to counter human trafficking and forced labor, ensure the labor rights of citizens, bring legislation in line with international standards, eliminate existing problems, 16 regulatory legal acts were adopted in 2021, including 4 laws, 2 decrees and 4 resolutions of the President, 6 resolutions of the government .

In order to further strengthen the guarantees of protection of the interests of minors, amendments and additions were made to the Criminal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and the Code of Administrative Liability.

As a result, criminal liability was established for the initial actions of perpetrators of child labor, and criminal liability was increased for using children for prostitution and encouraging them to participate in the activities of illegal public associations and forcing them into forced labor.

The ILO Conventions on the Fundamentals of Safety and Health at Work and on Safety and Health in Construction were ratified.

In improving national legislation the main attention was paid to the implementation of international norms and standards. In this regard, multifaceted cooperation with the International Labor Organization has been established. Over the past 10 years, Uzbekistan and the International Labor Organization have worked effectively to combat forced labor, monitor compliance with labor rights, and introduce international standards into labor relations.

As To date, Uzbekistan has ratified 19 ILO conventions, including 8 core and 4 directive conventions.

Uzbekistan annually ratified an average of two ILO conventions and actively participated in the campaign to ratify international labor standards, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of this institution.

Thus, by improving the legal framework in the field of combating forced labor and ratifying international conventions, legal gaps in this area have been eliminated and punishments for crimes have been strengthened in accordance with international standards.

Particular attention is paid to the implementation of the principles of decent work, the development of the institutional framework in the fight against forced labor .

The creation of national and regional commissions to combat human trafficking and forced labor, as well as the creation of the Institute of National Rapporteur on these issues, makes it possible to comprehensively coordinate work in this area both at the national and local levels.

One of the priorities of the National Commission is the development and implementation of specific measures to create decent working conditions for all citizens, ensure labor rights and combat forced labor.

The National Commission, together with its members, will take comprehensive measures to improve the activities of relevant ministries and departments, strengthen interaction with civil society, including with foreign partners. All recommendations of international partners and representatives of civil society will be taken into account when developing comprehensive measures.

In addition, the National Commission pays special attention to improving the national organizational and legal framework, introducing international standards, developing the institutional framework, analyzing the effectiveness of work in this area and a systematic approach to solving existing problems. To this end, effective cooperation has been established with representatives of civil society and relevant international organizations.

It should be noted that the Confederation of Employers of Uzbekistan, established in 2018 to protect the legitimate interests and rights of employers on the principles of the International Labor Organization, also plays an important role in the fight against forced labor.

At present, this structure plays an important role in the full establishment of trilateral cooperation in the field of labor relations in our country.

In 2019, Uzbekistan ratified the ILO Tripartite Consultation Convention to Promote the Application of International Labor Standards, and the Republican Tripartite Commission on Social and Labor Issues was established to ensure its implementation.

It is noteworthy that in a short time this commission has considered more than 120 draft normative legal acts in the field of social work. Large-scale work is underway to inform employees about the content of the adopted laws, improve their legal culture and comprehensively protect labor rights and interests. .

Agrarian reform is also one of the most important directions of state policy. Therefore, within the framework of the Strategy for the Development of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2020-2030, systemic measures are being taken in the field of agriculture.

One of the boldest steps in this direction was the creation of cluster activities, especially in the agrarian system. After all, its goal is to form a single chain that unites the entire process of manufacturing, that is, from growing raw materials to processing them and producing finished products.

Thus, in recent years, much attention has been paid to reforming agriculture and adapting it to market requirements. To this end, active work is being carried out to mechanize the process of growing and harvesting cotton. As a result, it should be noted that in 2021 about 12% of the crop (8.5% in 2020) was harvested using cotton pickers.

In addition, special attention is paid to the salary of assemblers. In 2021, the fee for 1 kg of hand-picked raw cotton has increased by almost 10 times compared to 2015. Work in this direction is one of the key factors in the prevention of forced labor in our country.

Systematic monitoring of compliance with labor relations, combating forced labor and child labor has been established throughout the country.

It should be noted that since 2015, the International Labor Organization has been conducting “Third Party Monitoring” to prevent child labor and forced labor in the cotton sector.

In the early years, this monitoring was conducted with the participation of international experts. Since 2018, activists of local civil society institutions have been involved to this process. In 2021, it was organized by independent observers representing full civil society institutions.

The results of monitoring over the past 6 years have been showing full elimination of systematic forced labor. ILO experts have made a final conclusion that Uzbekistan did not not use systematic forced labor during the cotton harvest in 2021, and announced that the monitoring in this area has been fully transferred to the Uzbek side .

In addition to monitoring the International Labor Organization, the Federation of Trade Unions conducts annual national monitoring and monitoring of the Labor Inspectorate. Accordingly, parliamentary control was established by senators and members of local councils with the participation of journalists and bloggers. Representatives of civil society institutions and human rights activists are also widely involved in this monitoring.

In this process, it is important to organize and conduct an information campaign among the population and labor collectives. In this regard, a number of measures are being taken to raise public awareness of the negative factors of forced labor. For example, in 2021, more than 20,000 events were organized to raise public awareness about the fight against forced labor. Thousands of banners, more than a million flyers and 10,000 posters aimed at preventing forced labor were installed in densely populated areas of all districts and cities.

In Uzbekistan, effective relations are being established with international organizations and foreign partner countries on the prevention of forced labor and child labor, guaranteed protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens.

In particular, the National Commission on Trafficking in Persons and Forced Labor has worked with foreign partners such as the International Labor Organization, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the US Department of State and Labor, and the Cotton Campaign Coalition. Comprehensive measures are being taken to strengthen interaction.

It should be noted that Uzbekistan is a country with a high demographic burden in the labor market. At present, the number of working-age population is 20 million people, employed – 15 million, needing work – 1.3 million people. And every year more than 600,000 young people enter the great life.

It is known that decent work occupies a central place in the century-old activity of the International Labor Organization. But it is only in the last decades of this century that the issue has acquired a comprehensive, global character. This is due to the fact that more and more countries around the world need employment and social protection .

In this context, the efforts of states and international organizations on the principles of decent work at the national, regional and global levels open up new strategic opportunities and, most importantly, help to effectively address the problems of labor relations.

The basis of effective cooperation between Uzbekistan and the ILO is the “Country Program on Decent Work for 2014-2016”, adopted in 2014 and later extended until 2020. Over the past period, all the measures envisaged in this program have been fully implemented.

In order to systematically continue and further develop this cooperation, in September 2021, together with this organization, the Republic of Uzbekistan adopted the Country Program on Decent Work for 2021-2025. The program focuses on the promotion of decent work, reduction of informal employment, and social protection based on international standards.

These labor indicators will serve to develop economic opportunities in the future, provide employment, create new jobs and, most importantly, the sustainable development of society and the state.

It should be noted that Uzbekistan is actively working with international partners to introduce international standards “Better Work” and “BCI” for labor relations. At the end of 2021, Uzbekistan applied to the ILO and the World Bank to consider the possibility of assisting in the implementation of the Better Work program, and received a positive response. Today, systematic work is underway to implement these international standards.

It has become a good tradition for the National Rapporteur on the fight against human trafficking and forced labor to analyze the work being done in our country and develop specific proposals and recommendations on issues that need to be addressed in the future.

In particular, the work done in Uzbekistan in this direction by the end of 2021 was analyzed, the results of which were analyzed by the President and relevant instructions were received.

In particular, all the work done by the end of 2021 in this direction was analyzed. The results of the analyze were submitted to the President, who gave relevant instructions for future.

The issue was also discussed at a recent meeting of the National Commission, which adopted a separate “Roadmap” for the implementation of proposals and recommendations contained in the analytical information.

According to the document, this year the fight against forced labor will be continued, contacts with international organizations will be strengthened, new projects and measures will be implemented to ensure human rights and create decent working conditions. In particular, the national legislation in this area will be improved on the basis of international standards, the ratification of a number of labor conventions will be considered.

In turn, monitoring will be carried out not only in agriculture, but also in construction, silk, catering to prevent violations of labor legislation. Of course, representatives of civil society institutions are widely involved in this work.

Reforms in agriculture will be carried out systematically, focusing on creating decent, safe working conditions in the sector, achieving decent wages and mechanizing the system.

A special set of measures will be developed to establish targeted cooperation with national textile enterprises and international brands and enterprises operating in this field.

In addition, the implementation of international standards will be intensified. This, in turn, creates ample opportunities for us to open new markets and implement new investment projects in our country.