To the participants of the II International Economic Forum of Uzbekistan

Distinguished forum participants!

Ladies and gentlemen!

I sincerely congratulate you on the opening of the II International Economic Forum of Uzbekistan in the ancient and unique city of Samarkand, an important crossroads of the Great Silk Road and express my deep respect and good wishes to all of you.

It is chance that an important goal of the conference was devoted to the topic of “turning human interests into the main content of economic reforms”.

Certainly, we all witnessed that the ongoing complex pandemic in the world and the consequences of the global economic crisis, the security of food and energy arising against the background of various unrest and conflicts, the problems of climate change make severe worries about the fate of a person an urgent issue on the agenda.

I believe that today’s forum will serve as a convenient opportunity to discuss the best practices in this regard with the participation of reputable international organizations, leading foreign companies and well-known experts, and jointly develop a common action plan.

Dear friends!

We set priorities for the implementation of active reforms in all areas based on the noble idea of “for human value” in the new Uzbek development strategy, which has been developed and is currently being intensively implemented with our people.

In particular, we aim to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth in our country in 2022-2026, to develop human capital and reduce poverty by at least 2 times. To do this, we systematically carry out the following priority tasks.

First of all, special attention is paid to radically increasing the role of the private sector in the economy, supporting entrepreneurship, improving investment and healthy competitive environment.

In this regard, due to the conditions, specifics and capabilities of the regions, it is of great importance to consistently reduce the tax burden on business and provide financial resources.

Second, to improve the quality of life of the population and further improve living conditions, we are implementing large-scale programs to develop the population's quality of life and the infrastructure of each neighborhood.

In particular, within the framework of the programs “prosperous village”, “prosperous neighborhood” and “participatory budgeting”, drinking water, electricity supply, the state of internal roads necessary for the population are improved, educational, medical institutions and other social facilities are being built.

Third, special importance is attached to the full coverage of the poor and needy segments of the population with the targeted social protection system, the expansion of the scale of their comprehensive support.

An important place in our strategy is occupied by the issue of improving the quality of professional education, attracting the population, primarily young people and women to entrepreneurship, and providing a guaranteed source of income through training in modern professions that are in high demand in the labor market.

Fourth, in the context of the threatening situation in foreign markets and partner countries, measures are being taken to ensure macroeconomic stability and curb inflation rates in our country. As a result, economic growth of more than 5% is expected in our country this year.

Fifth, with the introduction of water and resource-saving, smart technologies into agriculture, the creation of sustainable product manufacturing systems and ensuring food security will be our constant focus.

Sixth, one of the main directions of our reforms is the expansion of trade-economic and investment cooperation with all partner countries, access to foreign markets with competitive products, ensuring connectivity through the development of transport and logistics systems in this regard.

Dear forum participants!

Certainly, the New Uzbekistan works closely with international financial organizations, foreign countries and leading companies in the implementation of the high milestones set before it.

At this point, I express my gratitude to all our partners who are sympathetic to us, actively participating in the implementation of joint projects.

I am confident that the participation of representatives of such influential organizations as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and potential investors will serve to make this forum work more effectively.

I believe that the participants of today’s conference will make a worthy contribution to the further expansion of our partnership by reaching mutually beneficial agreements on the implementation of new projects.

Taking this opportunity, I wish all of you sound health, tremendous strength and good luck in your honorable and responsible activities, and great success in the work of the forum.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev,

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan