Uzbekistan on the path to developing a strong social policy

In alignment with the dynamic pace of socio-economic reforms being implemented in our country, special attention is being paid to the effective administration of social protection policies. For the first time, the updated Constitution has declared Uzbekistan a "social state." Over recent years, the scale of social assistance provided to the population has increased fivefold, extending support to more than 2 million families through these social protection programs.

To uphold the principles of a "social state" and ensure the unwavering protection of citizens' social rights and interests, as well as to fundamentally enhance the quality of social services, the National Agency for Social Protection was established under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This agency is tasked with introducing a completely new management system based on advanced international standards.

From its inception, the agency has actively worked to strengthen the legislative framework in this sector, creating a robust legal foundation for social protection. Specifically, between June 1, 2023, and February 2024, the government enacted 21 regulatory legal acts, including 2 laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 3 presidential decrees, 5 resolutions, and 11 decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Implementation of Social Policy at the Makhalla Level:

To ensure the application of regulatory legal acts and the delivery of guaranteed state social services and assistance at the makhalla level, the government established "Inson" Social Service Centers (hereinafter referred to as Inson Centers) in 208 districts (cities).

In these centers, social workers and their assistants have enhanced their activities. Each makhalla has social workers assigned based on the "region — district — makhalla" principle, considering the number of families and population groups in need of social protection.

To systematically improve the qualifications of social workers and their assistants, the Center for Professional Development of Social Protection System Employees launched the E-learning online educational platform. This platform, along with training programs for enhancing the qualifications of social protection workers, was developed in collaboration with international organizations such as UNICEF, UNFPA, Syracuse University (USA), and the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek.

Inson Centers and social workers have expanded the types of social services they provide by 23 items, now offering a total of 49 services. Additionally, the number of services available by application increased by 9, bringing the total to 18.

To digitize the social protection sector, the "Unified National Social Protection System" launched the electronic "E-case" module, which processes 74 types of data from 29 ministries and agencies. At the makhalla level, they created a system for providing social services and assistance to 12 categories of families in need of social protection. Using the E-case electronic module, they opened cases to study the life situations of 14,926 families in need, applying a comprehensive approach. Social workers conducted door-to-door visits to assess the primary needs of 12,841 families and the comprehensive needs of 1,811 families. As part of the individual plans developed for each family, they provided a total of 86,540 social services and types of assistance (social, legal, psychological, professional, etc.).

Improving the Living Standards of the Needy Population and Providing Social Assistance:

In 2021, Uzbekistan established the legal foundations for the concept of poverty by defining the minimum social standards for the population and the poverty line, which enabled the determination of the poverty level in the republic. Since that, the Unified Social Protection Registry has fully automated the process of assigning social benefits to low-income families. This system electronically processes 56 types of data from the information systems of 16 ministries and agencies, ensuring transparency in the system's operations.

From September 2023, a proactive system for assigning and paying maternity and childbirth benefits for women employed in the private sector was introduced through the “Unified Social Protection Registry.”

In August 2022, the Social Insurance Fund started paying maternity and childbirth benefits from its own funds. The state budget allocated 300 billion soums in 2023 to cover the fund's expenses.

Additionally, following a presidential decree, the government introduced a practice of providing a "preliminary social-material assistance package" to support the social adaptation of citizens who had served sentences in places of deprivation of liberty. The "Sakhovat va Komak" Fund aims to prevent citizens from falling into difficult social situations and helps those in such circumstances, with these cases being considered by the makhalla council.

Social assistance and subsidies focus on lifting the population out of poverty, emphasizing transparency, fairness, and social justice in decision-making. The makhalla council holds responsibility for ensuring these principles are upheld.

In the field of social protection for persons with disabilities, a number of important measures have also been taken.

It should be noted that on June 7, 2021, Uzbekistan ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. To implement the provisions of this Convention, the Chambers of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan approved the National Action Plan for 2023-2025.

The "Medical-Social Expertise" electronic information system now handles the accounting and examination of persons with disabilities, fully digitizing the activities of these commissions. In collaboration with international experts and specialists, including those from the Uzbekistan office of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the government is taking steps to introduce effective mechanisms for determining disability. Specifically, they have developed a procedure that determines disability based on an assessment of the person's daily life activities, participation (functionality), and health status, rather than the degree of limitation in life activity.

In 2023, authorities provided 41,071 needy individuals with 14,627 prosthetic devices and 33,021 rehabilitation aids. This year, they purchased and distributed 391 modern prosthetic and orthopedic devices, including 58 leg braces, 146 thigh prostheses, and 187 shin prostheses, to those in need. Additionally, officials purchased 700 modern hearing aids for hearing-impaired children in specialized educational institutions.

According to this decision, from May 1, 2024, in the city of Tashkent and the Samarkand region, and from August 1, 2024, in all other regions of the republic, a system for providing prosthetic devices and rehabilitation aids to those in need through electronic commerce on a voucher basis is being introduced.

Also, by a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers, the regulation on the procedure for providing prosthetic and orthopedic devices and technical rehabilitation aids to those in need was approved, expanding the list of prostheses and rehabilitation aids guaranteed by the state from 18 to 30 items.

Moreover, the amount of state funds reimbursed for the purchase of prosthetic devices and rehabilitation aids was increased by an average of three times, and for some items, up to ten times.

Currently, 12 rehabilitation and prosthetic centers for persons with disabilities, with a total capacity of 975 beds, are functioning. On average, 27,000 persons with disabilities receive free inpatient rehabilitation services in these centers each year.

In 2023, 4,468 persons with disabilities received training in using prosthetic products and technical rehabilitation aids. Psychological services reached 15.3 thousand people, legal assistance and consultations were provided to 6.5 thousand people, 15.5 thousand people received family life adaptation services, and social environment orientation services supported 12.0 thousand people.

Social Protection of Women:

Since September 2022, the state budget has covered maternity and childbirth benefits for women employed in the private sector, based on the amount of minimum consumer expenses. The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, along with regional and Tashkent city administrations, paid contract fees for needy girls accepted into state higher education institutions on a basic contract, especially those who lost one or both parents, as well as for single women without a breadwinner.

Additionally, women studying in master's programs at state higher education institutions had their contract fees covered by the state budget, without the obligation to repay them. In 2023, the state budget allocated 85.1 billion soums to support 14,269 women studying in master's programs, with a total of 200 billion soums set aside for these purposes.

Social Assistance and Services for Individuals in Need of Care:

In accordance with the relevant resolutions, authorities fully digitized the processes for identifying individuals in need of care, assessing their needs, determining their category, and including them in the corresponding Register. As a result, they reduced the time for determining the need and inclusion in the Register from 41 days to 5 working days and completely abolished the practice of collecting and submitting documents for verification by the individual.

The material assistance provided to single elderly people and persons with disabilities was standardized. In particular, instead of monthly compensations for utility bills, food products, and personal hygiene items, monthly material assistance in the amount of minimum consumer expenses was introduced for single elderly people and persons with disabilities. The activities of social worker assistants providing home care services to individuals in need were revised, and a system of hourly pay was introduced. Now, social worker assistants will receive a monthly salary for the hours worked with individuals in need.

Additionally, individuals in need of care and their escorts now enjoy free admission to state sports events, theaters, and museums. Single or solitary living persons with disabilities can engage in sports activities at state-owned physical education and sports facilities for free, based on referrals from the Inson Center.

The system continuously monitors the needs and effectiveness of services provided to individuals in need of care. Social workers reassess the living conditions of these individuals once a quarter and monitor the effectiveness of the social services every six months.

If necessary, social workers adjust the services based on the results of these reassessments and monitoring. The information system automatically generates individual social service plans according to the specific needs of each individual, and social workers and the Call Center of the National Agency for Social Protection monitor the implementation of these plans through regular surveys.

It is noteworthy that on May 1-2 of this year, the first Republican exhibition of products manufactured by people with disabilities, titled "Inson uchun" (For the Human), was organized at Uzexpocentre.

The exhibition featured the participation of about 200 entrepreneurs employing people with disabilities, including individual entrepreneurs and artisans with disabilities. The exhibition showcased furniture, textiles, footwear, sports goods, food products, technology, printing, and other types of goods.

Around 5,000 of our compatriots and foreign guests attended the exhibition. The media, social networks, famous artists, and bloggers provided live coverage of the event. Ministries, agencies, large state enterprises, entrepreneurs, and companies employing people with disabilities signed approximately 900 business contracts worth 440 billion soums during the event.

Moreover, the guests of the exhibition made retail purchases of products from artisans with disabilities worth 300 million soums. Additionally, the Sharoit Plus NGO and 14 companies organized job placements for 12 people with disabilities at the exhibition.

Next Stages of Reforms in the Field of Social Protection:

- Expanding the participation of the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and other civil society institutions in the provision of social services, particularly services to single elderly people and people with disabilities. Taking measures to widely involve non-governmental organizations and the private sector in the processes of providing social services to these categories.

- Modernizing specialized schools, boarding schools, preschool educational institutions, and educational institutions in accordance with international standards.

- Developing additional criteria for assessing the low-income status of families through the "Unified Social Protection Registry" information system and covering all segments of the population with social protection programs.

- Increasing the effectiveness of social protection programs and improving the efficiency of working with categories of the population in need of social protection through the full digitization of the social protection system, ensuring its openness and transparency.

- Holding an international high-level conference on "Social Protection: The Path to Sustainable Development and Equality" under the auspices of the UN in Uzbekistan in 2025 to gain international recognition for the reforms aimed at strengthening social protection in the republic.

- Developing incentive mechanisms for involving the population in the social insurance system, thereby increasing the coverage and effectiveness of the guaranteed social protection system.

Considering the above, Uzbekistan's reforms and practical measures on the path to developing a strong social policy are actively building a professional social protection system in the republic. These efforts ensure the socialization of vulnerable segments of the population and provide targeted assistance to people in difficult life situations at the makhalla level.

Currently, 12 rehabilitation and prosthetics centers with a total capacity of 975 beds are operational, providing free rehabilitation services to an average of 27,000 persons with disabilities each year in inpatient settings.

In 2023, a total of 4,468 persons with disabilities were trained to use prosthetic products and rehabilitation technical aids. Psychological services were provided to 15.3 thousand people, legal assistance and consultations to 6.5 thousand, family life adaptation services to 15.5 thousand, and social environment orientation services to 12.0 thousand people.