“The updated Constitution should create a solid legal basis and a reliable guarantee of long-term development strategies for our country, in general, its future prosperity and tomorrow’s prosperous life of our people”, the President emphasized.

The Constitution determines the foundations of the political, economic and social life of the state, expresses the freedoms and rights of citizens. Therefore, in all countries, special attention is paid to the adoption of this document and the implementation of the norms and rules reflected in it.

In Uzbekistan, the Constitution of the country is valued by citizens as an important legal document that ensures freedoms and human rights, forms the basis for the development of society and the state, and creates conditions for a decent life for members of society. It is also noteworthy that in any society the Constitution is considered an important resource that influences the pace of social development, a beacon directing to the goal. To do this, this legal document must be one step ahead of the socio-economic, political, spiritual and cultural processes taking place in society and leading its members.

That is why the President of Uzbekistan, who deeply felt this truth, took the initiative to make certain changes to the main document.

Let's analyze the essence of the initiatives put forward by the Head of the state in the context of the social processes taking place in our society. We can be convinced of their serious significance.

For example, the practice of solving first the tasks and problems facing the state, approaching social processes from the point of view of state interests, and then focusing on problems related to society and human life has dominated our country for many years. For this reason, in all existing legal documents, the priority of the interests of the state appears. In subsequent years, the principle “It is not the people who should serve the state bodies, but the state bodies that should serve people” became the fundamental motto in the implementation of reforms. For the changes based on this principle to become a trend, it is first of all necessary to consolidate the principle of “man – society – state” as a constitutional norm.

Today, human interests are recognized as the main criterion for economic reforms. All efforts undertaken by state bodies are aimed at satisfying the human interests and improving the well-being of the life of people. To ensure the continuity and harmony of these processes, it is necessary to further strengthen the legal foundations for ensuring the supremacy of human interests in the country. Without this, it is impossible to build a humane state in Uzbekistan. In this regard, it became necessary to supplement articles 24-42 of the Constitution on human rights with an article stating that human interests should be at the center of all social processes.

Also noteworthy is the initiative to constitutionally strengthen the role and status of civil society institutions. It is known that one of the main principles of the reforms carried out in our country in the years after gaining independence was the principle “The state is the main reformer”. This approach, of course, had a certain effect at the initial stage of the reforms. However, later this began to limit the participation of civil society institutions in the social process.

The status and functions of civil society institutions were not clearly defined in the current Constitution (Article 56 of our Basic Law only determines which associations are recognized as public associations), which does not allow changing the situation. As a result, these institutions, on their initiative, ceased to participate in the life of society, and their social activity decreased. Therefore, to enhance their participation in social processes, first of all, it is advisable to introduce the principle “Society is the initiator of reforms”, clearly define the status of civil society institutions in the Constitution, and include norms related to the national idea and ideology in it.

It should be noted that the beginning of the process of introducing amendments to the Basic Law of the country imposes certain tasks on the members of the society. Today, all of us are required to actively participate in this process.

Abdumavlon Qosimov,

Deputy of Tashkent City Council of People’s Deputies