On January 28 2022, in a continuation of the Action Strategy, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan. Eldor Tulyakov, Executive Director of the Development Strategy Center, spoke about the results of the previous program document, as well as the goals of the Development Strategy for the new period, in an interview specifically for the CABAR.asia analytical platform.
It is known that the Action Strategy for the five priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021 (hereinafter referred to as the Action Strategy) laid the foundation for reforms in the country over those 5 years. What practical results have been achieved over the past period?
Eldor Tulyakov: Indeed, the Strategy was divided into five areas, and included such important areas as state and public building, the rule of law, the development of the economy, the social sphere, as well as security and the implementation of a mutually beneficial and constructive foreign policy. In total, within the framework of the Action Strategy over the past period, about 300 laws and over 4000decisions of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan were adopted.
In particular, in terms of the results achieved in the field of improving the system of state and public building, it should be noted that in 2017 the Virtual and People’s reception rooms of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan were created. Over the five years of the Action Strategy, more than 5 million 780 thousand applications received by the virtual reception of the President and People’s Receptions have been considered, of which more than 3 million 288 thousand have been satisfied. The practice of the annual Address of the head of state to the Oliy Majlis – the parliament of the country was introduced, as well as the reform of the system of state authorities and administration.
In addition, at the meetings of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, the institution of “government hour” was introduced – the hearing of the answers of government members to deputies’ questions. In 2018-2021 particularly, “government hours” were held 30 times, at which 41 members of the government answered questions from deputies. An important point to note is that, starting from 2021, hearings are covered on social networks.
In order to ensure the rule of law and further reform of the judicial and legal system, special attention was paid to turning the courts into a “citadel of justice”, including improving the activities of the Supreme Court. In particular, the Supreme Court and the Superior Commercial Court were merged, and the institution of returning criminal cases for additional investigation was abolished. A Judicial Inspectorate has been established to ensure the immunity of judges and prevent corruption.
In 2017–2021, important steps were taken to protect human rights and interests. In particular, the “residence registration” system, which was a painful issue for the country’s population for many years, has been reformed. Also, the procedure for granting citizenship was simplified, as a result of which, in 2018-2021, more than 70 thousand people were granted citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In the field of ensuring gender equality, more than twenty normative legal acts aimed at comprehensive support of women have been adopted, increasing their role in the management of the state and society. The Commission on Ensuring Gender Equality of the Republic of Uzbekistan was established and the Strategy for achieving gender equality in the country until 2030 was approved.
Regarding the results achieved in the field of development and liberalization of the economy, it should first be noted that the main economic reforms were to ensure macroeconomic stability, reduce inflation, reduce and simplify the tax burden, diversify economic sectors, create a favorable climate for business, improve infrastructure, develop rural economy, economic integration, and digital economy. Due to the reforms carried out in 2017-2021, 23 free economic zones operate in Uzbekistan today. They have implemented 453 projects totaling 2.6 billion USD and created about 36,000 jobs. Appropriate benefits and preferences were provided to attract foreign investors to free economic zones.
At the same time, large-scale reforms were carried out in the field of interest rate channel of monetary policy, including the introduction of a system of free conversion of foreign currency, the solution of cash problems, the development of payment systems, and the smooth operation of automated ATMs. According to statistics provided by the Central Bank, at present the total number of ATMs and information kiosks across the country is about 12,000 units. Also, in 2019–2021, the total number of currency exchange points serving the population was increased from 1,724 to 2,664, which created conditions for convenient exchange of national currency to foreign currency.
As a result of the liberalization of foreign trade and the effective use of the export potential of the republic in 2017-2021, there were practical changes in the foreign trade activities of Uzbekistan. In particular, customs duties were abolished for all exported goods and services, customs fees were reduced for a number of imported goods, and the licensing system and export procedure were simplified. As a result, the total trade turnover of Uzbekistan with foreign countries doubled over five years, from 20.1 billion USD to 41.1 billion USD by the end of 2021.
Regarding the fourth priority area – the development of the social sphere – it is important to emphasize that a number of works have been carried out to improve the healthcare system, the Concept for the Development of the Preschool Education System, and the Concept for the Development of the Higher Education System of the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030 have been approved. In 2017-2021, new specialized polyclinics were established in 306 city and district hospitals of the country, as well as 1,200 emergency departments.
Based on feedback from the general public and parents, the country has reinstated 11 years of compulsory schooling. In 2017-2021, the number of higher education institutions doubled from 77 in 2016 to 141, and the admission quota for higher education was tripled and increased to 28 percent. Presidential schools, schools for especially gifted children, schools of creativity and the “School of Temurbekov” have also been created.
It should be noted that in order to consistently increase employment and real incomes of the population, Monomarkaz LLC was established, which provides services to the unemployed population. Today, 14 Ishga Markhamat monocenters, 30 vocational training centers, 11 short-term vocational training courses, 136 vocational training centers for the population of the mahalla operate in the regions, which is the result of reforms in this area.
In the field of security, interethnic harmony, and religious tolerance, as well as the implementation of a balanced, mutually beneficial and constructive foreign policy, great work has also been done and a number of positive results have been achieved. In particular, in order to further strengthen the country’s defense potential, the legal framework of the sphere was improved, including the adoption of the Defense Doctrine of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The organizational structure, combat composition and efficiency of the Armed Forces were strengthened, and the level of equipment of the troops with modern weapons increased by 5 times in 2017-2021.
Due to a fundamentally new approach to ensuring religious tolerance, not only national policy in this area, but also initiatives promoted in the international arena received widespread support from the international community. In particular, if in 2018 Uzbekistan was excluded from the list of “countries of particular concern” in the international report on religious freedoms, then as a result of regular positive changes, Uzbekistan has been excluded from the list of “states under special supervision” since 2021, which was the recognition of democratic reforms.
In addition, in recent years, approaches to the implementation of measures to counter religious extremism and terrorism in the country have been conceptually revised. The active implementation of preventive and explanatory work among the population is the focus, which is based on the idea of ”enlightenment against ignorance”.
As a result of a carefully thought-out policy to ensure interethnic harmony in the country, mutual understanding between citizens is further strengthened, mechanisms for interethnic and interfaith dialogue are being improved, and the legal and organizational foundations for expanding the freedoms of citizens are being strengthened. In particular, the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendly Ties with Foreign Countries under the Cabinet of Ministers has been established. By the end of 2021, the number of friendship societies reached 38, and the number of national cultural centers reached 150.
In the field of cooperation with international organizations, it is important to emphasize the initiatives put forward by the President of the country at the sessions of the UN General Assembly (GA) since 2017. Based on the initiatives put forward, a consultative meeting of the heads of states of Central Asia, an international conference on Afghanistan in Tashkent were organized, a number of UN General Assembly resolutions were adopted, such as “Strengthening regional and international cooperation to ensure peace, stability and sustainable development in the Central Asian region”, “Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance”, “On Declaring the Aral Sea Region as a Zone of Ecological Innovations and Technologies”, and the activities of a multilateral trust fund for ensuring human security in the Aral Sea region under the auspices of the UN have also been established. These achievements are clear evidence of the broad international support for the initiatives promoted by Uzbekistan.
Previously, Uzbekistan’s relations with some neighboring states seemed tense. Has the Action Strategy made any adjustments to these circumstances?
Definitely, strengthening relations with the states of Central Asia remained one of the most important tasks in the country’s foreign policy. In particular, in this direction, at the initiative of the head of Uzbekistan, an exchange of high-level visits was established with all states of the region, as already noted, consultative meetings of the heads of state of the five republics were organized. As a result of strengthening an open and trusting political dialogue between the heads of the Central Asian states, a solution was found to many complex problems, such as the use of water resources, transport communications, border crossing, delimitation, and demarcation of border areas. For example, in 2017–2021, the process of delimitation of the state border of the Republic of Uzbekistan accelerated sharply. By 2021, the delimitation of the border as a whole reached 95.5%, where the Uzbek-Tajik border by more than 99% and the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border by more than 80%, has been carried out.
Also, trade, economic, industrial and production ties with neighboring countries began to develop consistently. In particular, over the period 2017-2021, the total volume of trade with the countries of Central Asia more than doubled from 2.7 billion USD to 6.3 billion USD.
On January 28 of this year, in continuation of the Action Strategy, the Strategy for the Development of New Uzbekistan was approved by decree of the President. What are the distinguishing features of the “Development Strategy for New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026” from the Action Strategy?
The adoption of the new Development Strategy of Uzbekistan for the next five years has truly become a historic event and a logical continuation of the Action Strategy implemented over the past years.
The Action Strategy began with the implementation of large-scale reforms in various areas, and the Development Strategy will continue these reforms, ensuring their continuity and improvement based on accumulated experience and capabilities. It is important to note that the Development Strategy increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the ongoing reforms. When evolving the Development Strategy, existing problems were taken into account and the actual tasks awaiting their solution were reflected upon. It should be emphasized that the participation of citizens of the country has significantly increased in the preparation of this document. Therefore, it would not be a mistake to say that this is a historical document created by the people and for the people.
The new Development Strategy of Uzbekistan consists of seven priority areas, each of which is aimed at developing a specific area. What can be expected in Uzbekistan in the future as part of the development of these areas?
The first direction of the strategy “Building a people’s state by ensuring the interests of the individual and further developing a free civil society” covers 12 goals. The most conspicuous aspect is the creation of a system of applying to all state bodies from mahallas and the provision of public and social services directly in the mahalla. In addition, according to the Development Strategy, the position of hokim’s assistants has already been introduced. Currently, work has begun to improve the welfare of the population through the development of entrepreneurship. Due to active communication with the population, the hokim’s assistants identify those who have intentions to do business and advise them. The state, for its part, allocates significant funds to support those who start their own business. This approach is in line with the principle that initiatives for reform must come from the people.
The second direction, which includes 8 goals, involves the transformation of the principles of justice and the rule of law into a fundamental and necessary condition for the development of the country.
Among other priorities identified in the Development Strategy for 2022-2026, one can highlight the area of further development of the economy, including its further liberalization, improving competition, eliminating monopoly, attracting more foreign investment, stabilizing prices, and decentralization, which will give more powers to the regions. At the same time, the key goal for the country is to increase GDP per capita by 1.6 times in the next five years, and per capita income to 4,000 USD by 2030 by ensuring stable high growth rates in all sectors of the economy, which should create prerequisites for Uzbekistan to enter the category of “states with an upper-middle income”.
Another important goal is to ensure macroeconomic stability and gradually reduce the annual inflation rate to 5% by 2023. In turn, this year the government intends to reduce the inflation rate to 9%.
The fourth direction – “Conducting a fair social policy, developing human capital” – includes 34 goals and provides for a significant improvement in the quality of education in educational institutions, an increase in enrollment from the current 67 to 80% in the preschool education system, the monthly salary of qualified teachers to the equivalent of 1,000 US dollars, bringing the level of coverage of the population with higher education to 50%, and others.
The next direction is “Ensuring spiritual development and raising this area to a new level.” Particular emphasis is placed on education issues and basic law of the state development.
The sixth direction is “Approach to global problems based on national interests”. One of the goals of this direction is the elimination of existing environmental problems that are harmful to the health and gene pool of the population. For this, measures such as the creation of an additional 500 thousand hectares of green areas on the dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea will be taken, bringing their total area by the end of 2026 to 2.5 million hectares, or 78% of the territory. In addition, projects will be implemented in the Aral Sea region based on the programs of the International Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility aimed at protecting biodiversity, as well as preventing climate change and soil erosion. In parallel with this, further strengthening of social support for the population living in the Aral Sea region is envisaged.
In addition, under the current conditions, measures to combat extremism and terrorism are acquiring special significance. To this end, the role of Uzbekistan will be expanded in the implementation of international initiatives that promote the exchange of information and the development of cooperation within the framework of joint work to counter extremism and terrorism in Central Asia. Initiatives will also be accelerated in drawing the attention of the world community and regional organizations to ensuring peace and harmony in Afghanistan.
The last, seventh direction implies strengthening the security and defense potential of the country, conducting an open, pragmatic, and active foreign policy. Thus, within the framework of this direction, it is envisaged to take measures to strengthen the combat readiness of our troops and their potential, as well as to improve the social protection of military personnel, which is also important in this area. In addition, in order to ensure the security of the country and its citizens, work will be carried out to create a system for warning and preventing emergencies. One of the innovations in the field of security will be the organization of the aviation service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. In addition, it is planned to involve the private sector in the production of firefighting equipment.
Moreover, the seventh direction includes measures to increase the role of Uzbekistan on the world stage, strengthen close cooperation in various fields in Central Asia, further expand cooperation with our traditional partners and strengthen economic diplomacy.
In particular, in order to interact closer with the countries of Central Asia, it is planned to ensure the holding of annual Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia, to begin work on the development of a Strategy for Regional Cooperation, to increase the capacity of border checkpoints in Uzbekistan, to raise cooperation in the field of ecology to a new level, prevention of environmental pollution and nature protection.
Work will be carried out to increase the range of activities of Uzbekistan in international organizations: comprehensive interaction with UN bodies and institutions will be further expanded, and measures will be intensified for Uzbekistan to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and deepen integration with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). It is important to note that the WTO plans to develop measures to support and subsidize exports in accordance with the rules of the organization, which will further increase the country’s export potential.
Another significant aspect of the seventh direction of the Development Strategy can be considered to be the system of providing services to citizens of Uzbekistan abroad by diplomatic missions and consular offices. Modern information and communication technologies will be introduced in the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the provision of consular services to citizens who are abroad and the coverage of the provision of services by diplomatic missions and consular institutions will be expanded.
On my own behalf, I would like to add that due to the Action Strategy, a new history of Uzbekistan is being created today. It can be unconditionally affirmed that the achievements of the country in recent years will serve as a worthy legacy for future generations.
In turn, it is important to note the role of the Development Strategy Center in the implementation of two related Strategic Documents. If in 2017, by decree of the President of Uzbekistan, the Center was entrusted with the task of monitoring the Action Strategy and state programs as the main task, then from this year, by a new decree, the organization will be transformed into a full-fledged analytical center and, in parallel with monitoring, will conduct full-scale research based on the goals of the Development Strategy and to cooperate with foreign partners in this field.
In conclusion, I want to thank you for your interest in such an important document as the Development Strategy and Uzbekistan as a whole. For its part, the Development Strategy Center is ready to further develop partnerships with the analytical platform Cabar.asia.