On upcoming Tashkent International Investment Forum

On 5-6 March, 2020, Uzbekistan will host the inaugural Tashkent International Investment Forum

We have a great history and now it is the time to create a great future

On January 31, 2020, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited research institutes located on Olimlar street in Tashkent

ADDRESS by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan

ADDRESS

by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan

H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Oliy Majlis

of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Dear deputies and senators!

Esteemed fellow countrymen!

Distinguished guests!

Ladies and gentlemen!

Our beloved Uzbekistan is stepping into a new decade. The achievements we have secured turned into history and enormous tasks and opportunities are emerging before us in terms of accomplishing the new changes.

In this regard, today along with you we must define priority directions and tasks of development of our country in 2020 and forthcoming five years.

As a result of the recent elections held under the motto «New Uzbekistan and new elections», a new political environment came into being in our country to take democratic reforms up to a new level.

In order to monitor elections are held openly and in accordance with international standards, 825 observers from nearly 50 states and 10 international organizations have observed them.

For the first time we have closely cooperated with full-scale mission of 316 observers from the Office on Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The international observers have underscored that the elections took place in an atmosphere of free competition, intense arguments and discussions among political parties, and that the role of mass media has tangibly grown in this process.

On behalf of our entire nation I express sincere gratitude to all international organizations for their fair assessments about elections and their recommendations.

We will certainly thoroughly study each of these recommendations, will adopt relevant program and will broadly introduce into practice.

In this context, it is one of the most important tasks for us to raise electoral awareness of election commissions and constituencies, further improve the system of engagement of political parties with their electorate and raise political activeness of political parties.

Along with this, we need to pay a special attention to optimize a three-stage system of elections to local councils and enhancing the role of district and municipal election commissions in this process.

In accomplishing tasks identified on the outcomes of elections the Parliament and Central Election Commission will have to work in close cooperation with one another.

I want to address all deputies and senators, and in their person, entire people of Uzbekistan: the path of democratic reforms is only one and rightest path for us.

In this endeavors, we are remaining in daily constant search by learning in-depth the best foreign practices and striving to renew the method of our work.

We have set a great goal which goes as follows: we will build new Uzbekistan along with our people. In this regard, the new idea «The society is an initiator of reforms» is further penetrating deep into our daily life activities.

We need to ensure so that our people should be more active and pro-initiative in increasing practical results of the reforms and advancing new initiatives on the ground.

Most importantly, as a result of these reforms we need to create prosperous and commendable living conditions for our people.

In order to ensure sufficient profits for our people we must create the most favorable business and investment atmosphere, increase the number of new enterprises and jobs.

If we are not going to address these pressing tasks ourselves, no one will come and tackle them for us.

Our people should know well the following: we are facing long and difficult path ahead.

If all of us come together, constantly study and learn, accomplish our work in a perfect and quality way, master modern knowledge and selflessly push ourselves ahead, certainly our lives and our society will change.

I strongly believe in this and I think you will also support this notion.

Dear participants of the joint session!

Thanks to the diligent labor of our people, in 2019 – «The year of active investments and social development» we have secured tangible results.

Alongside positive results in all spheres, the volume of investments also saw significant growth.

Especially, foreign direct investments made up 4,2 billion dollars and comparison with 2018, and I want to draw your attention to this figure, grew to 3,1 billion dollars or 3,7 times.

The share of investments in the gross domestic product composed 37 percent.

Our country for the first time obtained an international credit rating and successfully issued bonds in the world finance market in the amount of 1 billion dollars.

Uzbekistan’s credit risk rating by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has improved for the first time during the last decade.

Deep structural reforms were started in the spheres of energy, oil and gas, geology, transport, road construction, agriculture and water economy, potable water and heating supplies, as well as number of other branches of economy.

Modernization and competition reinforcement programs are being actively implemented in 12 leading sectors of the industry.

As a result, last year the economic growth made up 5,6 percent.

Volume of the production of industrial goods increased by 6,6 percent and export – by 28 percent.

Our gold and foreign currency reserves in 2019 increased to 2,2 billion dollars and reached 28,6 billion dollars.

We have been continuing our learning and research process in terms of increasing profits of farmers and peasants in agriculture. Advanced technologies and cluster system are being introduced to the sector.

We are channeling all our capabilities to actively develop entrepreneurship and create new conditions to this sphere.

We have allocated credits in the amount of 5,9 trillion soums to the families starting up with their businesses in the framework of the «Each and every family is an entrepreneur» program.

In the framework of the new tax policy the payroll tax was decreased to 1,5 times. As a result, during the year the number of persons working in the official sector increased to 500 thousand.

The value added tax rate was decreased from 20 percent to 15 percent.

As a result, last year 2 trillion soums remained with tax payers.

This year it is expected that this figure will make up 11 trillion soums. The fact that such sum will be at the disposal of entrepreneurs in one year alone will certainly serve for extending their businesses and create profound additional opportunities for them.

As a result of our reforms, last year 93 thousand or in comparison with the year 2018 two times more businesses were established in the country.

We have climbed up seven positions in the World Bank’s «Doing Business» rating and on the business registration index we have secured the eighth place among 190 states of the world and were recognized as among the top best reformer states.

Besides, as a result of introducing visa-free regime to the citizens of 86 states and simplified visas to the citizens of 57 countries, last year 6,7 million foreign tourists visited our country.

This means – compare to the year 2016 4,7 million or 3,3 times more tourists.

As a result of our reforms we have launched on developing the preschool education, last year 5 thousand 722 state, private and family kindergartens were established.

In the outcome, the volume of elementary school coverage of our children increased from 38 percent to 52 percent during one year.

In 2019 four Presidential schools and three Creativity schools with completely new substance and form began operating.

In order to develop the higher education, last year 19 new institutions of higher learning, and in particular, 9 branches of prestigious foreign universities were established.

In cooperation with leading foreign universities the training of cadres was put in place on 141 joint educational programs.

In total 146 thousand 500 or compare to 2016 two times more students were accepted to study at the higher education institutions.

The system of full payment of pensions to working pensioners was introduced. The volume of allowances for the socially vulnerable and the needy population increased two-fold.

In the sphere of healthcare alongside the state institutions the private medical services are seeing their rapid growth, as well.

Thanks to the growth in the types of medical treatment from 50 to 126 and number of rendered benefits, last year 634 private medical facilities were established.

In the framework of the «Obod qishloq» (‘Prosperous village’) and «Obod makhalla» (‘Prosperous neighborhood’) programs the large-scale construction and improvement works were carried out in 479 villages and auls, as well as 116 makhallas in towns and cities.

For these purposes we have spent 6,1 trillion soums or compare to the year 2018 1,5 trillion soums more.

We have built in the countryside area 17 thousand 100, in towns and cities – 17 thousand 600, in total 34 thousand 700 or in comparison with the year 2016 nearly three times more affordable and comfortable housing.

The initial installment in the amount of more than 116 billion soums was paid to 5 thousand less well-off families and those in need of improving housing conditions, and particularly, for women with disabilities – based on mortgage lending, to procure affordable housing.

Our reforms are being commendably acclaimed by the world community.

In particular, one of the prestigious magazines in the world – «The Economist» has recognized Uzbekistan as the Country of the Year in 2019 for undertaking the most rapid reforms.

I believe that you will support this idea too if I say that such a recognition accords to all of us a profound pride, esteem and strength, as well as inspires us to secure new horizons.

Dear compatriots!

By critically analyzing the work we have accomplished last year, I would like to emphasize the following conclusions.

First, the heads of all levels must not relax by staring at the achieved preliminary positive indicators.

The end goal of the activity of new Parliament and the Government for the forthcoming 5 years must be raising the living conditions of our multi-national people residing in Uzbekistan.

In this regard, by addressing our deputies I want to say the following.

It is necessary to elaborate clear-cut programs and roadmaps on tackling pressing issues raised by the population during the pre-election campaign meetings and ensure their full implementation in cooperation with relevant ministries and agencies.

Otherwise, a deputy will lose his respect before electors, who have laid trust in him/her, with the status of the party seeing its downfall.

Since, today both the way of thinking, the worldview, the demands and needs of our people have completely changed. Our people are cleverer and greater than everyone.

Second, in increasing quality of the governance system we need to accomplish a lot to ensure full implementation in practice of the basic principle which goes as follows: «It is not the people who should serve the state bodies but it is the state bodies that should serve the people».

The fact that more than 1 million applications are being filed with the Virtual and People’s reception offices requires taking dialogue with the population up to a new level.

From now on, it will be put in place the system of regular hearing in the parliamentary sessions and sittings of the people’s deputies of the reports on how the heads of state bodies and khokims (governors and mayors) are addressing these appeals.

Hereinafter the way of distributing additional incomes of local budgets, fair identification of receivers of pensions and assessing the work of heads of executive bodies shall be evaluated based on the analysis of applications filed with the People’s reception offices.

Each and every deputy should constantly work along with People’s reception offices, actively participate in tackling the problems of people residing in their constituent territories and listen to the pressing issues voiced by people.

In such a way the deputies will act on their promises given to electors, will justify people’s trust and will gain their respect.

In such a way me as well, let alone as President, but as an ordinary elector, would be very grateful to you.

Third, as we have set as our goal to turn Uzbekistan into a developed country, we can achieve this only through active reforms, science and education, and innovations.

For this purpose, above all, we must nourish new generation of knowledgeable and skilled cadres, who will come on the scene as initiative reformers and those with a strategic thinking.

It is therefore that we have embarked on reforming all layers of education – starting with a kindergarten and up to an institution of higher learning.

In order to raise knowledge and awareness of not only the youth, but our entire society we need, first of all, knowledge and enlightenment, and higher spirituality.

At a place with no knowledge there will be lagging behind, ignorance, and certainly, going astray from the right path.

The wise men of the East noted as follows: «The biggest wealth is knowledge. The biggest heritage is good upbringing. The biggest misery is no-knowledge»!

It is therefore that mastering contemporary knowledge and attempting to be a genuine person of education and higher culture must turn into continuous life’s demand for all of us.

In order to achieve progress, we must master digital knowledge and modern information technologies.

It will allow us to traverse along the shortest route of progress.

Since, at present the information technologies are deeply penetrating all spheres in the world.

Despite the fact that in 2019 our country has climbed up 8 positions in the «International ICT development index», we are still lagging very behind.

It will also be true to say that most of the ministries and agencies, enterprises are far away from digital technologies.

Certainly, we know well that in order to form a digital economy, the necessary infrastructure, vast funds and labor resources are required.

However, no matter how difficult it will be, if we are not going to embark in this work, then when we will do so? It will be quite late tomorrow.

Therefore, to actively transit to digital economy will be one of the most priority tasks for us in the forthcoming five years.

The digital technologies will not only raise the quality of products and services, but also will reduce extra expenditures.

Along with this, it is also an effective tool to eradicate the evil of corruption – the most terrible evil which makes me most troubled and much concerned. All of us should clearly comprehend this.

Broad introduction of digital technologies into state and social governance as much as into social sphere will make it possible to increase a result outcome, and in a word, can radically improve living conditions of people.

Dear compatriots!

Distinguished deputies!

With a view of consistently continuing and taking up to a new and modern level the work we have started to develop the sphere of science and enlightenment, upbringing our youth to be the personalities with deep knowledge, high culture and spirituality, forming competitive economy I propose to announce 2020 in our country as the «Year of development of science, education and digital economy».

I thank all of you for supporting this proposal.

In order to comprehensively reform and develop the sectors and spheres enunciated in the naming of the year, we will have to accomplish a large-scale work.

In particular, this year we must raise the level of coverage of children with preschool education up to 60 percent. We will allocate 1,8 trillion soums from budget for these purposes. For the first time in our country the system of preparing kids to school from the age of 6 will be introduced. We will allocate for these purposes 130 billion soums from the budget. The private preschool educational institutions shall also participate in this process.

In 2020 thanks to allocation of 1,7 trillion budget soums we will build 36 new schools and overhaul 211 schools. It is also envisaged to establish 55 private schools with taking their total number to 141.

We will introduce the system of progressive wages for teachers with big pedagogical skills and relevant qualification, and known to have achieved concrete results in their activities.

It is necessary to improve school curricula based on advanced foreign experience, revise curricula load and disciplines being taught at school, bring them in line with international standards and increase quality of books and school literature.

In order to prepare to introduce the international system of school education assessment in Uzbekistan in 2021, we will identify 348 basic schools with raising qualifications of over 6 thousand teachers.

From this academic year completely new system of professional education will be introduced. We will establish 340 professional schools, 147 colleges and 143 technical schools.

In order to ensure qualifications of cadres correspond to the requirements of international labor market we need to draft the National Qualification System which will allow training cadres almost on 9 thousand professions.

We ought to create all conditions for our youth which strives to obtain higher education, self-improvement and wants to dedicate themselves to science. Therefore, we will ensure coverage of graduates of schools with higher education at least up to 25 percent in 2020 and up to 50-60 percent in the future.