INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT FORUM IN TASHKENT (NOVEMBER 5-6, 2015) 2
Investment Forum participants visited industrial enterprises. 2
On the Results of the International Investment Forum.. 3
Uzbekistan: Protection of Human Rights. 5
INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT FORUM IN TASHKENT (NOVEMBER 5-6, 2015)
Islam Karimov Receives Vice Presidents of World Bank and International Finance Corporation President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov at the Oqsaroy November 6 met with World Bank Vice President Cyril Muller and International Finance Corporation (member of World Bank Group) Vice President Dimitris Tsitsiragos
The two officials were visiting our country to attend the International Investment Forum that took place in Tashkent.
Greeting the guests, the head of our state said that Uzbekistan highly values its cooperation with the World Bank Group.
Our nation has enjoyed constructive bilateral interaction with the World Bank. The collaboration has helped implement 28 joint projects worth more than 6 billion dollars with the Bank funding 2.6 billion dollars. These schemes have covered the energy sector, irrigation and public utilities networks, water supply, industrial and transport and social infrastructures.
A special place in the partnership relations between Uzbekistan and the World Bank is attached to cooperation in the healthcare sphere, within the framework of which the latter provided support for the realization of 4 projects with the sum total of soft long-term loans exceeding 300 million dollars.
With the International Finance Corporation, which spearheads ventures designed to promote private sector, 20 projects have been undertaken in our country with IFC investments worth 135 million dollars.
During the meeting at the Oqsaroy, representatives of the World Bank Group underscored the significance of strategic programs approved in Uzbekistan this year to intensify the reforms, further the structural transformation and diversify the economy, designed for the period of 2015-2019 and aimed at continuing and enhancing the renovation of the economy, renewing and diversifying the manufacturing industry, promoting private property and private enterprise as well as reducing the role and place of the state in the economy in general.
The guests noted that the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation are interested to take active part in the processes of cardinal structural transformation of the Uzbek economy. They also expressed support for the successful realization of the approved programs and joint investment projects in key sectors.
Currently, the World Bank is about to complete the draft Partnership Strategy for 2016-2020, which envisages the implementation of over 30 schemes in power energy, hydrocarbon industry, transport, healthcare, education, information and communication technologies, public utilities infrastructure and other fields for sums exceeding 4 billion dollars.
In addition, promising projects are being elaborated with the International Finance Corporation in petrochemical and chemical industries, in the field of alternative energy sources and the financial sector.
The meeting served to exchange views on the priorities of bilateral cooperation and discuss principal dimensions of the enhancement of partnership relations and elaboration of novel projects in prospective spheres.
(Source: Press-service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
Investment Forum participants visited industrial enterprises
Investment Forum participants visited industrial enterprises Participants of the International Investment Forum, organized on the initiative of President Islam Karimov, have visited Fergana and Khorezm regions on November 4, where they have acquainted with the enterprises, potential receivers of investments and as well as conducive investment climate and economic and financial conditions in our country.
The economy of our country has been consistently developing based on the Uzbek model, developed by the head of our state. State involvement in the economy has been decreasing, the share of private sector is on the increase.
Today over 4 thousand enterprises, established by foreign investments from over 90 countries operate in our country.
The presidential decree “On measures to introduce modern corporate management methods in joint-stock companies” from 24 April and his resolution “On measures to increase the share and role of private property in the economy” from 28 April 2015, as well as other normative-legal acts have created even wider opportunities for attracting foreign investments, increasing effectiveness of joint-stock companies, deepening privatization processes.
Results of these reforms can be seen in Fergana region as well. Over 150 enterprises in the region have attracted foreign investments. During the past period of this year 38 million 584 thousand US dollars of foreign direct investments have been directed towards modernization and diversification of production and increasing production capacities, exports constituted over 182 million US dollars.
The forum participants visited Fargonaazot joint-stock company, which is one of the large enterprises within Uzkimyosanoat JSC and exports its production to tens of countries.
The company is implementing several prospective projects. New automated production management system has been installed with partners from France, ammonium nitrate and liquid nitrogen production unit has been constructed with partners from the Czech Republic.
The visitors have also been to Quarz joint-stock company in Kuvasay, which supplies high-quality glass products for cars, buses, and many industrial producers, Fargona yog’-moy JSC, producing vegetable oil, mayonnaise, soaps, and Kokand mechanical plant JSC, producing over 50 equipments and spare parts for oil and gas industry.
In the past 9 months of 2015 1258 projects worth 337 billion soums have been implemented Khorezm region within the social-economic development program of the region (currency rates of CB RU from 09.11.2015 1$= 2692.13 soums).
Over new business entities were registered, loans of 390,2 bln soums have been issued by commercial banks to businesses.
The forum participants visited Urganch yog’-moy JSC and UzXCMG Uzbek-Chinese joint enterprise, as well as historical sites in Khiva.
(Source: UzA)
On the Results of the International Investment Forum
The impressive economic growth of Uzbekistan and large-scale structural transformations performed during the years of Independence attract the attention of international organizations, largest companies, investment funds and agencies.
Therefore, it is natural that the unprecedented privatization programs of the state-owned property and implementation of the large-scale investment projects started during the current year in Uzbekistan, caused enormous interest on part of the international business community.
560 foreign participants including heads and managers of over 300 foreign companies, European Community, Governments of Korea, Germany, Poland, Japan, Kuwait and other states, large companies, banks, investment funds, agencies, analytical centers, representatives of financial and business circles from 33 countries of the world, as well as international financial institutions, such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation and others – participated in the work of the International Investment Forum held in Tashkent on November 5-6, 2015.
In course of the first plenary session, the Forum’s participants got familiar in detail with the strategy and the results of the economic reforms, having been implemented in our country during the years of Independence under the leadership of the President Mr. Islam Karimov, based on the five main principles of reforming and development of Uzbekistan, which got wide recognition in the world as the “Uzbek model” of reforms.
Special attention of the Forum’s attendants was attracted by the prospective guidelines of Uzbekistan’s development, determined by the Program of further reforming, deepening of structural transformations and diversification of the economy for the period of 2015-2019, aimed at the achievement of the following key targets:
– continuation and deepening the economy’s reformation;
– further implementation of structural transformations, modernization and diversification of the industry, construction of the modern enterprises and output of products with the high added value on basis of the richest resources of Uzbekistan and attraction of the highest technologies from Korea, Germany, Japan, USA, Switzerland, France and other countries;
– development of the private ownership and private entrepreneurship, improvement of the regulatory and business environment, expansion of the share and significance of the private sector in the economy, which is becoming the main driving force in the economic growth;
– reduction of the role and place of the state in the economy as well as development of the joint-stock and corporate forms of property and, implementation of the state companies’ privatization. In Uzbekistan the large-scale Privatization Program has been adopted which stipulates sale to potential investors of 1247 pieces of the state-owned assets.
The aim of the large-scale privatization of the state-owned facilities, first of all is being the transfer of the state-owned shares and facilities to the experienced professional investors who are ready to introduce the advanced technologies and modern methods of corporate governance in the domestic enterprises, provide output of competitive demanded products and their promotion into the external markets
At the plenary session, the speeches were made by the Managing Director General of the Asian Development Bank Mr. Juan Miranda, Vice-President of the World Bank Mr. Cyril Muller, Vice-President of the International Finance Corporation Mr. Dimitris Tsitsiragos, First Vice-Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea Mr. Lee Kwan-sup, EU Special Representative for Central Asia Mr. Peter Burian, who highly estimated the results of the social and economic transformations implemented in Uzbekistan during the years of Independence and welcomed the strategic programs on further reforming, structural transformations and diversification of the economy for the period of 2015-2019 adopted under the leadership of the President Mr. Islam Karimov.
It was noted that in conditions of the deepening crisis processes in the global economy, not many countries of the world are capable to demonstrate the stability of their economic growth. In this connection, all speakers stressed the effectiveness of Uzbekistan’s economic policy, which provides, within the long period, the steady and dynamic economic growth against the background of complicated external economic situation, conducts the active investment policies and implements the deep structural reforms which reliably protect the country from deceleration of economy faced by many other countries.
Regional Director of MAN Truck & Bus AG Mr. Jan Kohlmeier, President of Lotte Chemical Corporation Mr. Huh Soo Young, President of GM Uzbekistan Operation Mr. Hector Villarreal, Director General of the Uzbek-Oman Investment Company Mr. Badar Al Shanfari, Regional Director of Isuzu Corporation Mr. Tsutsui Hiroshi, Managing Director of Indorama Corporation Mr. Prakash Kejriwal – shared their successful experience of projects’ implementation in Uzbekistan.
Speakers noted that Uzbekistan possesses the big investment potential and attractiveness for foreign investors. Presence of the high-level trained human resources and professionally trained youth, rich raw-material reserves, developed industrial base and production infrastructure as well as convenient geographic location on the crossroad of the transport passageways of Europe and Asia – allow the foreign companies to regard Uzbekistan as a country where it is beneficial to invest into creation of the modern high-technology production facilities for output of the products being competitive at the external markets.
Foreign participants specifically stressed that Uzbekistan has established a reputation of a reliable and solvent partner with the wide system of privileges, preferences and guarantees set forth for foreign companies investing into the country’s economy. Thanks to it, presently over 5 thousand Joint Ventures created by investors from more than 90 countries successfully operate in the Republic.
In course of the five sectional meetings held, broad exchange of views and discussions over the concrete enterprises offered for sale to foreign investors as well as the new prospective investment projects – took place. The issues of cooperation in implementation of projects in gas and oil, petrochemical and chemical, automotive and electro-technical, textile, tanning, food and pharmaceutical industries, construction materials’ and communication equipment production as well as spheres of information communication technologies, international tourism and other branches of the services’ sector – were discussed.
Within the framework of the Forum the potential investors also were provided with the opportunity to visit the large enterprises and joint-stock companies located in Bukhara, Navoiy, Samarqand, Fergana, Khorezm Regions and the City of Tashkent, where the state-owned shares are being offered for sale to strategic foreign investors in accordance with the adopted Program of Measures Aimed at Increase of the Share and Significance of the Private Ownership in the Economy.
Upon the results of the Forum more than 100 Agreements and Memorandums on purchase by foreign investors of the state-owned stock packages and implementation of new investment projects in the oil and gas, chemical, electro-technical industries, food production, construction materials’ production and other branches were signed for the total amount of over 12 billion US Dollars, within which almost 5 billion US Dollars constitute the direct foreign investments.
(Source: Press Service of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Privatization, Demonopolization and Development of Competition)
Society
Uzbekistan: Protection of Human Rights
The international conference “Pressing Issues of development of government agencies’ and the institutions of civil societies’ social partnership in ensuring a reliable protection of the rights and legal interests of the population” held in Tashkent, has turned into a sort of platform for pooling Uzbekistan’s unique experience in shaping social partnership, development of national legislation in this sphere, and getting acquainted with the best foreign practices.
The forum was attended by experts from Belgium, Germany, the USA, South Korea, Spain, Croatia, and other countries, as well as representatives of the Chambers of Oliy Majlis, ministries and departments, local Councils of People’s Deputies, regional NGOs, diplomatic missions and international organizations.
How did social partnership emerge and develop in Uzbekistan? What is the role and place of civil society institutions in the democratic renovation and modernization of the country? What are the basic principles, forms and mechanisms of interaction between local authorities and NGOs, citizens’ self-governing bodies and media in the development and discussion of socially significant draft laws, programs of socio-economic and public development? These are the very questions that were discussed in the course of three plenary meetings. Special attention went to mechanisms of interaction of law-enforcement agencies with civil society institutions in the sphere of consolidation of legality and protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens and review of international experience.
The major gathering was organized by both chambers of the country’s parliament, the National Center for Human Rights, the Independent Institute for Monitoring the Formation of Civil Society, the National Association of NGOs and the Ministry of Justice with support from the OSCE, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Germany) and USAID.
It was underlined at the forum that our country, having chosen its own path of reforms and modernization, set itself the task of joining the ranks of advanced democratic states and ensuring its people decent conditions of life. Shaping of a strong and open civil society, which guarantees protection of human rights, interests and freedoms, was a priority direction of large-scale democratic transformations.
Public associations, foundations, mass movements, professional unions and such other non-government non-commercial organizations make up the basis of civil society.
A large-scale work on the development of the major component of a democratic law-abiding state had been accomplished during a short period of time, that of introduction of a system of independent, sustainable NGOs, and civil society institutions, which enjoyed the support of broad segments of the population.
The favorable conditions, provided benefits and opportunities raise the level of their active involvement in managing the affairs of the society and the state, and promote an increased public, socio-economic activities and legal culture of the population. It’s important that they express the aspirations and need of various social groups and broad strata of the population, representing their interests and enjoy the public support.
Interacting constructively with the bodies of state authority and administration the NGOs form efficient feedback channels between the society and the state, come out as conductors of different strata of the population, thus ensuring the balance of interests in society, boost the involvement of the population in the solution of the urgent issues of socio-economic, public and humanitarian development, contribute their share to raising the wellbeing and prosperity of people, and consolidation of civil accord in society.
The democratic transformations in shaping and development of non-governmental organizations have been carried out in a systemic way, consistently and stage-by-stage with consideration of the specifics of the country’s development, growing political and legal culture and the population’s public conscientiousness. They are closely interconnected with the processes of democratization and modernization of other spheres of public and state construction.
The reliable legislative foundation set up in Uzbekistan help to shape the civil society and the national infrastructure, and has ensured a genuine independence of civil institutions, material and financial support of their activities. This enabled to consolidate the positions of the NGOs in the process of democratization of public life, state up building, in ensuring and maintaining the balance of interests in the society, turn into a counter-balance to government structures in the political and social spheres, come forward in defense of democratic values, rights, freedoms and lawful interests of people.
The Concept of further deepening democratic reforms and shaping the civil society in the country, initiated by the President and adopted by the Parliament in November 2010, marked a new stage in activating and expanding the scale of NGOs activities. Such major laws are “On Ecological Control”, “On the openness of activities of the state power and administration”, “On Social Partnership” and such other legislative acts, which play a great role in the dynamic development of civil society, have been passed during the past five years based in this program document.
Development and adoption of the law “On Social Partnership”, which improved the organizational and legal mechanisms of interaction of governmental bodies with NGOs play a major role in ensuring further development of civil society.
The results of more than 200 conferences, roundtables, workshops and meetings held in all the regions of the country, including about 20 international ones, as well as our country’s specialists’ visits to France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Japan and other countries have been used in its elaboration.
The legislation of the country included more than 30 laws and more than 100 other normative and legal documents regulating various aspects of interaction between the government and NGOs prior to its adoption. At the same time, there was no unified legal document seeking to create a harmonious system of forms, principles and mechanisms of interaction between the government and NGOs, as well as the rights and obligations of both sides contained in various legal documents.
The experience of the USA, Japan, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Great Britain and Sweden indicated that advanced industrial democratic countries had no unified legal document regulating the issues of interaction between the government and NGOs. Hence the law adopted in Uzbekistan has not only practical significance but also utmost socio-political importance of international scale. Its uniqueness and absence of analogue in other countries were stressed at the conference by foreign experts.
The law “On Social Partnership” defines the concepts, entities, principles and basic spheres of social partnership, fixes the notion of “social partnership” as an interaction of the government bodies with NGOs and such other civil society institutions in the elaboration and implementation of the programs of socio-economic development, including branch, regional and territorial programs; normative and legal documents and such other resolutions affecting the rights and legal rights of citizens. The rights and obligations of government bodies, NGOs and other civil society institutions have been clarified. The organizational, legal, procedural mechanisms of interaction of the government bodies with NGOs, forms and methods of NGOs’ involvement in the solution of public and socially-significant problems, in raising the socio-political, social and business activities of citizens have been concretely defined.
Public commissions on social partnership, which are envisaged to be set up in compliance with this law, were formed by the Councils of people’s deputies of the regions, that of the city of Tashkent and Zhokargy Kenes (Supreme Council) of the Republic of Karakalpakstan under the local representative bodies in the course of their sessions held in June-July 2015. The commissions include deputies of local Councils, specialists of relevant sub-divisions of respective administrations, justice and finance agencies and NGOs.
The activities of public commissions on social partnership promote further raising the role and responsibilities of local representative and executive organs of power for formation and free development of the civil society institutions, as well as for ensuring the NGOs’ and other civil institutions’ active participation in the democratic transformation and modernization of the country.
Today, the law “On Social Partnership” is working successfully in practice. In particular, the recently adopted laws “On sanitary-epidemiological wellbeing of the population”, “On physical culture and sports”, and many other laws have also been developed with the participation of NGOs operating in the spheres of sport, upbringing the youth, education, and healthcare. What is important is that back in the stage of elaboration the draft laws are published at the sites of the stakeholder ministries and departments, lower chamber of the parliament and other resources for discussion.
Recommendations and proposals were advanced on the results of the conference, which are directed at further development of social partnership of the state bodies and the civil society institutions in ensuring a reliable protection of the rights and legal interests of the population.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)
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