Welcomes expanded role of NGOs and Civil
Society as part of ongoing reform agenda
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan,
Sept. 2,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With less than two months to go
before Uzbekistan's citizens head to the polls in the
country's first legislative election under the newly amended
constitution, President Shavkat
Mirziyoyev has issued a decree designed to bolster the role
of civil society. As a logical continuation of the country's reform
agenda, it aims to boost transparency and accountability within
state support for NGOs.
The new decree establishes a public fund under the Parliament
for the support of civil society institutions, thereby ensuring the
targeted nature of social projects and eradicating bureaucracy.
Eldor Tulyakov, Executive Director of the Development
Strategy Center, explained the impact of the prominent and
expanded role of civil society.
"It's encouraging to see the President of Uzbekistan has signed a decree aimed at
improving the system of state support for civil society
institutions in the country. With this new and more direct link
between Parliament and the funding of social projects sought by
civil society, Uzbekistan now has
upped the ante on elected legislators to deliver impactful projects
to their constituencies. As a former MP, I am keenly aware of
bureaucratic red tape and lack of transparency that hindered the
efficiency of NGOs to advocate for spending. Removing these
barriers is a big step forward and one that will impose greater
accountability on the incoming class of legislators as well as the
parties themselves."
Over the past seven years, Uzbekistan has seen a 12-fold increase in NGO
funding compared to the previous period. The decree seeks to push
that even higher with policies that include halving the fees for
registration of NGOs, exempting public associations of persons with
disabilities, veterans, senior citizens, women, and children from
paying fees, and reducing the re-registration period from one month
to 15 days.
This new decree will allow for a greater involvement of NGOs in
social partnership programs and create a digital and transparent
system of state support for civil society institutions. The
government will now adopt annual programs to involve civil society
institutions in the implementation of socio-economic development
programs based on social partnership. As such, the decree
represents a significant milestone in the development of civil
society institutions in Uzbekistan, reflecting the ongoing progress
and commitment to liberal reforms.
Uzbekistan has continued on a
steady trajectory of reforms that accelerated in the lead-up to
last year's referendum, in which a citizen-focused constitution was
approved and enacted. The new constitution overhauled the country's
governmental functions, and put more power than ever into
parliament as part of an improved system of checks and balances.
The current decree moves the country further in that direction.
This latest move comes on the heels of the approval by the
Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan (CEC) for the participation of five
parties in the October 27 poll that
will elect a total of 150 MPs (deputies to the Legislative Chamber
of the Oliy Majlis) and almost 6,000 members of local Councils of
People's Deputies. The election will be conducted using a hybrid
model in which half of the 150 seats are selected by constituency
'first past the post' and the other half proportionally via
national party lists with a 7% threshold.
Further information
Website: https://strategy.uz/
About the Development Strategy Center
Founded in 2017, the Center implements joint projects aimed at
the study of and the application of the best international
practices and standards, as well as assessments and opinions of
international organizations and experts on the activities carried
out within the framework of development strategies and government
programs. Its activities include preparation of draft laws, bylaws
and other documents provided in the state programs, systemic
monitoring of the implementation of state programs, and studying
the popular views on state programs.
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SOURCE Development Strategy Center