Tashkent hosted an international conference on “Development of a free civil society and non-governmental non-profit organizations” as part of the International Partnership Initiatives Week.

The event, organized by the Center for Analysis of Democratic Processes, brought together more than 10 foreign and 100 local experts, representatives of government agencies, non-governmental non-profit organizations, academia, and political parties.

The participants discussed the reforms carried out on the path to the democratic development of Uzbekistan, especially significant changes in civil society, as well as the country’s achievements in ensuring openness and transparency.

The conference participants highly praised Uzbekistan’s success in recent years, noting that the country ranks 30th in the world Open Data Index and holds a leading position in Central Asia.

The experts emphasized the importance of the Concept for the Development of Civil Society in 2021-2025 and the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan of August 26, 2024 “On measures to improve the system of state support for civil society institutions”. These documents created a transparent system of state support for civil society institutions based on the principles of healthy competition.

Particular attention at the conference was paid to the upcoming elections to parliament and local Councils. For the first time, elections to the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis will be held under a mixed system, and the share of women among parliamentary candidates will increase to 40 percent, an essential stage of democratic reforms. The introduction of the electronic information system “E-SAYLOV” will be of great importance to ensure the transparency of the electoral process.

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Aziza Alimova, photos by Rustam Nazarmatov, UzA