Democracy in Uzbekistan

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

     Newsletter #12                                                                                                                    April 5, 2021 

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

The Civil Society Development Concept Approved

The Decree of the President of March 4 approved the Civil Society Development Concept 2021-2025 and its targets.

The priority areas of the Concept include:

• consistent improvement of the legal framework for the development of civil society;
• assistance to civil society institutions and improvement of the mechanism of their government support;
• creation of the necessary conditions for the active participation of civil society institutions in state and public administration;
• expanding the participation of civil society institutions in the implementation of state social projects;
• ensuring the openness of the activities of civil society institutions.

The target indicators provide for an increase in the volume of government support for nongovernmental nonprofit organizations (NGOs) and other civil society institutions in the form of subsidies, grants, and social orders by at least 1.2 times in 2021 and 1.8 times in 2025.

Public Funds for Support of NGOs and Civil Society Institutions under the Jokargy Kenes of Karakalpakstan, Councils of people’s representatives of the regions, and Tashkent city will be allocated 16 billion soums in 2021 and 70 billion soums in 2025.

From April 1, the Index of openness of activities of nongovernmental nonprofit organizations will be introduced. The annual rating will be compiled on the basis of an analysis of the activities of NGOs, the level of social partnership, the effectiveness of allocated subsidies, grants, and social state contracts, and other indicators.

The Decree introduces the institution of a permanent representative of NGOs participating in sessions of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and its committees (commissions).

From May 1, it is instructed to launch the Single interactive portal ‘Shaffof Xairiya’ (Transparent Charity) for the centralized collection and distribution of charitable donations, as well as control of their targeted use.

In addition, this year, NGO Houses will be created in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, as well as Andijan, Kashkadarya, Namangan, Surkhandarya, Tashkent, Ferghana regions, and Tashkent city. They will house newly created NGOs operating in socially significant areas on the basis of the right to use them free of charge.

At the 13th plenary session on March 12, the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan approved a law on the introduction of criminal liability for calling for mass riots as well as other changes in legislation.

Thus, Article 244 ‘Mass riots’ of the Criminal Code will be added with the following clauses:

A public call for disobedience to the legal demands of government officials, mass riots, and violence against citizens –

• is punished with a fine from 100 to 300 reference calculation values or correctional labor up to 2 years, or restraint of liberty from 3 to 5 years, or imprisonment from 3 to 5 years.

The same actions performed:

A - by prior conspiracy by a group of persons;

B - using the mass media, telecommunication networks, the Internet, as well as printed or other methods of reproduction of text –

• are punished with a fine from 300 to 400 reference calculation values or correctional labor from 2 to 3 years, or imprisonment from 5 to 10 years.

On March 30, the President has signed the law on amendments to the legislation. 

Online Public Monitoring of the State Program Implementation

Yuksalish Nationwide Movement together with the Senate of the Oliy Majlis has initiated an open public hearing on the implementation of the State Program.

So, on March 19, civic activists, parliamentarians, together with representatives of responsible government structures, critically examined the implementation of six items of the State Program, the deadlines for which expire in February-March.

In particular, according to item 60, which provides for the development of a draft law ‘On nonbank credit institutions and microfinancing’, item 70, aimed at drastic changing the appearance of mahallas (communities) and villages within the framework of the ‘Well-Developed Village’ and ‘Well-Developed Mahalla’ Programs, item 73, according to which up to 1 March it was necessary to develop a draft regulatory document on the study of hydrogen energy technologies and the development of science.

On March 26, a regular public hearing was held on the implementation of the State Program. Representatives of government agencies provided the public and parliamentarians with detailed information about the work done. The participants focused on the issues of implementing a system of social contracts, supporting young scientists, and financing start-up projects by young people, as well as aspects of forming a guaranteed package of free medical services.

So, in 2021, state health insurance and an e-health system are being introduced in Sirdarya Region as an experiment. In this case, the processes of opening medical records for each patient, services will be converted into electronic format. For these purposes, it is planned to allocate 28 billion soums from the budget.

 It is worth noting that Yuksalish Nationwide Movement has launched a special platform to ensure the transparency of the implementation of the State Program. Citizens can monitor the implementation of the document in online mode.

"American Corner" Appeared in Qarshi

The US Embassy in Tashkent together with the Ministry of Public Education of Uzbekistan has opened the American Corner at the Barkamol Avlod Community Center in Qarshi, Kashkadaya Region. This is the first such center outside the capital.

The American Corner is a resource center with free access to educational and cultural materials in English. There will also be organized consultations for those wishing to study in the United States.

The 230 square meter space includes a computer lab, a library, a conference room, and a consulting room for education in the United States. The American Corner in Qarshi will assist in learning English through programs with native speakers.

Within the framework of the American Corners initiative, implemented by the American Councils for International Education, seven such corners will be opened in Uzbekistan. For the project, which is being carried out in cooperation with local partner organizations, the US government has allocated more than USD 800,000.

UNICEF Calls for Investing in Girls’ Education

In its statement, UNICEF called for investing in girls’ education, access to information, capacity building, empowerment, and equal employment opportunities for young women.

According to the report ‘Youth of Uzbekistan: Challenges and Prospects’ published in December (prepared by UNICEF, Yuksalish Nationwide Movement, and the Youth Union), the number of girls in higher educational institutions of the country is 37 percent of all students. In employment, young women are largely excluded from the labor market.

While 56 percent of young people aged 19-24 do not receive an education, employment, or vocational training (NEET) after graduating from general school, then for young women the NEET rate rises rapidly after they reach the age of 18 (from 1.7 percent to 69 percent). For 25-30-year-old women, it reaches 74 percent, while for men it usually remains lower (maximum - 33.5 percent) and decreases with age (to 24.8 percent).

The data also shows that girls and young women have barriers to accessing information over the Internet. The number of young women between the ages of 14 and 30 who have never used the Internet is twice that of men of the same age - 68.1 percent and 34.3 percent, respectively.

The studies have shown that strengthening social protection for low-income girls and supporting concessional higher education loans is key and contributes to more stable and resilient societies in the medium term.

UNICEF called on government agencies, NGOs, and communities to expand platforms that ensure equal access to higher education and employment opportunities for women.

“The women we see in leadership positions today have had opportunities in the past to gain education and access to resources and employment. Let us provide such opportunities for girls and young women in Uzbekistan today,” said Munir Mammadzade, head of the UNICEF Office in Uzbekistan.

Marco Mantovanelli on World Bank's Survey Results in Uzbekistan

Marco Mantovanelli, World Bank Country Manager for Uzbekistan: "Female-headed households in #Uzbekistan more often have to borrow money for basic needs, experience #foodinsecurity and difficulties with paying for utilities and emergency expenses compared to male-headed households, a @WorldBank survey reveals." 

The World Bank’s statement also goes that in Uzbekistan, the monthly Listening to the Citizens of Uzbekistan (L2CU) survey has comprehensively monitored the views and wellbeing of respondents from all regions of the country. Following the first nationwide lockdown in March 2020, the survey has been used to monitor the health, social, and economic implications of the pandemic for citizens and local communities (mahallas). More than 18,000 interviews have been collected since the outbreak began.

The findings reveal that existing gender inequalities in Uzbekistan make women especially vulnerable to negative economic shocks such as COVID-19. The loss of income from employment, remittances, and other sources, as well as increased domestic care responsibilities and risks of domestic violence, have worsened living and health conditions of women from low-income households in urban and rural areas alike.

Data on employment across the country shows gender gaps are especially evident. Women were already much less likely than men to work for pay. On average, between October 2018 and December 2020, only 19 percent of women were actively working in the week preceding the L2CU interview, compared to 44 percent of men. Women represented only 34 percent of those engaged in full-time work in urban areas, and a much lower in rural areas – 28 percent.

On average, men in Uzbekistan experience steady gains in labor force participation with each level of educational attainment, but women must complete tertiary education before they start to reap the employment-related benefits. Completing upper secondary school is associated with a 15 percent jump in the likelihood of working for men, for instance, but no jump in the likelihood of working for women.

Marital status and childcare responsibilities also affect women’s labor force participation. Married women have a much lower likelihood of working than single women – 36 percent compared to 52 percent.

COVID-19 has negatively affected sectors where the share of female employment is high. Namely, women are over-represented in informal, seasonal, and part-time jobs that were hit hard by the crisis in Uzbekistan. They are also widely employed in foodservice and hotel industries (52 percent), retail (51 percent), as well as in arts, recreation, and entertainment (45 percent), which have experienced the most significant job cuts since the beginning of the pandemic.

For instance, an L2CU analysis of the largest online job listing data in Uzbekistan shows that, after plunging in April, new open positions did not recover their previous level by the end of 2020. Sectors with particularly large declines between April and December 2020 compared to the year before included tourism (-51 percent), beauty, fitness, and sports (-43 percent), secretarial jobs (-36 percent), culture and art (-30 percent), and bars and restaurants (-17 percent), which traditionally generate jobs for women.

During the pandemic, female and male-headed households experienced similar rates of job loss and declining remittances. But these shocks have likely been especially hard on female-headed households, who on average have fewer sources of economic resilience. Households headed by women already had median monthly incomes about 17 percent below those of male-headed households before the pandemic.

Female-headed households are less likely to be able to pay for emergency expenses, more often borrow money for basic needs, and more frequently are unable to pay for utilities. In December 2020, 42 percent of female-headed households said they could not pay an emergency expense of 100,000 soums (around USD 10) compared to just 25 percent of male-headed households.

Excessive Bureaucratic Procedures Abolished

By the Decree of the President ‘On measures to further reduce bureaucratic barriers and introduce modern management principles in the activities of government bodies and institutions’ dated March 23, from June 1, 2021, the following government services and procedures will be provided on an extraterritorial basis:

• registration of 7 types of acts of civil status (birth, marriage, divorce, death, change of name and surname, the establishment of paternity, as well as adoption);
• medical examination of persons entering into marriage;
• registration of a biometric passport for traveling abroad.

When carrying out notarization, all information regarding the registry office is obtained independently through the information system without requiring unnecessary information from citizens.

The practice of requesting a certificate of absence of HIV infection when accrediting an employee of a representative office of a foreign commercial organization on the territory of Uzbekistan is abolished.

The procedure for issuing duplicate documents that were issued with a QR code affixed to the document is canceled. Now duplicates of these documents are provided free of charge through the Single Portal of Interactive Government Services.

The demand from the population and entrepreneurs of 18 types of documents and information specified in more than 450 legislative acts is canceled; these documents will be received by authorized government bodies through the ‘Electronic Government’ platform.

From July 1, the transition to the accounting of taxpayers in tax authorities using the personal identification number of an individual (PIN) will begin. The document establishes that PIN is a single identifier that certifies the identity of a citizen in the provision of all government, banking, social and other services.

Mass Vaccination against Coronavirus in Uzbekistan Started on April 1

Nurmat Otabekov, Deputy Head of the Service of Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health, has informed that mass vaccination against coronavirus in Uzbekistan started on April 1. The date was chosen to take into account the preparation of the primary health care system for vaccination.

At the first stage, it is planned to vaccinate 330 thousand people using the AstraZeneca (Covishield) vaccine. In total, in Uzbekistan, at the first stage, it is planned to vaccinate over 4.1 million people. Vaccination will be done on a voluntary basis.

Minister of Internal Affairs: More than a Third of Serious Crimes Are Domestic Violence

35.2 percent of crimes related to murder registered in 2020 (143) and 20.5 percent of crimes causing grievous bodily harm (192) were committed during family conflicts. This was announced by Pulat Bobojonov, Minister of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan, at the 13^th plenary session of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis.

As a result of the untimely elimination of family conflicts, 14379 offenses were committed, of which 50.5 percent (7264) fell on Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand and Ferghana regions.

Every sixth suicide is committed because of family discord not resolved in time.

According to the Minister of Internal Affairs, due to unresolved problems and difficult living conditions in 2020, 5,774 women committed 5,520 crimes. Over a year, 14,774 women who were harassed in family life received protection orders, but only in 317 cases the perpetrators were brought to administrative and criminal responsibility.

Uzbekistan Introduces a Universal Progressive Model of Patronage

On March 9, UNICEF handed over to the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan more than 50,000 copies of a manual and pocket guide on the universal progressive model of patronage.

The publications aim to improve services for pregnant women, women in labor, and children under 5 years of age at the primary health care level, where the population receives basic health services such as vaccinations, prenatal services, and treatment of diseases.

The materials are developed on the basis of scientifically based international recommendations and standards for early childhood development, nutrition, and psychosocial support. They serve as a guide to improve the professional knowledge and skills of visiting nurses.

The development and publication of a guide and handbook is the first step in the implementation of a universally progressive model of patronage service. UNICEF, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, is preparing a team of trainers who will train all nurses in the new methodology, which will also be introduced into the system of undergraduate and professional development of nurses. The result is expected to improve the quality of health care and provide support and care for families in need.

House of Friendship and NGOs Opened in Samarkand

House of Friendship and NGOs have been opened in Samarkand. This was provided for by the Decree of the President of May 4, 2018.

The House of Friendship and NGOs was created on the basis of a four-story dormitory building located on Spitamen Street in Samarkand. The complex includes almost 60 offices, four assembly halls (260 seats), a co-working center, a library, and a museum.

The House of Friendship and NGOs will be able to accommodate national cultural centers, newly created nongovernmental nonprofit organizations operating in socially significant areas using a zero rental rate.

Similar complexes are already operating in Khorezm, Sirdarya, Navoi, Jizzakh and Bukhara regions.

Fine to Be Imposed for Interference in the Work of NGOs

The draft law developed by the Ministry of Justice on amending the Code of Administrative Responsibility provides for the imposition of a fine on officials who committed this offense in the amount of 7 to 10 reference calculation value (from 1.7 million to 2.4 million soums), in case of repeated violation - up to 15 reference calculation value
(3.6 million soums).

In case of detection of this offense, the justice authorities will draw up an appropriate administrative protocol and transfer it to the court.

The Ministry of Justice emphasized that now there is no responsibility for the interference of officials in the work of NGOs, which is why NGOs “were forcibly involved in sponsorship and other activities.” Certain officials put restrictions on them in the conduct of events. In addition, there were cases of confiscation of property belonging to NGOs, as well as requests for documents from them in violation of the law, and others.

Hot topics in blogs

Which vaccine is preferred by citizens of Uzbekistan?

Mass vaccination against coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan Started in April. There are various public perceptions on which vaccines should be taken, whether they are worth vaccinating or not…

To be vaccinated against COVID-19 and attracting the population to be vaccinated is a relevant matter for many countries. For example, in a number of European countries, people, including health workers, are sceptical about vaccines. In November 2020, according to a survey conducted by the University of Erfurt in Germany, the Robert Cox Institute and the Federal Health Information Centre within the framework of the COSMO project, the preparedness of health workers for coronavirus vaccination was 3,98 on a scale of 7. Among the population, the rate was higher, at 4.45.

To find out the opinions of Internet users about the upcoming vaccination campaign, the Nationwide movement “Yuksalish” conducted an online survey on March 29-31 on the Telegram messenger. More than 19,000 participants, from almost all regions, were covered in three days (in particular, the online survey was published on more than 30 channels and messenger groups).

140 Convicts Pardoned on the Eve of Navruz

By the Decree of the President, 140 convicts, including 12 foreigners, were pardoned on the eve of Navruz.

Of the pardoned 4 persons were completely released from serving the main sentence, 69 persons were released from serving the sentence on parole, the punishment imposed on 8 persons was replaced by a milder one. In addition, the sentences of imprisonment imposed on 59 persons were reduced.

Those pardoned included 9 men over 60 years old, 13 women, 14 persons who participated in the activities of banned organizations.

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Office of International Religious Freedom:

We welcome the Government of Uzbekistan's recent release and reduction of sentences for 14 religious prisoners. We urge all countries to release all those imprisoned on account of their beliefs. #FreedomofReligion

Uzbekistan Receives First Batch of AstraZeneca Vaccine

This March 17, Uzbekistan received the first batch of coronavirus vaccine under the global COVAX Program - 660,000 doses of AstraZeneca (Covishield). The humanitarian cargo arrived in Tashkent from India.

In total, 2 256 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been allocated to Uzbekistan within the framework of COVAX Program. The second batch is expected to be delivered in May, Leanne Coppens, head of the World Health Organization Office, said.

WHO Head Sent a Letter to the President of Uzbekistan

Director General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has sent a letter to President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The letter expresses gratitude to the head of state for developing and submitting to WHO the draft International Code on Voluntary Commitments of States during Pandemics, initiated by the President of Uzbekistan at the 75^th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Uzbekistan Donates 20 Ambulance Vehicles to Kyrgyzstan

This March 12, during the state visit of the President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov to Tashkent, on behalf of the people of Uzbekistan, 20 ambulance vehicles including Volkswagen Caddy and Isuzu D-Max were donated to Kyrgyzstan.

Sadyr Japarov said that this gift was a “pleasant surprise” and thanked Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He added that “there can be no problems between the countries” and expressed gratitude for the adherence to “bonds of brotherhood and good-neighborliness, Uzbekistan’s constant assistance and support.”

New appointments

Sherzod Asadov, who previously worked as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, has been appointed Deputy Head of the Administration and Spokesperson for the President of Uzbekistan.

The head of the state instructed Sherzod Asadov to coordinate the activities of spokespersons of all departments and hokimiyats (administrations).

Earlier Sherzod Asadov worked as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. He also served as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan to Austria and the country’s permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and other international organizations in Vienna.

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Navbahor Imamova, Journalist @Voice of America:

After 2+ years break, @president_uz  has a press secretary — @Sherzod_Asadov. President Mirziyoyev needs a spokesperson, who can communicate with the nation as well as the world. Asadov is a seasoned diplomat, who knows how critical the task is. Good luck and talk to you soon!

Charlotte Adrian Headed the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan

This March 5, the newly appointed head of the European Union Delegation to Uzbekistan, Ambassador Charlotte Adrian, presented to the Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov with a copy of her credentials.

The parties discussed the state and prospects of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the EU. The schedule, agenda and organizational issues of upcoming joint events, including the next meeting of the Uzbekistan-EU Cooperation Council, the upcoming round of high-level dialogue ‘EU-Central Asia’ on politics and security, were considered.

Earlier, Charlotte Adrian headed the Department of Financial and Technical Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union in Kyrgyzstan.

The previous head of the European Union Delegation to Uzbekistan, Eduards Stiprais, completed his four-year mission in July last year.

Uzbekistan and Indexes 

11 Scores in 2021 Index of Freedom

In the updated ranking of freedom of the international human rights organization Freedom House – Freedom in the World 2021 - Uzbekistan scored 11 points out of 100. This is one point higher than last year’s figure. This is the seventh figure among the CIS countries.

Uzbekistan still retains the status of ‘not free’. The political rights of Uzbekistanis were rated at 2 scores out of 40, and the level of civil liberties - at 9 scores out of 60.

Other news

The “Obod qishloq” (Prosperous village) and “Obod makhalla”  (Prosperous community) Programs in Figures

188 mahallas in 796 villages and towns - settlements with difficult conditions.

Unsatisfactory power supply in more than 4 thousand villages

21 trillion soums - for the implementation of programs in 2021. Including:

3 trillion 300 billion soums - construction and repair of drinking water and electricity supply networks, internal roads and social facilities in 325 villages and 71 mahallas

2 trillion soums - repair of more than 10 thousand km of internal roads in 2,721 mahallas

1 trillion soums - pipelining more than 4 thousand km of drinking water supply networks in 500 mahallas

2 trillion 100 billion soums - renovation of 15 thousand km of power lines and more than 4 thousand transformers in 5 377 mahallas. This is 60 percent of the total number of mahallas in the republic.

9 trillion soums - family entrepreneurship programs. Small industrial zones to be created in 128 mahallas at the expense of 1 trillion soums

Together with the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, work will be carried out to develop rural infrastructure for 485 billion soums in 21 districts and 60 villages of Ferghana, Andijan, Namangan, Sirdarya and Jizzakh regions.

Under the Well-Developed Village Program - construction and repair of 379 schools, 171 nursery schools and 161 medical institutions.

Under the Well-Developed Mahalla Program - construction and repair of 57 schools, 37 nursery schools and 15 medical institutions.

It is planned to complete the work by November 1, 2021.

Consulate General of Turkey Opened in Samarkand

This March 7, the Consulate General of Turkey was opened in Samarkand. The Consulate will be dealing with the tasks for the development of investment, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Uzbekistan and Turkey.

The opening of the Consulate General was envisaged by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of August 18, 2020. The document defines the expansion of technical assistance from the Turkish government to Uzbekistan.

Turkish experts will be engaged to work on improving the management of health infrastructure facilities, strengthening the regulatory framework in the field of seismology, introducing international standards in the construction of roads and roadside infrastructure, and transferring the best solutions and technologies of Turkey in the field of electronic government.

24 Compatriots Returned to Uzbekistan from Afghanistan

24 Uzbeks were returned March 2 from Afghanistan to Uzbekistan within the framework of the Mehr - 4 (Mercy) humanitarian operation. 

Among those who returned to Uzbekistan are 19 children, including four orphans. Previously, they stayed on the territory of Afghanistan and Pakistan in areas occupied by international terrorist organizations. After a medical examination, they were placed in a health center.

It is worth noting that in May 2019, as part of the Mehr humanitarian operation, 155 women and children were returned to Uzbekistan from Syria. Later in October, within the Mehr - 2 operation, 64 children were brought from Iraq. In December last year, 98 more women and children returned home as part of the Mehr - 3 operation.

Uzbekistan Stops Import and Export of Ozone-Depleting Substances

The National Program for Stopping the Use of Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS) was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers dated March 9, 2021.

Within the framework of the National Program, in particular, it is provided:

• cessation of import and export of ODS and products containing them to Uzbekistan and establishment of strict control in this area;
• formation of a database on the import and export of ODS and products containing them;
• creation of six new centers for the processing of ODS.

For reference: the first National Program in this area was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers in 2000.

In 2016, 99.95 percent of ODS was withdrawn from circulation in Uzbekistan, which was ahead of the deadlines specified in the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which entered into force on January 1, 1989. The total consumption of ODS has been reduced from 1967.2 to 9.86 tons, or by 99.5 percent in relation to 1989.

Representative Office of the Global Green Growth Institute Is Planned to Be Opened in Tashkent

The State Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection together with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) are implementing a joint project on green restoration of the Aral Sea region.

The project, which will amount to USD 5.65 million, will be financed by grant funds from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Its goal is to promote the green rehabilitation of Karakalpakstan to overcome the consequences of the ecological crisis of the Aral Sea and determine measures for sustainable life support, resilient to natural disasters.

For reference: The Global Green Growth Institute is an international intergovernmental organization headquartered in Seoul that aims to foster inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing and emerging economies by promoting green economies in the face of climate change.

Success Stories of NGOs in Uzbekistan

Civic Activists Joined the Public Council under the Ministry of Public Education

Dilmurod Yusupov, Ph.D. student at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, UK, co-founder of the SHAROIT PLUS Public Association of Disabled People, and Vasilya Kadirova, a representative of the self-help group for parents of children with mental disabilities, have joined in the Public Council at the Ministry of Public Education of Uzbekistan.

This initiative was announced on February 9, 2021, during the discussion meeting ‘The role of nongovernmental nonprofit organizations in the development of inclusive education in Tashkent. The discussion meeting became one of the important events in the program of the National Festival of Civic Activists.

For information: The festival is organized within the framework of the Partnership for Innovation Program in Uzbekistan, which is implemented by Yuksalish Nationwide Movement and the Civil Society Development Association ARGO, Kazakhstan, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development, USAID.

“Many thanks to the Ministry of Public Education for inviting me and Vasilya Kadirova, an activist, single mother of a girl with autism, to join the new Public Council at the Ministry. We raised the issues of education quality of disabled children and the developing inclusive education,” Dilmurod Yusupov wrote on his Twitter page.

First Amputee Football Championship Took Place in Uzbekistan

This March 6-9, the first Football Championship among amputee players was held in Kosonsoy District of Namangan Region. The event brought together six teams, including Matonat, Baynalminal, Jizzakh, Andijon, Farghona and Namangan teams.

“For the first time in the last 32 years, the championship of Uzbekistan among persons with limited mobility has been organized,” Rustam Mehmanov, chairman of Matonat Football Development Center for Amputees, says. “This is despite the fact that the center’s team has become the best in the world more than once. The Matonat team is a five-time amputee world champion in football, winner of more than 30 international tournaments. Our initiative got the support of the Football Association of Uzbekistan, hokimiyats (administrations) of Namangan Region and Kosonsoy District, NGO Mehr-Muruvvat of Kokand city, Yuksalish Nationwide Movement, a number of sponsoring organizations. The team is currently preparing for the next World Championship, which is scheduled for 2022. The players are enthusiastic and ready to confirm the title of the strongest on the planet.”

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