UZBEKISTAN

Reflected in the “Year of Well-being and Prosperity

People's well-being: One of the highest
Priorities of Uzbekistan's Government

The ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan, first and foremost, are aimed at ensuring worthy quality and standard of life for each citizen of the country. These tasks are reflected in the “Year of Well-being and Prosperity” State program adopted in February, 2013.

The program defines the measures to ensure the steady growth of wealth and real income, employment of the population, further development of small business and entrepreneurship, farming, improving the system of targeted social protection and social assistance, especially for the socially vulnerable and low-income families.

An increase in wages of employees of budget organizations, pensions, allowances and stipends on average not less than 23 percent is estimated for 2013.

The income growth will also be facilitated by a rise in employment. The creation of 973 thousand new jobs, including via commissioning new production facilities, upgrading and expanding existing enterprises (57,9 thousand), creating and developing small businesses and micro-firms (367,8 thousand), individual enterprises (117,7 thousand), various types of home-based work (218,4 thousand), developing and expanding the farmers (124,1 thousand), industrial, social and market infrastructure (73,1 thousand), recovering the insolvent and inactive enterprises (13,7 thousand).

To provide the labor market with well-trained, qualified staff various forms of cooperation professional colleges with employers-enterprises. In 2013 more than 500,000 graduates of professional colleges are planned to be employed through vacant and redundant jobs. To this end over 90,000 companies and organizations in different industries are attached to professional colleges. The practice of tripartite agreements between professional colleges, graduates and their parents, as well as enterprises will be enhanced. In addition, each regional center, large cities and district will host job fairs, attracting potential employers and employees.

The State program provides for further development of vocational education, training and retraining of people in need of employment. This year 600 young people will be able to master on-demand professions in such industries and areas as machinery, electronics, car maintenance, information technology at the Tashkent vocational training centre. 500 million soums will be allocated by the Employment Assistance Fund for these purposes. During 2013-2015 a similar center of vocational training for 240 people is planned to be opened in Samarkand.

Employment and income growth is largely dependent on the development of small businesses and private entrepreneurship. Today, 87 percent of all businesses in the country are small and private businesses, under non-state ownership. They account for more than 83.6 percent of gross domestic product, more than 90 percent of industrial output, almost all agricultural products, as well as the trade and services sectors.

Small business and entrepreneurship are the basis for the formation of the country's middle-class property owners, the social layer that is interested in the political, social and economic stability in the country, an active driving force on the path of progress and democratic reforms.

The Law "On the family business" has introduced a new legal form of economic activity in the form of family businesses, which fully complies with the mentality and traditions of our people. The family businesses have a wide range of privileges, preferences and guarantees. In just six months after the adoption of this Law more than 600 such companies have been established.

A corporate procurement and purchasing system is an important form of stimulating small businesses. In 2013 the number of actors involved in this sphere is estimated to increase by 1.3 times. In particular, a mechanism of corporate purchasing and procurement for 2,086 large enterprises with the state share in the share capital will be introduced, with the share of small business in the total amount of their purchases to reach 25 percent.

In addition, 850 small industrial enterprises will sell their products in accordance with the contracts, signed during the Industrial Fair and Cooperation Exchange, which is a 36 percent increase compared with 2012 sales volumes of small enterprises by such contracts.

The "Year of well-being and prosperity" State Program pays special attention to implementing measures to increase the production and processing of agricultural and food products, development of viticulture, livestock and sericulture, modernization and technical re-equipment of agriculture in the regions, with the expansion of lending by commercial banks to this sector.

Holding of industry fairs of innovative ideas, technologies and projects are planned for this year, in which entrepreneurs can enter into contracts for the supply of modern processing mini-technologies and compact equipment for domestic production. Navoi Machine Building Plant, Tekhnolog OJSC, "PGS" private enterprise and other companies are expected to increase their production of such technologies.

The Concept of further deepening democratic reforms and formation of civil society in the country emphasizes the need for broad use of modern information and communication technologies in the public and social life, as well as the accelerated implementation of the organizational and legal measures to ensure the ongoing development of the national information space.

Association of IT Enterprises and Organizations of Uzbekistan exists in the country, which also established the Competence centre for electronic governance, providing IT-companies the opportunity to promote their products and services in the field of e-governance free of charge and undertaking targeted research.

The "Year of the welfare and prosperity" State program intends to support G2G (government to government), G2B (government to business) and G2C (government to citizens) e-governance systems. The project includes the creation of a single portal of interactive government services on the Internet, operating on the "single window" principle. Online registration services for small businesses and private entrepreneurship, of licenses and permits will be made available. In 2013 development of optical networks, FTTx broadband access will continue.

In order to carry out social projects, the program provides for the counseling, legal and organizational assistance to needy families, small businesses and private entrepreneurship.

Implementation of the measures planned in this important part of the "Year of well-being and prosperity" State program will be of critical importance for the further dynamic development of our country, the well-being of every person, every family in Uzbekistan. k

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