July 14, 2015
In Uzbekistan One-stop-shops for business to be launched in 2016. 2
Russian foreign minister to visit Uzbekistan. 2
10th Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival.. 7
The Tenth Festival Anticipated to Be ‘Out of the Ordinary’ 7
Business Climate
In Uzbekistan One-stop-shops for business to be launched in 2016
One-stop-shops providing public services to entrepreneurs are to be launched at the beginning of next year. Large-scale preparatory work is currently underway. These days a series of meetings are held to discuss the draft government resolution on the establishment of OSSs and the most convenient and simplified mechanisms for their operation.
This initiative is implemented in line with Presidential Decree UP-4725 dated May 15, 2015, “On the measures to ensure reliable protection of private property, small business and private entrepreneurship and remove barriers to their rapid development”. The OSSs will start working no later than January 2016 on the basis of the existing 193 inspectorates for business registration established under district (city) hokimiyats by a Government resolution.
These inspectorates will be transformed across the country and assigned with concrete functions and objectives. They will also have a clear mechanism to interact with public institutions through the currently developed system of electronic communication. The OSSs will be made sustainable for a long term prospective through well-thought financing measures.
The on-going work focuses on explaining the procedures for the OSSs to interact with the public, businesses and government agencies, determining the location of the OSSs, equipping them with modern technologies and staffing them with skilled specialists, while discussing other relevant issues. The Ministry of Justice, the joint project of the CCI and UNDP “Business Forum of Uzbekistan (Phase III)” and other stakeholders have been working on a regulatory framework that will provide solutions to the above issues. Service suppliers like ministries and other government agencies have proposed optimal approaches to provide their services to businesses.
Importantly, a number of public services will be rendered exclusively through OSSs. It is also proposed to prohibit direct requests made from entrepreneurs to public agencies and any demands of personal presence of or communicating to the applicants during the consideration of the applications for public services included into the special list of services provided exclusively through OSSs. In addition, due measures will be taken to forbid any restrictions on applications through OSSs based on territorial jurisdiction or other grounds.
“The introduction of OSSs will enable the country residents to receive public services in one spot without the need to contact directly with various government ministries, agencies or departments. This will simplify significantly all administrative procedures to obtain permits and authorization for public service delivery to businesses,” said Bahodir Bekov, manager of the joint UNDP and Chamber of Commerce of Industry project “Business Forum of Uzbekistan (Phase III)”.
Representatives of government ministers and institutions providing their services through OSSs have attended a series of events carried out at the CCI and inspectorates on business registration under the hokimiyats in the Sergeli and Mirzo-Ulugbek Districts of Tashkent.
(Source: UzDaily.com)
International cooperation
Russian foreign minister to visit Uzbekistan
On 14 July 2015, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov will arrive in Uzbekistan, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan said.
Within the framework of regular Uzbek-Russian dialogue meetings and negotiations in Tashkent are planned. It is expected to discuss topical issues of the bilateral and international agenda.
(Source: UzDaily.com)
Society
The Country of the Young
A youth festival has taken place, a review contest has wrapped up, a scientific conference has been held, another Kamolot home has been commissioned… The media talk about the life of the youth all year round, suggesting that the country of the young lives at its fullest.
A PALETTE OF LIFE
Uzbekistan is taking every effort to ensure that the dominating part of its population – the younger generation – is growing healthy, educated and comprehensively advanced. These days, young people are entering colleges, academic lyceums, prepare for the entrance test at universities. The life is boosting in youth sports schools, Barkamol Avlod children’s centers, music and art schools, summer camps. Meanwhile, this is just a small part of what is being done in the country for young people. The entire scope of the work has been carried out under the Law ‘On the National Youth Policy in the Republic of Uzbekistan’ and the Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on additional measures for the implementation of the national youth policy in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Public Youth Movement of Kamolot, the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education, Ministries of Public Education, Justice, the Mahalla Charity Foundation, the Republican Center of Spirituality Advocacy and their social partners have been actively involved in the implementation of a broad range of measures. Approved by the Board of Trustees of the Public Youth Movement Kamolot, the action plan for 2015 has been contributing to the productive and system-based work, which focuses on the support of talented young people, broad involvement of boys and girls in physical education and sports, prevention of juvenile delinquency, educating the young people in the spirit of patriotism and devotion to the idea of national independence.
COMPETENT IN LAW
The program attaches importance to protecting the rights and interests of young people. The legal education is an effective tool in this context. The contests in an atmosphere of study of the regulatory framework in an unobtrusive way help school, college and university students to study the law. The competitions like ‘Do you know the law?’ ‘Experts of Law’ strengthen and advance the knowledge of the law and legal competence in the young people.
For example, the project of the Public Youth Movement Kamolot, the contest entitled ‘Do you know the law?’ aims at raising legal competence of young people by introducing them to the activities of state authorities and administration, and at shaping the conscientious attitude to the political processes in the younger generation. The competition is held across the country among students of academic lyceums and vocational colleges to assess the level of practical knowledge in the young people.
“There are many talented and enthusiastic guys among my classmates, but they do not know how to realize their potential,” says a participant Kamol Behriyev. “I tell them that they should be guided by the law when achieving their objectives, and the success will come by itself. I have realized that being an active participant in the competition ‘Do you know the law?’
This year, the targets of the competition have expanded significantly since the legal competence and enthusiasm of the young people has remarkably enhanced over the recent years. Our boys and girls are well aware of their fundamental basic rights, and are actively involved in the dissemination of law knowledge. It is noteworthy that in their contest works the participants come up with constructive proposals on how to improve the regulatory framework, which then are subsequently passed on to the authorities for consideration. As part of the competitions, the meetings in the Constitutional and Supreme Courts have contributed to the further development of the dialogue of the young and the lawyers.
ALL ROADS OPEN
A student festival ‘Talabalar Festivali’ has recently completed. At the scientific conference the participants discussed the issues of upbringing a comprehensively advanced generation, debated on the role of youth in the development of Uznet. Upon the meeting the participants worked out some specific proposals. Hot debates have taken place in the Munozara club on relevant issues of promoting the reading among young people and on environmental issues. The Management Development Institute of Singapore in Tashkent hosted master classes on various topics related to diplomatic etiquette, use of social networks, career development and others. An exhibition of innovative projects of students was an interesting addition. It presented robots, models of cars and other novelties. The festival was remarkable with a rich cultural program.
The competitions on ‘Yurt Kelajagi’ (The Future of the Country), and ‘Kamalak Yulduzlari’ (Rainbow Stars) promote educating the youth in the spirit of patriotism, enrichment of spirituality, open up talents, help with vocational positioning and self-actualization of the young people.
The regional stages of this year’s Yurt Kelajagi competition involved 66,000 people. 420 most creative and enthusiastic ones passed on to the republican stage. Laziz Kayumov, a student of Bukhara State Medical Institute and winner of the regional stage of the Yurt Kelajagi competition in the category of ‘Information technologies, innovative proposals and technical products’, says as follows:
“The institute provides all conditions for study and research. The students are offered well equipped study and laboratory rooms, light lecture rooms, and gyms. I have been working on the creation of a drug formula of an antibiotic used in the treatment of purulent skin diseases under the guidance of assistant professor Obid Ernazarov. I hope my work will result in a new drug. My participation in the festival has given me confidence, as I have realized the demand for my research. Indeed, making the ideas of the enterprising true is truly one of the key objectives of the competition.”
The Children’s Art Festival ‘Kamalak Yulduzlari’ is another big forum. It welcomes everyone from 6 to 14 aiming at revealing the children’s aptitudes, promoting their talents and supporting them. The festival is not just a chance for the young talents to express themselves, but it enriches their outlook, cultivates a taste for the beauty and preservation of national traditions and folk art.
“I like drawing our Uzbekistan,” says a 5th grade student of the Tashkent school №260 Diyora Ergasheva. “I hope to participate and win at the big exhibition, which presents my works.”
The summer stage of the Turkiston Palace has recently hosted the final event of the youth festival ‘We are the children of a great country!on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of independence of Uzbekistan. Under the two-month festival, 14 large-scale projects were carried out, over 800 events were held in social, political, spiritual and educational life, and healthy lifestyles were promoted in all regions of the country. The festival involved more than 700,000 people. A group of 70 young men and women who have achieved high progress in sports, art, science and other areas, traveled in each district. They told about their peers about their success, motivating for good deeds.
BUSINESS FOR BEGINNERS
Development of youth entrepreneurship has been one of the progressive tendencies of the domestic economy and care about graduates. Being an active part of the society and capable to effectively participate in the economic life of the country, young people take innovations easy. They see the creation of favorable conditions as a priority. The measures taken have contributed to raising the level of youth entrepreneurship and rational use of the manpower of the young people with an aptitude for business.
“We say ‘good’ when a lyceum or college graduate gets employed, and ‘twice as good’ when they set up their own business, providing job for themselves and their peers,” says Feruz Ablayarov, Manager of Socioeconomic Projects of the Central Council of the Kamolot Public Youth Movement.
The Central Bank, the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education, the Chamber of Trade and Industry and the Public Youth Movement Kamolot have been working on the active involvement of young people in entrepreneurship, especially graduates of vocational colleges, and on the expansion of microfinance services for the implementation of their business plans. The advocacy and support of entrepreneurship among young people, as well as teaching business skills has been a priority. Business disciplines in educational institutions complement the activities involving the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and commercial banks. For instance, every vocational college is secured by bank employees who meet with students regularly, introduce to the basics of business, inform about bank services and lending procedures.
The Kamolot PYM has been implementing projects on ‘My Business Idea’ and ‘A Young Businessman is a Pillar of the Country’ jointly with commercial banks and other nongovernmental organizations across the country. 30 college graduates – budding entrepreneurs – were awarded certificates for preferential loans at the rate of 4.5% per annum, and 353 young entrepreneurs received the certificates for preferential loans at the rate of 9% per annum in the amount of 3.9 billion soums under the project ‘My Business Idea’ in 2015 alone (currency rates of CB RU from 14.07.2015 1$= 2565.29 soums ).
Banks have been increasingly supporting young entrepreneurs. In 2014, they allocated 200.9 billion soums of microcredits for graduates of vocational institutions to start business, which is 1.4 times more YOY. As a result, 250,000 young people were provided with jobs. Banks also funded the projects of young entrepreneurs, artisans and farmers with 322.4 billion soums.
Exhibition of products manufactured by young entrepreneurs have become a tradition. One of such exhibitions was held last November at the Youth Creativity Palace under the motto ‘My contribution to the development of the motherland’. Produced by 800 companies, the wide range of goods was amazing in its diversity.
“We manufacture bed sheets, towels, clothing and other articles,” said head of the Textile Maker private enterprise in Qarshi Olimjon Abdurahmonov. “Our team comprises more than a dozen college graduates. We presented our products at the city stage of the Tashabbus contest, and at festivals. The merit for our progress goes to the wide opportunities that have been created for effective performance of young entrepreneurs. In the nearest future we plan to increase the production capacity and create new jobs for young people.”
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ULUGHBEK
Those who have stepped on the way of production are strongly supported in terms of employment in enterprises. They can also try themselves in research and innovations. Much has been done to support the young people’s interest in modern technologies, develop their creative thinking and creative potential. Quite recently the Committee for Coordination of Science and Technology has announced a competition for fundamental and applied innovative projects of young scientists for 2016-2017, which is open to the specialists with an academic degree under the age of 35.
The Republican Fair of Innovative Ideas, Technologies and Projects has become the most striking innovation youth forum this year. Students presented there 70 products, including software products, industrial equipment designs, robots, and other design structures. 15 winners of the republican contest on ‘Innovative Ideas of the Youth’ will be rewarded these days.
“I have advanced a widespread model of potato digger,” says student of Qarshi Engineering and Economy Institute Uchkun Kadirov. “I have won the contest. A Sanchikul Agro Tomorkasi company has taken interest in my product and is going to purchase my design drawings.”
The ways of involving young people into research were discussed at the Tashkent International Innovation Forum under the Innovation Fair. As noted by the participants, Uzbekistan has significantly streamlined its system of training young researchers. It is expected that it will intensify the rejuvenation of staff at research institutions.
A SOUND MIND IN A SOUND BODY
The Public Youth Movement Kamolot has been arranging different kinds of rallies to practice this principle. Events aimed at promoting the active lifestyle campaigns have become a tradition: ‘Chessboard’, a cycling marathon ‘Kamolot Tour’, Kamolot cups in football, badminton and table tennis, the competitions in rhythmic gymnastics Kamolot Gunchalari (buds of Kamolot), the rally ‘We support a healthy lifestyle’.
A ‘Chessboard’ tournament ranks among the most popular events among school students and students of secondary specialized institutions. It is traditionally organized by PYM Kamolot in social partnership with the Ministry of Public Education, Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Center of Secondary Special and Vocational Education, the Children’s Sports Development Fund and the Uzbekistan Chess Federation. The tournament of 2015 has demonstrated the growing interest of young people in sports, particularly in chess, because it has brought together a record number of athletes. 300,000 athletes took part in the tournament in 2014, while in 2015 their number has reached 440,000.
Kamolot Gunchalari, the children’s competition in rhythmic gymnastics promises to be something superb. Girls have been increasingly taking interest in this kind of sports. Each of them wants to win prestigious competitions.
SOCIAL ISSUES
Social services remain in the spotlight. The issues of housing have been raised to a new level in recent years.
The construction of Kamolot houses has been underway throughout the country. Last year, banks invested in the construction more than 100 billion soums. They are designed for young families who can buy an apartment with bank soft loan for 20 years, including a 5-year grace period, without paying the initial payment, and at an interest rate equal to the refinancing rate of the Central Bank. The houses are inhabited by the young families in need of better housing conditions, and those who have reached high progress in science, art, literature, sports and other fields. As a rule, they are the holders of state awards and the ‘O’zbekiston Belgisi’ badge, winners of international and national competitions, contests and Olympiads.
For example, a family of the winner of national and international competitions in boxing and master of sports Utkir Mukhammadiyev has settled in one of such houses in the Qorakuyli Mahalla of Ishtyhan district of Samarkand region. The head of the family said on this occasion as follows: “We are happy! Now we have a comfortable apartment.”
Banks have been actively developing the consumer crediting sector. That has greatly helped the young families with purchasing household appliances and durables for their homes. For example, a young family of Khurshid Ibragimov ranks among those who has managed to use a consumer loan of Aloqabank and furnish the apartment that was presented to them by parents as a wedding gift.
FEATURES OF THE YEAR
The year 2015 is a special one. The Kamolot Public Youth Movement has been actively involved in the implementation of the national program the Year of Attention and Care for the Senior Generation. The activities aimed at educating boys and girls in the spirit of respect for the elderly are assigned a special part.
War and labor veterans of 1941-1945 and pensioners are active participants in the various events at schools. During such meetings they answer all questions of youth’s interest.
“Previously, I gladly responded to all invitations when my health allowed me to. Today, it’s hard for me to leave the house, but the children themselves come, accompanied by teachers,” says a resident of Bektemir district of Tashkent, Aleksey Sinyakov. “We talk about life. They are very much interested in the history of the city, our district, and I’m happy to answer their questions.”
Young people have been increasingly involved in the activities aimed at supporting the veterans and the elderly. The primary organizations of Kamolot have the groups that are engaged in home nursing of single pensioners and the disabled in need of assistance. The movement comprises 18,000 school, college, lyceum and university students. They nurse 3,200 seniors.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
10th Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival
The Tenth Festival Anticipated to Be ‘Out of the Ordinary’
The process of preparations for the 10th Sharq Taronalari (Melodies of the East) International Music Festival has been discussed at a press conference in Samarkand.
The event participants included the members of the National Commission for the preparations and conduct of the festival as well as the regional working group. It was noted that the forum of art initiated by the President of our country and traditionally held since 1997 once in two years has turned into one of the world’s most prestigious cultural events.
The head of the information service of the festival S.Ostonov, executive director of the Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival T.Mahmudov, executive secretary of the National Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan for UNESCO Affairs A.Ikromov, chairman of the creative association “Tasviriy Oyina” I.Latipov and others presented data on the works in progress to prepare for the gala event.
Owing to the fact that every festival is held at a high organizational level, the number of culture and art figures willing to take part in the Sharq Taronalari forum has been growing consistently. During the first festival, representatives of 31 countries demonstrated their art at the Registan Square, while this time around 320 participants are expected to arrive from 65 nations. Representatives of Portugal, Mauritius, Bhutan, Costa-Rica, Mali, Peru, and Ecuador are anticipated to attend the festival for the first time.
As the festive event is held under the auspices of UNESCO, it has become a good tradition that the chief of the Organization attends the occasion. In particular, the UNESCO Secretary General Irina Bokova took part in the 2013 festival.
“The festival program is to include also a scientific-practical conference entitled “The Community of Music Culture of the Peoples of the East”,” says Professor Rustambek Abdullaev, director of the conference, doctor of arts. “To date, academics from 15 countries have expressed desire to take part in the science event designed to examine the stages of development in the Eastern traditional music and its role in the world musical art. The program of the conference is getting ready.”
The occasion participants also were presented with information on the course of preparations for meeting the guests in Samarkand, their accommodation in hotels, provision of quality modern services for them, as well as the construction and beautification works carried out to this end.
The journalists received answers to the questions they raised at the press conference.
(Source: UzA)
Reference to the source is a must in reproducing materials