CIVIL SOCIETY OBSERVER

IN UZBEKISTAN

The monthly newsletter by the Nationwide movement "Yuksalish" and the Institute for Socio-Economic Initiatives. 

Newsletter #5                                                                                                                                 October 5, 2020

This publication is prepared within the frames of the "Partnership for Innovation-P4I" program and is made possible by the support of the
American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev:
“Governors and Mayors Should Be Elected by the People”

A system of anti-crisis management will be introduced in the districts and cities with ‘unsatisfactory’ and ‘average’ categories.

Those wishing to manage the territory can submit a program for the development of a district or city in local Councils. Applicants who convince in the right cause of the programs will be appointed khokims with the right to compose their own team. “Governors and mayors should be elected by the people. We will definitely come to this”, Uzbekistan President said.

Based on the analysis results, territorial units were assigned the categories ‘good’, ‘average’, and ‘unsatisfactory’ based on the state of entrepreneurship development. Thus, in 48 districts and cities the situation was recognized as ‘good’, in 119 – ‘average’, and in 33 – ‘unsatisfactory’.

The complaints received by the "Yuksalish" Nationwide Movement as well as the results of the survey show that the public is increasingly raising questions related to the effectiveness of measures taken to combat COVID-19, the reliability of statistics, the availability of tests for coronavirus, etc.

“Lack of openness, silence and ambiguity become factors in the spread of panic, speculation, an increase in fake information, and ultimately lead to an increase in citizens’ distrust of the authorities,” the organization believes.

In this regard, Yuksalish Nationwide Movement urges:

1. The Special Republican Commission and the Ministry of Health provide full and objective information to citizens about the situation with the spread of COVID-19 in the country. In particular, publish daily detailed reports with the exact indicators and foci of the spread of coronavirus infection, people undergoing treatment at home, and the death number.
2. Combine cases of pneumonia caused by COVID-19 and cases of coronavirus infection into a single statistics, including cases of infection and deaths from SARS.
3. Providing the public with a complete list of members of the headquarters for the fight against coronavirus.
4. 4. Ensure participation of competent persons at the level of leadership of ministries and departments, members of the Special Republican Commission in briefings and press conferences aimed at informing citizens about the epidemiological situation in the country.

The President of Uzbekistan has spoken at the 75^th session of
the UN General Assembly  

At the 75^th session of the UN General Assembly, the President of Uzbekistan put forward a number of initiatives in the areas of poverty alleviation, ecology, human rights, regional cooperation, security, and others.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev spoke at the 75^th session of the UN General Assembly, which held online for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic. The head of the state delivered his speech in Uzbek.

“There has not been a planetary disaster of this scale in the last 100 years. It demonstrated the vulnerability of all humanity to such global threats. The current difficult and tense situation has proved the interconnectedness of all states and peoples of the world, the special importance of regular dialogue, trust and close cooperation,” the President noted.

“We all deeply realized the need to consolidate the efforts of governments, parliaments and civil societies, strengthen the principles of shared responsibility, close coordination in the development of the international partnership, enhance the status and potential of the World Health Organization and expand its powers,” the head of Uzbekistan said.

To what extent are citizens involved in NGO activities?

Yuksalish Nationwide Movement has conducted a social survey to study the level of citizens’ involvement in the activities of civil society institutions and NGOs, to determine the various forms of citizens’ participation in the public life of the country.

The survey involved residents and employees of nongovernmental nonprofit organizations from 14 regions of Uzbekistan - 700 respondents in total.

Within the framework of the Innovation Festival and the 11^th International Conference “Insights Into Development”, a series of multi-format events have been organized in the regions of Uzbekistan.

Over a Thousand Families Receive Help and Support as Part of the “Salom, Sardoba, Biz Birgamiz!” Campaign

In early May of this year, a charity event ‘Salom Sardoba, biz birgamiz!’ (Hello, Sardoba, we are together!) was launched to help those affected by the flood as a result of the technogenic disaster at the Sardoba reservoir. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Justice and Yuksalish Nationwide Movement with the support of the People’s Receptions of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In total, during this period, within the framework of the event, more than 20 trucks with humanitarian aid were sent to the affected areas in Sirdarya Region, including two from Bukhara Region, one from Samarkand Region, and one from Navoi Region.

Within the charity event, Yuksalish Nationwide Movement opened a special current account. Over the past period, more than 560 million UZS have been received from those wishing to make financial support. A special commission was created to ensure transparency in the spending of the collected funds. The commission is composed of the organizers of the charity event, representatives of the People’s Reception Office of the President in Sirdarya Region, the Ministry of Justice, nongovernmental nonprofit organizations, the media, and civil activists.

At the expense of the collected funds, 111 people received financial support (57 families - 3 million UZS each, and 54 families - 2 million UZS each), 50 children with disabilities, who study at home, received computers, another 10 schoolchildren received student furniture, two of the young people received wheelchairs.  Three school libraries received 2,928 books worth 40 million UZS. In addition, 84 Sardoba residents who left homeless due to the flood, as well as 235 citizens of Sardoba District included in the ‘special support list’ were provided with food packages totaling 22,329 million UZS.

The charity event also received financial support from a number of organizations, including the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the International Chodiev Foundation, the KOICA Agency, the KRKA International Pharmaceutical Company (Slovenia), Ezgu Maqsad Charitable Foundation, OU7 Foundation, the Uzbek-Turkish Association of Entrepreneurs, Red Crescent Society of Uzbekistan, sports federations, TONY Uzbekistan Textile Enterprise, the Association of Furniture and Wood Industry Enterprises of Uzbekistan, SYR Forwarders Ltd Transport Company, and other organizations.

“We are concerned about violations during construction” - Public Council under the Tashkent city administration

Experts from the Public Council at the Tashkent khokimiyat analyzed the situation in the construction sector in the city and presented their comments and suggestions.

“Considering that the industry has been stagnant for a long time, in our opinion, there is a discrepancy between the requirements of the modern level of construction and their observance by architects, engineers, and builders. In many situations, construction companies do not adhere to the building and social norms prescribed by the current legislation,” said in the Public Council statement.

During construction in the capital, experts identified the following systemic shortcomings:

• lack of facilities for people with special needs, mothers with strollers and children;
• system of selection and allotment of land plots (compact built-up);
• construction along the existing arterial and internal roads;
• quality of the construction itself.

World Bank Estimates Uzbekistan’s Human Capital Index

The World Bank has released an updated Human Capital Index. It assesses health and education for 174 countries, accounting for 98 percent of the world’s population. This data covers the period up to March 2020.

Indicators for Uzbekistan:

• probability of survival to age 5 - 98% out of 100%;
• expected years of school - 12 years;
• harmonized test scores - 474 scores (on a scale where 625 represents advanced attainment and 300 represents minimum attainment).
• learning-adjusted years of school - 9.1 years;
• adult survival rate (from 15 to 60-year-olds) - 87%;
• healthy growth (not stunted rate) - 89% out of 100%.

It was determined that the Human Capital Index in Uzbekistan is higher for girls (63%) than for boys (61%).

Flash Mob Competition #MenUchunQadrli (#Appreciate)

On September 11, Tashkent hosted an award ceremony for the winners of the Flash Mob Competition #MenUchunQadrli (#Appreciate), announced by Yuksalish Nationwide Movement on the eve of the 29^th anniversary of the State Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In less than a week, social media users posted over 500 photos and videos on their pages. On August 28 of the competition commission from among representatives of the public, international, and nongovernmental nonprofit organizations selected the 20 most interesting and creative works of the participants. The winners were determined by voting on the Movement’s Telegram channel. Voting ended on September 1.

Here are the winners:

1^st place - Maftuna Safoeva, Peshkun District, Bukhara Region;

2^nd place - Gayratdin Seytekov, Nukus, Karakalpakstan;

3^rd place - Emil Kamaldinov, Yangiyul, Tashkent Region.

Joint Project "Transparent and inclusive governance through innovation and collaboration between civil society and local authorities"

Yuksalish Nationwide Movement and the branch of the French Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) in Uzbekistan, with financial support from the European Union, are implementing the project "Transparent and inclusive governance through innovation and collaboration between civil society and local authorities".

The goal of the project is to enable civil society to participate as an actor in the management and development process in Uzbekistan. It is envisaged to strengthen the capacity of civil society and local authorities in Khorezm, Kashkadarya, and Ferghana regions through establishing connections, innovation, and assistance in the creation of public councils.

The project is designed for 24 months. As a result of its implementation, it is envisaged:

• increasing the capacity of civil society organizations to fulfill their role as independent actors in development;
• strengthening the capacity of local authorities to be effective, responsive, transparent, and accountable;
• introducing inclusive processes of management and public control at the local level through public councils;
• encouraging valued and structured civil society engagement in domestic policy development.

Hot topics in blogs

Parliament activities

Senate Approves the Law ‘On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’

On September 11, senators approved the Law ‘On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’. The document enshrines the rights of persons with disabilities, a mechanism for protecting their health, education and employment.

Commenting on the adoption of the law, Tanzila Narbaeva, Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, stated that “Uzbekistan should build a barrier-free environment for people with disabilities in accordance with international standards.”

The new law will replace the 2008 Law ‘On Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities in the Republic of Uzbekistan’.

Worth noting that since 2009, Uzbekistan has been working on the issue of ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. By the Presidential Decree of December 1, 2017, preparations for the ratification of the convention were resumed.

New appointments

Suma Chakrabarti, the former President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will become an Advisor to President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on economic development, good governance and international cooperation issues.

Other news

UN publishes results of UN75 campaign to mark 75th anniversary of the organization

From the beginning of the year till September 21, more than a million people from all countries and all groups, including Uzbekistan, participated in the global consultation.

The nationwide movement "Yuksalish" contributed to promotion of the "UN75" campaign - a global dialogue in order to reach as many residents of the republic as possible both in person and in the digital space. Uzbekistan reached the Top 10 countries in terms of the number of people who filled out the questionnaire on the platform (more than 32 thousand).

Over the past period, a discussion of the draft national SDG survey in Uzbekistan was organized, about 20 online dialogues and motivational meetings within the framework of the series of events "The 75th anniversary of the UN: a look into the future", as well as a flash mob action "Thanks to doctors" to express gratitude to representatives of the sphere for the country's dedication in the fight against COVID-19. They covered about 2 million people of different ages and occupations.

Saida Mirziyoyeva: “We are at the beginning of the path of building truly independent media”

Saida Mirziyoyeva, Deputy Head of the Board of Trustees of the Public Fund for the Support and Development of National Mass Media, considers that Uzbekistan is at the beginning of a difficult path of building truly independent media.

“Despite the fact that a lot has been done over the past four years, there is still more to be done ahead. But I would like to stress once again that our country has taken an irreversible course towards ensuring openness, freedom of speech and information, as well as turning the media into a real Fourth Estate,” Saida Mirziyoyeva stressed during the online discussion timed to the International Day for Universal Access to Information.

Four Political Prisoners Released in Uzbekistan

On the eve of Uzbekistan’s Independence Day, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree pardoning 113 convicts. Among those released are Rukhiddin Fakhriddinov, Akrom Malikov, Iskandar Khudoyberganov and Rustam Abdumannopov, who were convicted for religious and political reasons.

Blogger Khaidarjon Bobokhaidarov Released from Custody

The Prosecutor General’s Office has announced the release from custody of Khaidarjon Bobokhaidarov (blogger Dadakhon Khaidarov), who was brought in as a suspect in the case of riots in Sokh District, Ferghana Region. Together with him, the second suspect, Dilmurod Makhbubov, was also released.

The Role of Women in Interstate Dialogue

The Sharq Ayoli International Women’s Public Fund (Women of the East) has received a testimonial from Evgeny Primakov, head of the Federal Agency for the CIS Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), who highly appreciated the role of women in dialogue between the nations. This is an assessment of the activities of not only women’s organizations, but also other civil institutions in our country.

MFA: All Uzbekistanis Stuck in the Camps in Russia’s Rostov and Samara Returned Home

“As of September 29, there is no a congestion of Uzbekistan citizens near the Kinel railway station in Samara Oblast and Pervomayskaya and Likhaya railway stations in Rostov Oblast,” the operation headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.

“All citizens were returned home by special trains of JSC Uzbekistan Railways and bus routes. In this regard, the tent camps near those stations are closed,” said in the statement.

UzAutoMotors Files a Complaint against the Decision of the Antimonopoly Committee 

UzAutoMotors Company appealed to the Tashkent City Administrative Court with a complaint about the cancellation of the decision of the Antimonopoly Committee. The court session took place on October 2. The automaker intends to appeal the decision of the Antimonopoly Committee in the competition case against the company, taken on August 19.

Two Activists from Uzbekistan Become Winners in the Amazing People Prize International Competition

On September 11, the online award ceremony was held for the winners of the ‘Amazing People Prize - Civil Society Leaders and Volunteers Who Inspire Us’ Competition. The winners were determined by open online voting at http://en.cso-central.asia. Among the best were two representatives of Uzbekistan. NGO ‘Kelajak Nuri’ activist Dilshodbek Otaboev from Namangan Region initiated training of citizens on business in his region, and Saddam Mavliddinov, representing DownsideSport, implemented the ‘Inclusive Football’ project. Their ideas and projects not only contributed to solving social problems, but also inspired positive changes in society.

Football players of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan thank medical workers for their commitment in the fight against COVID-19

"Yuksalish" Nationwide Movement initiated a flash mob ‘Thank you doctors’ to express gratitude to representatives of the healthcare sector of Uzbekistan for their commitment in the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19).

The challenge was supported by the Football Association of Uzbekistan and the UN Office in Uzbekistan (within the UN75 campaign). This September 3, before the start of the friendly match between the national teams of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, players entered the field in specially designed             T-shirts with the inscription ‘Thank you!’ in Uzbek and Tajik languages.

ID Cards to Replace Passports

From January 1, 2021, a unified personal identification system is being introduced in Uzbekistan, which provides for the replacement of passports by ID cards with an electronic data carrier until 2030. It is expected that the document processing takes one day.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a Decree ‘On measures to introduce identification cards (ID cards) in the Republic of Uzbekistan’.

According to the document, from January 1, 2021, a unified personal identification system is being introduced in the country, which provides for the phased replacement of biometric passports with ID cards with an electronic data carrier (chip). This will allow citizens to use government services as well.

ID cards will be valid exclusively on the territory of Uzbekistan. To travel outside the country, citizens need biometric passports of Uzbekistan (travel passports).

Uzbekistan ranks 93^rd among the 131 economies in the Global Innovation Index. For comparison, in 2015 the country came 122^nd

Ferghana Joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities. 

The city became the first in Central Asia to be included in this movement.

This status gives access to tools and strategies for the development of learning cities, gives opportunity to communicate with experts and specialists of the network, and establish partnership. The city’s candidacy was recommended by the National Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan for UNESCO. The decision to join the network was announced in Paris on September 23.

As defined by UNESCO, a learning city effectively mobilizes its resources in each sector to promote inclusive learning, from basic to higher education, revitalizes learning in families and communities, improves the quality of learning, promotes a culture of lifelong learning, and more.

September 7, the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies

According to UN estimates, 9 out of 10 people around the world breathe polluted air. This leads to heart disease, strokes, lung cancer, and other respiratory conditions. Air pollution also poses a threat to the economy, food security and the environment.