Substantive session of 2004
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT
ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
Initial reports submitted by States parties
under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant
Addendum
UZBEKISTAN
[14 April 2004]
GE.04‑42316 (E) 151104 261104
CONTENTS
Chapter Paragraphs Page
Introduction 1 - 114
I.GENERAL INFORMATION 12 - 255
Land and people 12 - 255
II.GENERAL POLITICAL STRUCTURE 26 - 497
A.The legislature 32 - 358
B.The executive 36 - 409
C.The judiciary 41 - 469
D.Foundations of State authority at the local level 47 - 4910
III.GENERAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICHHUMAN RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED 50 - 9111
A.Constitutional protection of human rights and freedoms 50 - 6111
B.Protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens by thecourts: system of administration of justice and
independence of the courts 62 - 6813
C.Monitoring the implementation of human rights legislation 69 - 7114
D.National machinery for monitoring the protection ofhuman rights 72 - 7714
E.Information and publicity 78 - 9116
IV.IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COVENANT 92 - 14618
Article 1 92 - 9718
Article 2 98 - 10319
Article 3 104 - 11720
Article 4 118 - 12223
Article 5 123 - 13024
Article 6 131 - 14326
CONTENTS (continued)
Chapter Paragraphs Page
Article 7 144 - 15729
Article 8 158 - 17632
Article 9 177 - 23135
Article 10 232 - 28945
Article 11 290 - 31955
Article 12 320 - 40660
Article 13 407 - 45476
Article 14 455 - 45784
Article 15 458 - 53785
Annexes
Annex I.Tables 1‑25 100
Annex II.Composition of the working group that prepared Uzbekistan’sinitial report on the implementation of the Covenant 111
Annex III.State bodies and non‑governmental organizations thatcontributed materials for the preparation of the report 112
Introduction
1.Since it became an independent State and embarked on democratic transformations and reforms, Uzbekistan has achieved considerable success in the observance and protection of human rights and freedoms. A system of human rights legislation comprising more than 100 laws and regulations has been built up since independence. The nucleus of Uzbek human rights legislation is the Constitution and the international standards set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international legal instruments in this area.
2.The Oliy Majlis (Supreme Assembly) has ratified over 60 international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which it ratified on 31 August 1995.
3.In accordance with its obligations under six United Nations treaties, Uzbekistan has already submitted to the appropriate treaty bodies national reports on the implementation of the following instruments:
1.International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (information on accession by Uzbekistan, Decision No. 127‑1 of 31 August 1995 of the Oliy Majlis). The initial report was considered in New York in March 2001.
2.Convention on the Rights of the Child (Decision No. 757‑X 11 of 9 December 1992). The initial report was considered in October 2001.
3.Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Decision No. 87‑1 of 6 May 1995). The initial report was considered in January 2001.
4.International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Decision No. 129‑1 of 31 August 1995). The initial and second periodic reports were considered in August 2000.
5.Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Decision No. 130‑1 of 31 August 1995). The initial report was considered in 1999 and the second periodic report was considered in May 2002 in Geneva.
4.A system of national human rights institutions has been set up in Uzbekistan. It includes State institutions ‑ the Office of the Ombudsman (Human Rights Commissioner of the Oliy Majlis), the National Human Rights Centre and the Oliy Majlis’s Institute for Monitoring Current Legislation; non‑governmental organizations (NGOs) ‑ the Public Opinion Research Centre; professional organizations ‑ lawyers’ and judges’ associations; and a number of non‑governmental human rights organizations ‑ the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of the Individual, the Legal Aid Society, the Independent Human Rights Organization of Uzbekistan, the Human Rights Society and so on.
5.Measures are being taken to combine efforts to develop democratic processes in Uzbekistan. In 1997, the Oliy Majlis adopted a national programme for raising public awareness of the law.
6.Experience in the development of democracy in Uzbekistan has shown that human rights have been assimilated into the mindset of the Uzbek people and form an integral part of the national outlook, which in turn serves as an indicator of the spiritual development of the people and its organic link with universal legal values. Independence has shaped society’s need for the development of human rights, which has been reflected in growing social activism.
7.A continuous system of human rights education has been established in Uzbekistan. Starting with the 1997/1998 academic year, a special course entitled “Human rights” has been taught. Issues related to human rights protection, the enhancement of democracy and the strengthening of the rule of law are included in the curricula of educational establishments at all levels, first and foremost in general education schools, universities, law schools, teachers’ colleges and administration and management institutes, as well as the training facilities of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Security Service.
8.Currently, over 4,000 NGOs are active, and the traditions of self‑government through the mahalla (neighbourhood, community) are being revived.
9.It may be concluded from the foregoing that this is not a short‑term undertaking but a long‑term one: it is a high‑priority policy that will determine the development of Uzbekistan in the twenty‑first century.
10.The present report was prepared by the Uzbekistan National Human Rights Centre. It draws on information provided by ministries and departments, as well as a number of NGOs dealing with the protection of human rights.
11.In preparing the report, the authors were guided by the recommendations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as its General Comments on articles of the Covenant. The report is composed of two sections, of which the first contains general information and the second the main part and the annexes.
I.GENERAL INFORMATION
Land and people
12.The Republic of Uzbekistan is situated in Central Asia between two major rivers, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya. It borders Kazakhstan to the north and north‑east, Turkmenistan to the south‑west, Afghanistan to the south, Tajikistan to the south‑east and Kyrgyzstan to the north‑east. Approximately four fifths of Uzbekistan is made up of desert plains; the eastern and south‑eastern districts include the hills and foothills of Tien Shan and the Gissar range. Within the Turan plate lie the Ustyurt plateau and the Amu Darya delta on the southern shore of the Aral Sea, and the huge Kyzylkum desert.
13.Uzbekistan became independent on 1 September 1991. Its capital is Tashkent. The country has a total area of 447,400 square kilometres and comprises the Republic of Karakalpakstan, 12 oblasts (provinces) and the city of Tashkent, 121 towns and cities and 163 rural districts.
14.The population at the beginning of 2003 was 25.1 million, of whom 37.8 per cent were town dwellers and 62.2 per cent rural dwellers. The average annual growth rate of the population was 2.4 per cent in the period 1980‑1989 and 1.6 per cent in the period 1990‑1998. Since 1990, the urban population has grown by 10.3 per cent and the rural population by 25.4 per cent.
15.As at 1 January 1998, population density stood at 53.3 per square kilometre. The total population breaks down into 11,819,900 males (49.7 per cent) and 11,952,400 females (50.3 per cent); 36 per cent are aged under 15 and 56 per cent under 25.
16.Population growth is chiefly attributable to natural increase, that is, a consistently high birth rate (553,000 children were born in 1998). This is demonstrated by the pattern of the principal determinant of population replacement, namely the birth rate. For many years, the nationwide crude birth rate remained at around 33‑34 per thousand, whereas in recent years it has dropped significantly ‑ to 23.2 per thousnd in 1998. High birth rates have been maintained only in the Surkhan Darya, Kashka Darya, Djizak and Namangan oblasts, that is, in predominantly agricultural areas.
17.Uzbekistan has been a multi‑ethnic republic since ancient times. It is home to over 120 ethnic groups. The bulk of the population (80 per cent) are Uzbeks. Other groups accounting for more than 1 per cent of the total population are Russians (1.2 million; 5.2 per cent), Tajiks (1.1 million; 4.8 per cent), Kazakhs (0.9 million; 4.0 per cent) and Tatars (0.3 million; 1.4 per cent).
18.Uzbekistan is notable for its relatively young population and high proportion of persons of working age. In all, 39 per cent of the population are below working age, 54 per cent are of working age and 7 per cent are above working age.
19.Uzbekistan is an extremely important economic region. During the reporting period, the trend of steady economic growth has continued, macroeconomic and financial stability has been consolidated, discipline in making payments has improved, and there is greater balance in the economy as a whole and its individual sectors.
20.The main targets of the State development strategy are as follows: (a) to achieve the smallest decline in production of all the countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union and sustain 4 per cent growth in real annual gross domestic product (GDP) between 1996 and 2001; (b) to monitor the State budget deficit while maintaining a high level of social spending on health, education and social security; (c) to achieve self-sufficiency in energy and cereals by significantly raising production of oil, gas and wheat; (d) to encourage the production of new consumer goods and intermediate products; (e) to modernize the means of production, particularly in order to raise output of oil and gas; and (f) to introduce reforms in infrastructure, for example in rail and air transport.
21.The measures taken to reduce the tax burden on businesses and consolidate the tax system had an impact on the out-turn for the first half of 2003. The profits tax was reduced from 24 per cent to 20 per cent in 2003, corporations’ social insurance deductions from the wage fund were cut from 37.3 per cent to 35 per cent, and some individual taxes were abolished. These measures helped to improve the financial situation of manufacturers and to promote investment by business. Over the half-year, the volume of internally generated investment by business rose by 18 per cent and accounted for about 46 per cent of all investment in the economy.
22.In 2002, the policy of liberalization and deepening of economic reforms and ensuring stable and balanced economic growth was pursued consistently and purposefully. As a result:
(a)A mixed economy is taking shape, and steps are being taken to stimulate entrepreneurial activity, develop small and medium-sized businesses, extend the economic freedom of enterprises and increase the share of the private sector;
(b)The GDP growth rate was 104.2 per cent - 108.5 per cent in industry, 106.1 per cent in agriculture, 101.7 per cent in retail trade and 108.3 per cent in paid services to the public. The average annual per capita income rose by 12.6 per cent. A positive external trade balance of US$ 276.4 million was achieved;
(c)As a result of a strict monetary and credit policy, the rate of increase in average monthly inflation fell to 1.6 per cent, and the rate of growth of the money supply declined; the State budget was executed with a deficit of 0.8 per cent relative to GDP;
(d)Measures are being taken to streamline the restructuring and liquidation of insolvent and unprofitable enterprises. A total of 304 enterprises are no longer unprofitable, while various bankruptcy procedures have been initiated for 154 enterprises.
23.Unemployment among the economically active population stood at 40,100 at the end of 2003.
24.Uzbekistan has a high literacy rate (99.1 per cent). Most of the illiterate population are older persons (age 70 and above). The level of education is fairly high. Currently 986, out of every 1,000 workers have received special training. Of these, 142 (15 per cent of those who have received an education) are specialists with higher or incomplete higher education, 199 (21 per cent) have a specialized secondary education, 480 (50.6 per cent) have completed a general secondary education and 127 (13.4 per cent) did not complete secondary education. There are 63 higher educational establishments in Uzbekistan. One in every four persons employed in the economy has received a higher or specialized secondary education.
25.According to the report Uzbekistan: Common Country Assessment, average life expectancy is 74.4 years for women and 70.5 years for men (see annex I, Table 13).
II. GENERAL POLITICAL STRUCTURE
26.Uzbekistan is a sovereign democratic State that has proclaimed its commitment to human rights and the principles of State sovereignty. It affirms its attachment to the ideals of democracy and acknowledges the primacy of the universally recognized norms of international law. The people of Uzbekistan have chosen a democratic path of development and are striving to establish a State based on the rule of law with a socially oriented market economy. They are developing and strengthening their independence on the basis of the Constitution of Uzbekistan, which they have considered and approved. The draft constitution was publicly discussed in the media. Any citizen of Uzbekistan could put forward suggestions and views and propose amendments through the press. The Constitution was adopted on 8 December 1992 at the eleventh session of the 12th Supreme Soviet. The Constitution is founded on the interests of the individual and of society, and defines their interrelationship through recognition of the social partnership between them. In linking the citizen and the State in terms of reciprocal rights and reciprocal responsibility, the Constitution defines the legal foundations of their concerted action.
27.As the principal agent of reform in a difficult period of transition, the State currently acts as the guarantor of respect for human rights and freedoms.
28.Under the Constitution, the people are the sole source of State power. Democracy is based on the freely expressed will of the people to determine their political, economic, social and cultural life. State power is exercised in the interests of the people and solely by the bodies empowered for that purpose by the Constitution and laws adopted in accordance with the Constitution.
29.Only the popularly elected Oliy Majlis and the President of the Republic may act on behalf of the people of Uzbekistan. No section of society, political party, voluntary association, movement or individual may speak for the people of Uzbekistan.
30.An integrated system has been instituted whereby the process of democratic transformations and social and economic reforms is regulated by the State and Uzbek law. This system organically combines all the branches of authority - legislative, executive and judicial. Under article 11 of the Constitution, the system of State authority is based on the principle of separation of powers into a legislature, an executive and a judiciary.
31.On 27 January 2002, a referendum was held as a major step in the development of the system of governance. The referendum dealt with two questions: the election of a two-chamber parliament and the amendment of the constitutional term of office of the President of Uzbekistan.
A. The legislature
32.Legislative power is exercised by the Oliy Majlis, the Parliament, which is the highest State representative body in Uzbekistan. The procedure governing the composition and legal status of the Oliy Majlis is laid down in the Constitution (arts. 76-88), the Oliy Majlis (Elections) Act, the Legislative Chamber Act and the Senate Act.
33.With the aim of making the legislative branch more effective, the single-chamber Parliament was transformed into a two-chamber body. On 24 April 2003, the Oliy Majlis adopted the Constitution of Uzbekistan (Amendment) Act. Under article 76, the Oliy Majlis is composed of two chambers - the Legislative Chamber (the lower chamber) and the Senate (the upper chamber). Both the Legislative Chamber and the Senate have a five-year mandate.
34.The Legislative Chamber consists of 120 deputies, elected from geographical constituencies in multiparty elections by means of the majority voting system. The Senate is the chamber in which the various parts of the country are represented. Members of the Senate (senators) are elected in equal numbers - six persons - from the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the oblasts and the city of Tashkent by secret ballot at joint sessions of deputies of the Jokargy Kenes (Parliament) of Karakalpakstan and the representative bodies of State authority in the oblasts, districts and towns, from among those deputies. Sixteen members of the Senate are appointed by the President from among the most distinguished citizens with wide practical experience and special merit in the fields of science, art, literature, industry and other areas of the life of the State and society (Constitution, art. 77).
35.The Oliy Majlis is the legislative organ of the State. Its function is to adopt laws and regulations carrying the highest legal force.
B. The executive
36.The President is head of State and head of the executive. Any citizen of Uzbekistan who has reached the age of 35, is fluent in the State language and has permanently resided in Uzbekistan for at least 10 years immediately prior to the elections may stand for election to the post of President.
37.The President is elected by the citizens of Uzbekistan for a term of seven years on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot (Constitution, art. 90).
38.Executive authority is exercised by the Cabinet of Ministers. The Cabinet of Ministers consists of the Prime Minister, his deputies, ministers and chairpersons of State committees. The head of government of Karakalpakstan is an ex officio member of the Cabinet of Ministers.
39.The members of the Cabinet of Ministers are appointed by the Prime Minister. Candidates for the post of Prime Minister are examined and approved by the chambers of the Oliy Majlis at the recommendation of the President. Members of the Cabinet of Ministers are approved by the President at the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
40.The Cabinet of Ministers ensures the effective management of the economy and the social and spiritual spheres, as well as the application of the laws of Uzbekistan and decisions of the Oliy Majlis and decrees, decisions and orders issued by the President. The Cabinet of Ministers Act was amended in 2003.
C. The judiciary
41.The judiciary in Uzbekistan functions independently from the legislative and executive branches, political parties and other voluntary organizations (Constitution, art. 106).
42.Judicial authority is exercised through a system of judicial bodies:
(a)The Constitutional Court, which hears cases relating to the constitutionality of decisions taken by the legislative and executive branches;
(b)The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan, which is the highest judicial authority in the field of civil, criminal and administrative justice;
(c)The Higher Economic Court, which rules on disputes arising in the economic sphere;
(d)The Supreme Court of Karakalpakstan;
(e)The Economic Court of Karakalpakstan;
(f)Oblast civil courts, the Tashkent city civil court and district and city civil courts;
(g)Oblast criminal and administrative courts, the Tashkent city criminal and administrative court and district and city criminal and administrative courts;
(h)Military courts;
(i)Economic courts in the oblasts and Tashkent city.
43.Under article 112 of the Constitution, judges are independent and subject solely to the law. Any interference in the work of judges in administering the law is inadmissible and punishable by law. The immunity of judges is guaranteed by law. The Chairpersons and the members of the Supreme Court and the Higher Economic Court may not be deputies of the Oliy Majlis. Judges, including district judges, may not belong to any political parties or movements, or hold any other paid posts. Judges may be removed from their posts before the expiry of their term of office only on grounds specified by law.
44.Specialization has been introduced among the courts of general jurisdiction as part of the judicial and legal reform. Under the Presidential Decree of 14 August 2000 on improving the judicial system, special criminal, administrative and civil courts have been set up.
45.On 5 April 1996, the Kengash (Council) of the Oliy Majlis approved a programme for the further development of judicial reform with a view to ensuring its systematic and consistent implementation. A parliamentary commission to coordinate measures under the reform is currently in operation.
46.The work of the courts is governed by the Courts Act (as amended on 14 December 2000) and the Constitutional Court Act of 30 August 1995. In Uzbekistan, the role of the courts is to guarantee respect for the human rights and freedoms set forth in the Constitution and the laws of Uzbekistan and in international human rights instruments, and the rights and legally protected interests of enterprises, institutions and organizations. The work of the courts is designed to ensure the supremacy of the law, social justice, and civil peace and harmony.
D. Foundations of State authority at the local level
47.Alongside the highest organs of State power - the Oliy Majlis, the office of the President, the Cabinet of Ministers, ministries and departments - local authorities (councils of peoples’ deputies and khokims) address social problems at the oblast, district, town and city level.
48.The institution of the khokim (regional chief administrator) is the traditional form of authority in Uzbekistan, which has been sanctioned by historical experience. Its origins go back to the distant past. The institution of khokim embodies the experience of national State administration. It is based on the principle of individual responsibility, and is capable of meeting the vital needs and solving the problems of the population. Khokims exercise their authority in accordance with the principle of sole authority (Constitution, art. 103). Within the limits of the authority conferred on them, khokims take decisions that are binding on all enterprises, institutions, organizations and associations, as well as officials and citizens, in the relevant territory (Constitution, art. 104).
49.Traditional associations (mahallas) also exist. They are local self-government bodies. Mahallas have official status as one of the important components of the democratic State, as laid down in the regulations on mahalla committees in towns, settlements and kishlaks (villages). The mahalla has a clear leadership structure. It is headed by a mahalla committee, which is elected at general meetings attended by house representatives. The Committee elects one of its members as chairperson or aksakal (white beard), as well as a deputy, a secretary and councillors selected from among experienced elders. Under the committee, mahalla commissions are set up on various social issues. In 1999, Citizens’ Self-Government Bodies Act was amended. The Act outlines the new tasks of the mahallas: to protect the interests of families and women, care for the elderly, provide social support for local residents, maintain public order, prevent lawbreaking among young people, assist in monitoring trade and the provision of utilities and the health and the environment of the area, and so on.
III.GENERAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH HUMAN RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED
A. Constitutional protection of human rights and freedoms
50.The system of domestic legislation includes the Constitution, constitutional laws, codes, laws, Presidential decrees, decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers, and regulations adopted by central and local authorities and administrations.
51.The Constitution provides the general legal foundation for the protection of civil and political rights. In relation to fundamental human rights and freedoms, the Constitution proceeds from the principles of the primacy of international law, social justice, the universal equality of citizens and the reciprocal responsibility of the citizen and the State. It lays down the principle of the inalienability of citizens’ rights and freedoms, and the right to protection by the law.
52.Article 18 of the Constitution provides that all citizens of Uzbekistan have equal rights and freedoms and are equal before the law without distinction as to sex, race, ethnic origin, language, religion, social origin, beliefs or individual or social status.
53.Under the Constitution, human rights are divided into individual rights and freedoms (arts. 24-31), political rights (arts. 32-35) and economic and social rights (arts. 36-42).
54.Individual rights and freedoms are the right to life (art. 24), the right to freedom and inviolability of the person (art. 25), the right to the presumption of innocence (art. 26), the right to protection against encroachments on honour and dignity, non-interference in private life, the inviolability of the home, the privacy of correspondence and telephone conversations (art. 27), the right to freedom of movement around the country (art. 28), the right to freedom of thought, speech and belief, and freedom of opinion and expression (art. 29), the right to freedom of conscience and religion (art. 31), and the right to receive information (art. 30).
55.Political rights are the right to participate in the running of public and State affairs (art. 32), the right to participate in rallies, meetings and demonstrations (art. 33), the right to form trade unions, political parties and other voluntary movements, and to participate in mass movements (art. 34), and the right to submit proposals and complaints to the appropriate State bodies, institutions and public representatives (art. 35).
56.Economic, social and cultural rights are the right to own property (art. 36), the right to work (art. 37), the right to paid leisure (art. 38), the right to social security (art. 39), the right to qualified medical care (art. 40), the right to education (art. 41), freedom to engage in creative scientific and technical activity and the right to enjoy the achievements of culture (art. 42).
57.The Constitution stipulates that citizens are equal before the law, that they have equal rights and freedoms and that the exercise of rights and freedoms to the detriment of the interests of other persons, the State or society is inadmissible.
58.The State guarantees its citizens the protection of the law and its own protection both in Uzbekistan and abroad. Foreign citizens and stateless persons in Uzbekistan enjoy rights and freedoms in accordance with international law. They are subject to the obligations set out in the Constitution and laws of Uzbekistan and the international treaties to which Uzbekistan is a party.
59.At the same time, in accordance with articles 43 and 44 of the Constitution, the State guarantees, together with the rights and freedoms of citizens, legal protection of their rights and freedoms, and the right to appeal against any unlawful action of State bodies, officials or voluntary organizations. The rights of minors, persons who are unable to work and elderly persons living alone are protected by the State.
60.The rapid growth in legislation is a distinguishing feature of the modern legal system in Uzbekistan. The past 12 years have seen the drafting and adoption of the Civil Code, the Family Code, the Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Code of Civil Procedure, the Tax Code and other codes (12 in all), and over 300 laws (ordinary laws and those with constitutional status). The new legislation provides the legal foundation for the protection of human rights and freedoms, the strengthening of State sovereignty, the democratization of society, the transition to a socially oriented market economy, and the development of economic, trade, cultural and mutually advantageous relations with foreign countries.
61.In its domestic and foreign policy, Uzbekistan adheres to the principle that the universally recognized norms of international law prevail over domestic legislation. In 1996, the Foreign Policy (Fundamental Principles) Act was adopted. The Oliy Majlis’s Institute for Monitoring Current Legislation is an important body that is responsible for conducting legal reviews of draft human rights legislation and human rights legislation currently in force.
B. Protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens by the courts:system of administration of justice and independenceof the courts
62.A solid legislative foundation for a judicial system oriented towards the administration of justice and protection of citizens’ interests and rights has been developed in Uzbekistan. The ability of the courts to enforce the law effectively is being strengthened through legislation. The independence of the judiciary is guaranteed by the Constitution.
63.Under article 112 of the Constitution, judges are independent and subject solely to the law. Any interference in the work of judges in administering the law is inadmissible and is punishable by law. The immunity of judges is guaranteed by law. Judges, including district judges, may not belong to any political parties or movements. Holding the post of judge is incompatible with serving as a parliamentary deputy. The Courts Act of 2 September 1993 sets out the democratic principles underlying the administration of justice. The amended version of the Act, which was adopted on 14 December 2000, introduced the concept of appeals, and the appeals procedure was laid down in the relevant sections and articles of the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Code of Civil Procedure.
64.The amended Courts Act considerably strengthens guarantees of the independence of judges. State bodies, officials, voluntary organizations and other legal entities must comply strictly with judges’ demands and orders relating to the administration of justice. Failure to comply is an offence (art. 65).
65.During the judicial reforms, specialization among courts of general jurisdiction was introduced. The Presidential Decree of 14 August 2000 on improving the judicial system set up special criminal courts and civil courts. An important result of the reform of the judicial system is that it is accessible to citizens.
66.The system for drafting, preparing, reviewing, codifying and implementing legislation to protect human rights and freedoms is being improved. Under the Legislation (Drafting Procedure) Act, a priority in the legislative activity of the Oliy Majlis is the adoption of laws that protect human rights.
67.In keeping with United Nations recommendations on the implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, amendments have been introduced in the Criminal Code. Specifically, as a result of the adoption of the Certain Legislative Acts (Amendment) Act in 2003, the Code now includes article 235, entitled “Use of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.
68.Since 1990, the Centre for the Further Training of Procuratorial and Investigative Officials has been operating in the Procurator-General’s Office. The Centre for the Further Training of Legal Specialists was set up in 1997 in the Ministry of Justice. A course on human rights has been included in the curriculum of educational establishments that train and retrain senior officials of courts, procurators’ offices and investigative departments.
C. Monitoring the implementation of human rights legislation
69.Under article 93 of the Constitution, the President acts as the guarantor of citizens’ rights and freedoms, the Constitution and the laws of Uzbekistan.
70.Under the Constitution and the Procurator’s Office Act, the Procurator’s Office, headed by the Procurator-General, is responsible for supervising the strict and uniform implementation of domestic legislation. The Office has the right to conduct inquiries and other activities, both when investigating crimes and when seeking to establish that an offence has been committed. To this end, the Procurator’s Office can call on the resources of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Security Service, which have the right to conduct investigations under article 339 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
71.In their activities, the staff of the Procurator’s Office are guided solely by the Constitution and laws of Uzbekistan - in other words, independently of all State and public bodies and officials. Article 2 of the amended Procurator’s Office Act of 29 August 2001 sets out the principal tasks of the Office: to ensure that the law prevails, to strengthen the rule of law and to protect citizens’ rights and freedoms. A chapter providing for the monitoring of respect for such rights and freedoms has been added to the Act.
D.National machinery for monitoring the protectionof human rights
72.The key specialized institutions dealing with human rights protection are:
(a)The Constitutional Court, which was established in 1992 and whose objective is to determine the constitutionality of acts of the legislative and executive authorities;
(b)The Ombudsman (Human Rights Commissioner of the Oliy Majlis);
(c)The Oliy Majlis’s Institute for Monitoring Current Legislation;
(d)The Ministry of Justice; and
(e)The National Human Rights Centre.
73.The institutions of the Human Rights Commissioner and the Commission on the Observance of the Constitutional Rights and Freedoms of Citizens attached to the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner of the Oliy Majlis were established in 1995. These institutions were established on the initiative of the President in order to create a mechanism for the further protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms. In accordance with the Human Rights Commissioner of the Oliy Majlis Act of 24 April 1997, the responsibilities of the Commissioner include overseeing the implementation of laws on human rights, both on his own initiative and on the basis of complaints by citizens that their rights have been violated.
74.The Institute for Monitoring Current Legislation attached to the Oliy Majlis is a research institute that was established pursuant to a decision of the Oliy Majlis dated 3 December 1996. The main objectives of the Institute are:
To examine the conformity of legislation currently in force with international human rights norms and requirements;
To draft proposals for incorporating international human rights norms into current Uzbek legislation;
To study and draw general conclusions regarding the practical enforcement of law to promote and protect human rights;
To draft recommendations for improving legislation currently in force;
To carry out reviews by experts (including foreign experts and institutions) of draft laws, and to draft proposals concerning plans and programmes of legislative work.
75.The Ministry of Justice provides organizational support for the activity of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the oblast courts, Tashkent city court and district city courts while strictly respecting the principle that judges are independent and subject solely to the law. In order to provide broad public access to effective machinery for legal protection, a special department has been established within the Ministry to examine citizens’ complaints and claims. The Adolat (Justice) legal aid centre has been set up under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice. Currently, the Adolat centre is applying a flexible system of fees for services provided to persons in civil and criminal cases who require such services. In addition, in accordance with the Presidential Decree of 25 June 1997, the Centre for the Further Training of Legal Specialists has been set up in the Ministry of Justice. A Department for the Protection of Human Rights was set up in accordance with Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 370 of 27 August 2003 on measures for the further improvement of the activities of the Ministry of Justice. The Centre for the Study of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law was set up in the Tashkent State Law Institute.
76.The non-governmental Ijtimoiy Fikr Public Opinion Research Centre operates independently.
77.The National Human Rights Centre was established by presidential decree in October 1996 in order to coordinate the activities of all governmental and non‑governmental organizations involved in human rights protection. The Centre carries out research on the various aspects of protecting and safeguarding human rights, both at the national and at the international level; organizes programmes of study, seminars, courses of lectures and study trips; provides assistance in developing and implementing human rights study programmes; compiles and disseminates information on human rights; develops technical cooperation and information links with international centres or organizations concerned with human rights; coordinates locally the activities of international agencies providing technical assistance in the areas of democratization, administration and human rights protection, and publishes a specialist journal on human rights.
E. Information and publicity
78.A continuous human rights education programme has been established in Uzbekistan. Starting with the 1997/98 academic year, a special course entitled “Human rights” has been taught. Issues related to human rights protection, the enhancement of democracy and the strengthening of the rule of law are included in the curricula of educational establishments at all levels, first and foremost in general education schools, universities, law schools and teachers’ colleges, administration and management institutes, as well as the training facilities of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Security Service.
79.Pursuant to Order No. 200 of 29 July 1997 of the Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education, a special 40-hour course entitled “Human rights” was introduced in the 1997/98 academic year, from the first year of all higher educational establishments. The course was taught using academic programmes and textbooks on human rights published by the Ministry.
80.The Ministry of Education at the pre-school, general and secondary levels, has prepared guidelines for introducing legal concepts and a standard for State education on the foundations of the State and the law has been drawn up for general and secondary educational establishments.
81.Since 2002, the International Relations Department of the Ministry of Education and the National Centre for Education, together with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), have been conducting regular training seminars on the Convention on the Rights of the Child for teachers, educators and teaching specialists, as part of the programme on the legal foundations of juvenile justice and psychological factors, and have promoted awareness of the Convention among parents.
82.The Centre for the Further Training of Legal Specialists in the Ministry of Justice has introduced between 4 and 10 hours of human rights education depending on the professional needs of the students and the length of the course of study.
83.The topic of human rights has also been introduced in the curricula of two special educational establishments: the Centre for the Further Training of Procuratorial and Investigative Officials in the Procurator-General’s Office and the Tashkent City Institute for Teacher Retraining. A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) chair in human rights, democracy, tolerance and international understanding has been established at the University of the World Economy and Diplomacy. A chair in the theory and practice of human rights has been established in the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
84.The National Human Rights Centre and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) regularly organize seminars and training courses on international human rights norms and human rights monitoring and reporting for officials from the Procurator’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, judges and procurators.
85.Under a project entitled “Democratization, human rights and better governance”, the National Human Rights Centre published an illustrated book for primary and secondary school children entitled “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” in Uzbek (100,000 copies) and Russian (30,000 copies). Half of the copies of the Uzbek edition were published in the Latin alphabet and half in Cyrillic. The following posters were also issued under the project:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10,000 copies in Uzbek and Russian);
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (two posters, 5,000 copies in Uzbek);
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (two posters, 5,000 copies in Uzbek);
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (two posters, 5,000 copies in Uzbek);
Convention on the Rights of the Child (two posters, 5,000 copies in Uzbek).
86.In 1997, the National Human Rights Centre, together with the Ijtimoiy Fikr Public Opinion Research Centre, began to publish the newspaper Obshchestvennoe Mnenie . Prava Cheloveka (Public Opinion. Human Rights). In 1999, the National Human Rights Centre began to publish the new newspaper Demokratizatsia i Prava Cheloveka v Uzbekistane (Democratization and Human Rights in Uzbekistan). The purposes and aims of the newspapers are to popularize human rights and raise awareness of human rights issues among the personnel of State institutions and the population as a whole. The newspaper is published in Uzbek, Russian and English.
87.In 2002, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the National Human Rights Centre translated and published an Uzbek-language handbook on Uzbekistan and international human rights treaties. With support from UNESCO, the National Human Rights Centre published the Uzbek-language books Human Rights: Questions and Answers and Democracy: 80 Questions and 80 Answers. With support from UNICEF, a handbook of international instruments on the rights of minors was translated into the national language and published in 2002.
88.In 2002, as part of the joint activities of the Regional Representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Central Asia and the National Human Rights Centre, a handbook on international humanitarian law, covering the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the additional protocols to them, was translated into the national language and published.
89.In 2002, a compilation of OSCE documents on the human dimension was published. This compendium of international instruments was published for the first time in Uzbekistan in full in the national language. The textbook is intended primarily for students and teachers in law institutes, students at military academies and law enforcement personnel.
90.Articles are regularly published and educational and informative programmes broadcast in the Uzbek media, from the State radio and television to commercial radio stations and newspapers. Five legal advice units dealing with human rights protection, where questions are answered by law students, have been opened at universities.
91.The non-governmental Centre for the Study of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law has been established. The Centre deals with studies and awareness-raising in the field of human rights and humanitarian law, for which purpose it holds seminars, training courses and conferences for students, teachers and representatives of the media, NGOs and State institutions whose activities are directly linked to human rights. Since 2002, the Centre, together with UNDP, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the University, of the World Economy and Diplomacy and Samarkand State University, has held an annual competition among students for the best essay on the topic of human rights in the twenty‑first century.
IV. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COVENANT
Article 1
Legislation governing the right to self-determination
92.The main trend in Uzbekistan’s development is the transition from a command system of administration to free market relations, the building of a democratic State based on the rule of law and the establishment of a just civil society, integration into the international community, and access to international markets.
93.This complex transitional process presupposes the transformation of old systems of administration and the creation of new instruments and the adoption of new laws, new norms and new practical working methods. The Government of Uzbekistan is taking active measures to ensure its recognition by the international community. On 2 March 1992, Uzbekistan became a Member of the United Nations.
94.On 8 December 1992, the Constitution was adopted; article 1 of the Constitution declares that Uzbekistan is a “sovereign democratic republic”. According to articles 2 and 7, the people are the sole source of State power, and the State expresses the will of the people and serves their interests. The Republic of Uzbekistan independently determines its national-State and administrative and territorial structure as well as its system of State authority and administration, and conducts its own domestic and foreign policy. The Republic of Uzbekistan has its State symbols: the flag, the coat of arms and the anthem, which have been approved by law (arts. 1-5 of the Constitution).
95.Uzbekistan advocates the peaceful settlement of the various armed conflicts, the maintenance of State sovereignty, and the strengthening of peace and stability in the Central Asian region.
96.According to article 55 of the Constitution, the land and its minerals, waters, flora and fauna and other natural resources constitute the national wealth and shall be rationally used and protected by the State. Bearing in mind the dire environmental situation in certain regions of districts of Uzbekistan (the Aral Sea area), Uzbek legislators have adopted special regulations for resource management, the purpose of which is to protect and conserve the natural environment. All activities involving the use of natural wealth and resources are regulated by the Protection and Use of Fauna Act, the Protection and Use of Flora Act, the Use of Minerals Act and the basic principles of the Uzbek Constitution.
97.The sovereign Republic of Karakalpakstan is part of Uzbekistan; it has its own Constitution, which establishes its administrative and territorial structure and system of State administration. Mutual relations between Uzbekistan and the Republic of Karakalpakstan are governed by bilateral treaties and agreements. Under article 70 of the Constitution, the sovereignty of the Republic of Karakalpakstan is safeguarded by the Republic of Uzbekistan. Under article 74 of the Constitution, the Republic of Karakalpakstan has the right to secede from Uzbekistan on the basis of a nationwide referendum held by the people of Karakalpakstan.
Article 2
The State’s observance of and respect for the rightsrecognized in the International Covenant
98.Democracy in Uzbekistan is based on universal principles according to which the ultimate value is the human being, human life, freedom, honour, dignity and other inalienable rights (Constitution, art. 13). The fundamental human and citizens’ rights, freedoms and obligations are guaranteed in the Constitution. All citizens of Uzbekistan have equal rights and freedoms and are equal before the law without distinction as to sex, race, ethnic origin, language, religion, social origin, beliefs or individual or social status.
99.Uzbekistan has acceded to more than 60 international legal instruments that protect and guarantee economic, social and cultural rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Convention on the Political Rights of Women, the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary.
100.The fundamental economic, social and cultural rights are guaranteed by the Constitution. The Civil Code, the Family Code, the Labour Code, the Property Act, the Health Protection Act, the Education Act, the State Pension Act, the Disabled Persons (Social Welfare) Act, the Employment Act, the Labour Protection Act, the State Health Inspection Act, the Protection and Use of Objects of Cultural Heritage Act, the Citizens’ Communications Act, the Act on Appeals against Actions and Decisions that Violate Citizens’ Rights and Freedoms, the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations Act, the Mass Media Act, the Freedom and Guarantees of Access to Information Act, the Protection of the Professional Activities of Journalists Act, the Bar Act, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Oliy Majlis (Ombudsman) Act and other acts form a reliable base for the legal protection of the rights and freedoms of all citizens.
101.In order to raise citizens’ awareness of international human rights norms, in 1992 the Adolat (Justice) publishing house of the Ministry of Justice published the International Bill of Rights in Uzbek and Russian. Moreover, with the assistance of UNDP and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in 1997 and 1998 the National Human Rights Centre in Tashkent printed posters containing the texts of the 10 basic human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The posters are provided free of charge to schools and higher educational establishments.
102.In Uzbekistan, there are three information agencies and 490 newspapers and 138 magazines are published. Of the 490 newspapers, 69 are published nationwide and 139 are published in oblasts, cities and districts; there are also other periodical publications, including: State - 348, community - 62 and other (religious, business) - 41. Of the 138 magazines, 108 are published nationwide and 30 are published at the oblast level, including: State, community and other (religious, business).
103.Article 44 of the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to the legal defence of his or her rights and freedoms and the right to appeal against any unlawful act on the part of State bodies, officials or voluntary associations. The Act on Appeals against Actions and Decisions that Violate Citizens’ Rights and Freedoms, adopted on 30 August 1995, guarantees the right of citizens to appeal to a court when they consider that their rights and freedoms have been violated by unlawful acts or decisions by State bodies, enterprises, institutions, organizations, voluntary associations, citizens’ self-government bodies, or officials. Foreigners’ rights are restricted only in the political sphere: they do not have the right to vote or stand for election or to hold managerial posts in State administrative bodies. Foreign citizens have the right to appeal to the courts in accordance with the procedure set out in the aforementioned Act, unless otherwise stipulated in international agreements to which Uzbekistan is a party. Stateless persons have the same rights as Uzbek citizens to appeal to the courts.
Article 3
Ensuring equal economic, social and cultural rights for men and women
104.According to article 46 of the Constitution, “women and men have equal rights”. Specific measures for guaranteeing women’s rights are contained in the Labour Code, the Family Code and other laws. Uzbekistan has a system of legal guarantees of women’s rights: women have equal opportunities to receive an education and vocational training, to work and be remunerated for their work, and to be promoted in their jobs and to take part in social and political and cultural activities. There are special labour protection measures for women, as well as measures to safeguard women’s health. Conditions have been created with a view to enabling women to combine their work with their duties as mothers; mothers and children are protected by law and receive material and moral support, including paid holidays. In Uzbekistan, women participate in all spheres of political, economic and social life.
105.Article 63 of the Constitution establishes the principles of equality between men and women, the freedom to marry and the equality of the parties entering into a marriage, mother and child protection, and the social and legal protection of the family. In 1995, Uzbekistan signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. In 1999, Uzbekistan submitted its initial report on its implementation of that Convention to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which considered the report in January 2001.
106.At the same time, the need for women to perform the tasks of managing a household and raising children largely determines the nature of women’s employment. Nearly 60 per cent of women participating in a survey said that they would like to work part-time or have flexible working hours, 21 per cent wanted to leave their jobs and 14 per cent said that they would prefer to work at home. According to information provided by the Ministry of Labour for the beginning of 1999, most women are employed in the non-productive branches of the economy: health care (74 per cent), insurance (60 per cent), education (58 per cent) and culture (53 per cent). Men predominate in such fields as transport (87 per cent), construction (88 per cent), forestry (76 per cent), and housing (63 per cent). In other branches - industry, agriculture, science and communications - the proportion of women workers ranges between 40 and 52 per cent.
107.In addition to the differences in women’s employment in the various branches of the economy, there are also professional differences in the structure of employment by sex. For example, in mechanical engineering, metalworking and instrument-making, men are predominantly employed as highly skilled manual workers who use machines and mechanisms (machine operators, adjusters, engineers and repairmen). At the same time, working women are, for the most part, qualified assembly workers or are employed in product labelling and packaging and so on.
Wage distribution by branch of the economy
108.In 2003, the average monthly wage of workers in Uzbekistan was 3,589.8 SUM. The highest average monthly wage for women was in the area of finance, credit and insurance; in transport - 6,364.1 SUM; in construction - 4,566.2 SUM; and in industry - 4,195.3 SUM. In the non‑productive branches of the economy, the average monthly wage of women was somewhat lower. In health care, physical training and sport, and social welfare - 2,211.2 SUM; and in education - 2,333.2 SUM. The average monthly wage in agriculture was 1,676.0 SUM.
109.This situation is primarily due to the fact that most women work in sectors financed from the State budget (education, health care, science, administration, art), where salaries have remained low; it is also due to a lower level of skills and, consequently, lower productivity, and women’s double employment.
110.In families with many children, women have additional responsibilities in the areas of child-rearing and running the household, and have fewer opportunities for professional growth and further training. According to the results of a one-time survey, 67 per cent of women said that they would like to change their jobs because they were not satisfied with their salaries, 19 per cent said that they wanted to leave because of difficult working conditions, and 24 per cent responded negatively about working conditions at their place of work. Some 34 per cent of the women surveyed were employed in jobs for which they were not qualified, 74 per cent did not undergo training to improve their qualifications, and 48 per cent of those who improved their qualifications did not experience any change in their job status. It should also be borne in mind that employers seek to employ a predominantly male workforce for objective reasons: women workers cost employers more than men. On average, women work 20 to 25 hours less a month than men; consequently, they are less productive. Moreover, women work for wages at irregular intervals, which has an adverse effect on their professional experience and qualifications. Therefore, when given a choice, employers prefer to hire men.
111.A number of problems must be solved. When there are staff cuts and when enterprises and organizations are reorganized, women - particularly women with many children - are the first to lose their jobs. In such cases, women go to the reproductive or the non-State sector. One of the aims of Uzbek legislation is to change this state of affairs. The law prohibits employers from dismissing women when they become pregnant or when they require maternity leave. Women with many children receive various benefits, such as shorter working hours and longer paid holidays. Chapter 14, article 224, of the Labour Code is entitled “Further guarantees for women and persons with family responsibilities”.
Protection of women’s interests
112.Over 100 NGOs represent women’s interests; these include the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan, the Association of Businesswomen of Uzbekistan, the Women’s Resource Centre, the Women Leaders Centre and the Soglom Avlod Uchun and Ekosan foundations. Uzbekistan is currently making great efforts to provide women with information about legal matters. Special Social centres are being created where women can receive advice on any issue of interest to them. Steps are being taken to disseminate information about women’s rights.
113.Uzbekistan is making major efforts to educate the population concerning the legal protection of women and to eradicate traditions and prejudices that have a negative impact on and infringe women’s rights. At the same time, Uzbekistan is promoting cultural and traditional values that encourage respect for women and protect their rights. Specialized institutions, such as women’s committees, the National Human Rights Centre, the Public Opinion Research Centre and certain non-governmental human rights organizations offer permanent advisory services for women, and hold seminars and round tables on women’s rights.
114.In accordance with the Presidential Decree of 2 March 1995, a new post was established in the Khokimiyats (regional administrations): deputy khokim for women’s issues. In the oblasts and districts, the chairman of the oblast or district women’s committee is simultaneously the deputy khokim of the oblast or district. The chairman of the Women’s Committee of Uzebekistan holds the post of Deputy Prime Minister. This structure makes it possible to resolve all women’s issues in a timely manner wherever they arise and to ensure the effective protection of women’s rights.
115.Representatives of the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan conduct ongoing work in the field, consider women’s complaints and communications, and inspect kindergartens, maternity homes and penal institutions for convicted women.
116.With a view for further improving the social and material status of women and strengthening their role in the family and society, the President of Uzbekistan issued a decree proclaiming 1999 as Women’s Year. Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 73 of 18 February 1999 approved the State programme of measures for 1999 to safeguard and protect women’s interests; the aim of the Programme is to improve the legal basis for protecting women’s interests and to increase their role in the development of the State, society and culture and in the democratic and spiritual renewal of society; to develop and ensure a system for monitoring the implementation of international, State and other legislative and legal norms for the protection of women’s interests and of maternity and childhood; to increase the role of women in administrative structures at all levels, create conditions for the active participation of women in citizens’ self‑government bodies, NGOs and voluntary organizations; to create conditions that improve maternal and child health; to develop physical culture and increase the level of education; to enhance the status and role of women in the family, create a favourable spiritual and moral atmosphere in the family, facilitate conditions for raising children, and improve material and everyday living conditions; to ensure women’s active participation in economic reforms and the development of entrepreneurship, and to broaden and deepen scientific and social research on gender issues, including measures to enhance the role of women in raising the younger generation in founding a family, and in the social and economic transformations and the spiritual and moral development of society.
117.The media devote a great deal of attention to women’s issues. There are 20 new television programmes or segments of programmes that provide information about women’s issues. Together with the Women’s Committee, the magazines Oila and Nafosat were founded; there are also the programmes “School for mothers”, “Women - the light of life” and “Dearest”. After a 29-year hiatus, the Umid (Hope) chief editorial board has resumed its work, publishing the magazine Krug podrug (Circle of Women Friends). Over the past year and a half, programmes for women have expanded. These include the current affairs television programme Buston, and the programmes Hayot Risolasi, Soglom Avlod Uchun, Ziinat, Marjon and others. In 2002, Uzbek television received some 25,000 letters, 51 per cent of which were sent in by women. Eight hundred persons, including 500 women, have visited Uzbek television’s reception room.
Article 4
Equality before the law
118.The policy of the Government of Uzbekistan is based on the principle of equality, without distinction as to sex, race, ethnic origin, language, religion, social origin, beliefs or individual or social status (Constitution, art. 18).
119.Article 2 of the Courts Act (as amended on 14 December 2000) sets out the tasks of the courts: “courts in the Republic of Uzbekistan are responsible for protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens proclaimed in the Constitution and other laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and international human rights instruments, and for safeguarding the rights and legally protected interests of enterprises, institutions and organizations. The activities of the courts ensure the supremacy of the law, social justice and civil peace and harmony”. Article 6 of the Courts Act establishes equality before the law and the courts: “All citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan are equal before the law and the courts without distinction as to sex, race, ethnic origin, language, religion, social origin, beliefs or individual or social status.”
120.Article 9 of the Courts Act guarantees the right of citizens to judicial protection:
“Citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan, foreign citizens and stateless persons are entitled to judicial protection from any unlawful acts (decisions) by State and other bodies and officials, as well as attempts against their life and health, honour and dignity, personal freedom and property, and other rights and freedoms.
“With a view to ensuring effective judicial protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens, the procurator participates in at all stages of judicial proceedings and in the deliberations of the courts concerning the practical application of legislation.”
121.In accordance with article 10 of the Courts Act, accused persons and defendants have the right to a defence. The right to professional legal assistance is guaranteed at every stage of judicial proceedings. An accused person is considered innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedure established by law and until his or her guilt is established by a court sentence that has entered into force. No one may be subjected to torture, violence or any other cruel or degrading treatment.
122.The Constitution of Uzbekistan guarantees equal rights to citizens of all ethnic groups and nationalities. More than 120 ethnic groups and nationalities live in Uzbekistan. Each ethnic group has every opportunity to exercise its cultural rights and to develop and promote its culture. Every citizen has the right to observe his or her national and cultural traditions. Citizens of Uzbekistan have the right to establish national cultural centres and societies, as well as national theatres, and to develop their national arts, traditional occupations and trades.
Article 5
Prohibition of violations of the equality of citizens
123.No one has the right to violate the fundamental rights of citizens to equality before the law, which have been laid down by legislation and the Constitution, irrespective of sex, race, language or other differences.
124.The Constitution of Uzbekistan guarantees the equality of all races. Uzbek legislation provides for criminal and administrative liability for persecution on racial grounds by any individual or organization. In Uzbekistan, racist organizations and parties are prohibited. Article 156 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan prohibits actions that incite national, racial or religious hatred. Anyone who commits such acts shall be held criminally responsible. According to article 156, deliberate actions that offend national honour and dignity and insult the feelings of citizens because of their religious or atheistic convictions, carried out with the aim of inciting hatred, intolerance or discord against groups of the population on national, racial, ethnic or religious grounds, as well as the direct or indirect restriction of rights, or the establishment of direct or indirect privileges on the basis of national, racial or ethnic affiliation or attitude towards religion are punishable offences, for which the article provides lengthy terms of deprivation of liberty.
125.Moreover, article 141 of the Criminal Code prohibits the violation of citizens’ equality: “Any direct or indirect violation or restriction of rights, or the establishment of direct or indirect privileges for citizens on the grounds of their sex, race, ethnic origin, language, religion, social origin, beliefs or individual or social status shall be punishable by a fine of up to 50 times the minimum wage or deprivation of a specific right for up to three years, or punitive deduction of earnings for up to two years.”
126.Under article 2 of the Family Code, family relations are regulated on the basis of the principle of the voluntary nature of the marital union of a man and a woman, the equality of the spouses’ individual and property rights, the settlement of family issues by mutual consent, the priority of raising children within the family and of children’s well-being and development, and protection of the rights and interests of minors and non-working members of the family.
127.Article 3 of the Family Code provides for the equality of citizens in family relations: “All citizens shall have equal rights in family relations. Any direct or indirect restriction of rights, or the establishment of direct or indirect privileges at the time of entry into marriage or interference in family relations on the grounds of sex, race, ethnic origin, language, religion, social origin, beliefs or individual or social status or other circumstances are prohibited.” According to article 10:
“Citizens shall exercise the rights to which they are entitled by virtue of family relations, at their own discretion.
“Family members’ exercise of their rights and performance of their obligations shall not violate the rights, freedoms or legitimate interests of other family members or of other citizens.”
Article 11 protects family rights:
“Family rights shall be protected by the courts in accordance with the regulations on civil proceedings and in the cases provided for in this Code, and by tutorship and guardianship agencies or other State bodies.
“Family rights are protected by the means set forth in the relevant articles of this Code.”
128.According to article 4 of the Education Act, “Everyone is guaranteed equal rights to an education without distinction as to sex, language, age, race, ethnic origin, beliefs, attitude towards religion, social origin, occupation, social status, place of residence, length of residence in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan …”
129.Under article 2 of the Disabled Persons (Social Welfare) Act, “Persons with disabilities shall have all the social and economic and individual rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution and other laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Discrimination against persons with disabilities is prohibited and is punishable by law”.
130.Article 13 of the Health Protection Act provides that citizens have the right to health protection.
“Citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan have the inalienable right to health protection.
“The State shall guarantee health protection for its citizens, irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnic origin, language, attitude towards religion, social origin, beliefs or individual or social status.
“The State shall guarantee its citizens protection against discrimination, irrespective of the nature of their illness. Persons who violate this provision shall bear responsibility in accordance with the procedure established by law.”
Article 6
Right to work
131.Article 37 of the Constitution of Uzbekistan guarantees citizens the right to work. Everyone has the right to work, to the free choice of work, to fair working conditions and to protection against unemployment in accordance with the procedure established by law. Forced labour, except in execution of a court sentence or in other instances specified by law, is prohibited.
132.With a view to developing the constitutional norms that safeguard every person’s right to work, to the free choice of work, to fair working conditions and to protection against unemployment, Uzbekistan adopted the Employment Act, the Labour Protection Act, the Holidays Act, the Farming Act, the Peasant (Dekhkan) Farms Act, the Civil and Labour codes, and others.
133.Uzbekistan has a great labour potential. It has a population of over 25 million, of whom more than 50 per cent are of working age. In this regard, the provision of employment for everyone capable of working is one of Uzbekistan’s pressing social and economic tasks. The command economy’s system of universal employment, which was based on a global approach to labour resources, did not take full account of Uzbekistan’s specific characteristics and was not sufficiently flexible or capable of making the best use of its labour potential. In accordance with Uzbekistan’s strategy of transition to a market economy, employment is consistently integrated into the system of market relations. The Employment Act was adopted in 1992 and the Labour Code was adopted in 1994; a number of legislative acts regulating labour issues have been drafted, and a labour market infrastructure has been created.
134.Uzbekistan’s reforms in the economic and social fields have made it possible to introduce quantitative and qualitative changes in the area of employment. The employment rate, which is determined by taking into account persons who are self-employed, persons engaged in individual entrepreneurial activities, without the creation of a legal entity, family members who help them, and other categories of the employed population, stands at 96 per cent of the economically active population.
135.In spite of the decline in GDP in 1991-1995, the number of employed workers during that period increased at an annual average of 0.6 per cent, which reflected the tendency of the material production branches to maintain redundant personnel. During the period of GDP growth (1996‑2002), employment rose at an annual rate of 1.3 per cent a year, which corresponds to an average annual GDP growth rate of 4 per cent for the same period.
136.During the period of economic growth, changes took place in the structure of employment. Over the period 1996-2001, the number of persons employed in industry rose by 4.7 per cent; in transport and communications - by 10 per cent; in the services sector - by 13.4 per cent; and in construction - by 25.6 per cent. During the same period, employment in agriculture declined by more than 11 per cent and accounted for 33.5 per cent of total employment, as compared with 41.9 per cent in 1991. At the same time, the segment of the population employed in small and medium‑sized enterprises increased. At present, this field, including dekhkan and farmer economies, accounts for more than 55 per cent of all persons employed in the economy.
137.At the same time, the number of people employed in the informal sector of the economy has essentially remained the same: according to estimates, some 3 million people were employed in this sector in 2002. The unemployment rate, which includes persons who need to be placed in jobs, as well as persons actively looking for work on their own initiative or with the assistance of employment offices, accounts for no more than 4 per cent of the active population and is within the normal range. On average, every year more than 400,000 people go to their local employment offices in search of work. They are, on the whole, people living in rural communities, young people between the ages of 16 and 30, citizens with a general secondary education, and also persons with low qualifications and persons without a trade or speciality.
138.Guarantees of employment and the social protection of these categories of unemployed persons, and of people who have difficulties in finding work and are unable to compete on equal terms in the labour market, are provided in Uzbek legislation (article 7 of the Employment Act and article 68 of the Labour Code) through the placement of such persons in vacant posts, and the requirement that enterprises, organizations and institutions keep a minimum number of vacancies in order to provide jobs for people requiring social protection.
139.The State’s employment policy and its measures to provide work for everyone who is ready to begin work or who is looking for work, is based on the following principles:
Equal opportunities in the exercise of the right to work and the right freely to choose one’s employment for all citizens, irrespective of sex, age, race, ethnic origin, language, social origin, property and official status, attitude towards religion, beliefs and other circumstances that are not related to the professional qualities of workers or the results of their work (article 5 of the Employment Act);
Support and encouragement for people’s work and entrepreneurial initiatives, and promotion of their ability to engage in productive and creative work that provides them with decent working and living conditions;
The voluntary nature of work;
The provision of social guarantees in the area of employment and protection against unemployment;
Coordination and linkage of measures in the area of employment with other areas of economic and social policy, and so on.
140.The basic means of ensuring rational and productive employment are:
Creation of new jobs in and small medium-sized enterprises, primarily in rural areas, involved in the processing of local raw materials and agricultural resources; and production of consumer goods and development of the services sector, the cottage industry and family businesses;
Introduction of new industrial facilities; reconstruction, modernization and expansion of operating enterprises; increased use of existing production capacities and the localization of production in the light industry and mechanical engineering; exploitation and processing of minerals; and transport and communications;
Development of social infrastructure in accordance with the National Personnel Training Programme and introduction of academic lycées and vocational colleges;
Creation of a market infrastructure (banks, insurance agencies, consulting firms, leasing agencies, audit bodies and stock-exchange structures) primarily in rural areas;
Other measures, including the organization of temporary paid public work, retraining of the unemployed, and allocation and payment of unemployment benefits.
141.In Uzbekistan, no distinctions, restrictions or preferences, either in legislation or in administrative practice, exist in relations among people or groups of persons on the grounds of race, skin colour, sex, religion, political views or ethnic or social origin, which in fact abolish or diminish the existence, recognition or exercise of equal opportunities in the fields of labour and employment.
142.In accordance with legislation (article 6 of the Employment Act and articles 57 and 58 of the Labour Code), the State guarantees:
Equal opportunities to everyone to engage in a trade and obtain work, and equal conditions in the areas of work and employment, remuneration and job advancement;
Freedom of choice of employment, including work that allows for flexible working hours;
Other legal, economic and organizational conditions for ensuring employment and guaranteeing the exercise of the right to work.
143.In order to provide themselves and their families with a decent standard of living, in 1998‑1999 0.7 per cent of Uzbekistan’s working population worked full-time in more than one job; that figure was 0.6 per cent in 2000-2001 and 0.5 per cent in 2002.
Article 7
Right to favourable conditions of work and leisure
144.The Labour Protection Act of 6 May 1993 establishes a unified procedure for protecting labour, irrespective of means of production or form of ownership. Its purpose is to protect citizens’ health and labour. Labour protection legislation consists of this Act and other regulations adopted in accordance with the Labour Act.
145.The Labour Act applies to all workers in labour relations with enterprises, institutions, organizations under various forms of ownership and management, and individual employers; members of cooperatives; students at higher educational establishments and students in specialized secondary educational establishments, vocational schools and general education schools who are undergoing practical training; servicemen assigned to work in enterprises; citizens performing alternative service; convicted persons, during their work in prison industries or at enterprises designated by the bodies responsible for enforcing sentences; and also participants in other forms of labour activity in the interests of society and the State.
146.State policy in the field of labour protection is based on the following principles:
Priority of workers’ life and health over the results of an enterprises’s productive activities;
Coordination of labour protection activities with other areas of economic and social policy;
Establishment of uniform labour protection requirements for all enterprises, irrespective of their form of ownership or management;
Ensuring environmentally safe working conditions, and regular monitoring of the environment in the workplace;
Supervision and monitoring of the universal application of labour protection requirements at enterprises;
State participation in financing labour protection;
Training of specialists in labour protection at higher and specialized secondary educational establishments;
Encouragement of the development and introduction of safe techniques, technology and means of protecting workers;
Extensive use of the achievements of science, technology and progressive domestic and foreign experience in the field of labour protection;
Provision to workers, free of charge, of work clothes and shoes, individual protection means, and diet therapy;
Implementation of a tax policy conducive to the creation of healthy and safe working conditions at enterprises;
Obligation to investigate and register every industrial accident and every occupational disease and to inform the population of the rate of industrial accidents and occupational diseases;
Social protection of the interests of victims of industrial accidents or workers with occupational diseases.
147.In Uzbekistan, salaries are established on the basis of the 22-category Unified Wage Scale for the Remuneration of Manual and White-Collar Workers, according to which remuneration is based directly on the complexity of the work performed and a worker’s qualifications. All publicly financed institutions and organizations must establish wage categories and coefficients that have been approved by a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers.
148.Enterprises and organizations that carry out their activities on the basis of profit-and-loss accounting, in accordance with the recommendations for the application of the 22-category Unified Wage Scale for the Remuneration of Manual and White-Collar Workers, independently establish the base wage and wage coefficients, in accordance with their financial capabilities.
149.The wage rate (salary) for a specific post is determined by multiplying the wage rate for the first category by the wage coefficient corresponding to the relevant post. The minimum wage is established on the basis of presidential decrees and decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers. According to article 155 of the Labour Code, the monthly salary of a worker who meets productivity quotas and fulfils his or her labour obligations for this period cannot be lower than the legal minimum wage. The wage rate for the first category, which is legislatively approved for publicly financed organizations, coincides with the minimum wage established in Uzbekistan. The rate for the first category is paid to unskilled workers (service staff): cloakroom attendants, watchmen, office cleaners, lift operators and so on.
150.According to statistical data for 2002, 270,000 workers received wages ranging from the minimum wage to twice the minimum wage.
151.In Uzbekistan, there is no unequal remuneration for work of equal value, or worse conditions for women than for men. Methods such as the devleopment and use of the relevant instructions and standards governing the work of salaried employees are used to make an objective assessment of posts based on the amount of work involved.
152.Minimum working conditions and sanitary norms that meet safety and hygiene requirements are established in accordance with the hygiene classification of working conditions indexed according to level of hazards and risks in the industrial environment and the difficulty and intensity of the work process. According to the health norms for maximum allowable loads for women who lift and move heavy objects by hand, an object lifted and moved by a woman, in the course of her performance of other types of work, must not exceed 9 kilograms (kg), and an object that is constantly lifted and moved during a work shift must not exceed 6 kg. The total weight of loads moved in the course of a work shift from the working surface should not exceed 2,500 kg. According to the health norms for maximum allowable loads for adolescents who lift and move heavy objects by hand, an object lifted and moved by persons between the ages of 16 and 18 should not exceed 13 kg for young men and 7 kg for girls.
153.The assessment of individual workplaces with a view to ensuring the creation of normal working conditions is carried out in accordance with the Methodology for Assessing Working Conditions and Individual Workplaces Based on Working Conditions which has been registered by the Ministry of Justice.
154.In accordance with Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 73 of 18 February 1999 on the State programme of measures for 1999 to increase the role of women in the family and in the development of the State and society, and to improve measures to protect their legal, social, economic and spiritual interests, a list of jobs involving unfavourable working conditions, in which the use of female labour is fully or partly prohibited has been prepared and registered with the Ministry of Justice.
155.Industrial accidents are investigated in accordance with the Regulations for Investigating and Registering Industrial Accidents and Other Hazards to the Health of Workers in the Workplace, which was approved by Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 286 of 6 June 1997. Over the past five years, there has been a downward trend in the number of industrial accidents. In 1998, 1,495 workers were injured in the workplace: of that number, 306 were seriously injured and 252 died; in 2002, there were 1,352 industrial accidents in which 243 workers were seriously injured and 195 workers died.
156.In Uzbekistan, everyone is guaranteed equal opportunities for job advancement, including advancement for women. According to article 18 of the Constitution, all citizens of Uzbekistan have equal rights and freedoms and are equal before the law without distinction as to sex, race, ethnic group, language, religion, social origin, beliefs or individual or social status. Article 6 of the Labour Code prohibits discrimination in the field of employment on the grounds of sex, race and so on. In Uzbekistan, there are many instances in which women hold high posts both in executive bodies and in organs of authority; for example, they are elected deputies to the Oliy Majlis, chairpersons of committees of the Oliy Majlis or of the Supreme Court, ministers, deputy ministers, directors of major voluntary associations and so forth.
157.The exercise of the rights to rest, leisure and reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay, as well as remuneration for public holidays, are guaranteed by law. In particular, under article 128 of the Labour Code, all workers have the right to rest between shifts, and the time between shifts may not be less than 12 hours. In accordance with article 115 of the Labour Code, the normal length of the work week is 40 hours. Some categories of workers have shorter work days; such workers include, teachers, medical personnel, Group I and II disabled persons, persons under the age of 18, and workers exposed to adverse working conditions. Under articles 133 and 143 of the Labour Code, all workers, including workers holding several jobs, receive annual paid holidays. The length of such holidays may not be less than 15 working days. Compensation for workers who are willing to work on holidays may not be less than twice the standard rate.
Article 8
Right to form trade unions
158.Under article 34 of the Constitution, all citizens have the right to form trade unions. On 2 July 1992, the Act on Trade Unions, Their Rights and Guarantees of Their Activity. In accordance with article 2 of the Act, workers, and also persons studying at higher and specialized secondary educational establishments, have the right, without any distinction whatsoever, to form trade unions on a voluntary basis, at their discretion and without prior authorization, as well as the right to join trade unions provided that they agree to observe the relevant regulations.
159.In accordance with the Regulations governing the Trade Unions and Associations that Constitute the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan, and also the Regulations governing Sectoral Trade Unions, membership of trade unions is voluntary. Anyone who has reached the age of 16, or a student who is at least 14 years of age, and who accepts the trade union’s regulations, meets its requirements and regularly pays his or her dues, may become a member of a trade union. Trade unions accept members on an individual basis pursuant to the personal application of the prospective member at a meeting of a trade-union group or of shop or primary trade-union organizations.
160.Primary trade-union organizations are established at enterprises, institutions, organizations and educational establishments that are legal entities, provided that the trade union has at least five members. There are no special regulations governing the formation of trade unions by specific categories of workers. There are no restrictions on workers’ exercise of the right to form and join trade unions. According to the Voluntary Associations Act, in order for a trade union to be officially recognized as a national voluntary association, it must have at least 3,000 members.
161.Uzbek legislation has a procedure for registering the statutes of voluntary organizations, according to which the governing board of the prospective voluntary organization must submit, within one month of the adoption of its statute, an application signed by its members and indicating each member’s family name, first name and patronymic, date of birth and place of residence, to the relevant judicial body. The statute, the record of the constituent congress or general meeting at which the statute was adopted, and other materials confirming that the legal requirements have been met, must be attached to the application. The application is considered within two months of its receipt. Changes and additions to the statutes of voluntary associations are subject to registration in accordance with the same procedure and within the same time limits as the registration of statutes. The bodies that register the statutes of voluntary associations keep a register of such associations. A voluntary association or its organizations (bodies) may carry out their activities only after their statutes have been registered in accordance with the legally established procedure and, in accordance with civil legislation, they may be recognized as legal entities.
162.According to article 4 of the Act on Trade Unions, Their Rights and Guarantees of Their Activity and article 6 of the Labour Code, all discrimination against members of trade unions is prohibited.
163.Trade unions have the right to form federations and to join international trade-union organizations. This right is not restricted either by law or in practice. The Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan was established on 12 September 1990. Today the Federation of Trade Unions comprises 14 sectoral trade unions and 14 territorial trade-union associations. There is also the workers’ trade union of the Kyzylkumpredmetzoloto concern, which is not part of the Federation of Trade Unions. Six sectoral trade unions are members of international trade-union organizations:
The communications workers’ union is a member of Union Network International (UNI);
The metalworkers’ and mechanical engineers’ union is a member of the International Eurasian Metal Workers’ Federation;
The education and science workers’ union is a member of Educational International (EI);
The union of workers in the fuel and energy, geological and chemical industry is a transit member of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM);
The union of workers in light industry, the furniture industry and public utilities has joined ICEM as an observer;
The union of air transport workers is a member of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
164. There are no conditions or restrictions, either in legislation or in practice, on the right of trade unions to operate without hindrance.
165.Uzbek legislation in the field of collective bargaining complies fully with International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 154 concerning the Promotion of Collective Bargaining. The Labour Code establishes that any of the parties has the right to initiate negotiations on the conclusion or amendment of a collective treaty or agreement. A trade union or other body that represents workers has the right to conduct negotiations on behalf of the workers that it represents, propose and sign addenda to a collective treaty or agreement that protect the interests of the workers covered under that treaty or agreements.
166.In order to conclude, amend or supplement a collective treaty or agreement, negotiations are held between the employer, the association of employers (or their representatives) and trade unions or other bodies that represent workers. When necessary, the central authorities may participate in the negotiations. Employers and the central authorities must hold negotiations on the labour and socio-economic issues that have been proposed for discussion by trade unions or other bodies that represent workers. The party that receives the relevant written notification must begin negotiations within seven days.
167.Within three months prior to the expiry of the previous collective treaty or agreement, or within the time limits specified in those documents, any of the parties has the right to notify the other party in writing of the commencement of negotiations on the conclusion of a new collective treaty or agreement. In order to hold negotiations and to draft the collective treaty or agreement, the parties establish, on an equal footing, a commission composed of representatives who have been vested with the necessary powers. The parties to the negotiations have complete freedom to choose and discuss any issues of relevance to the collective treaty or agreement.
168.Employers and their associations, and the central authorities, must provide trade unions and other bodies that represent workers with any information available to them that is necessary for the negotiations. The participants in the negotiations and other persons associated with the negotiations must not divulge any information that they receive, when such information constitutes a State or commercial secret.
169.If, during the course of the negotiations, the parties cannot reach an agreement for reasons beyond their control, a record is drawn up that includes the parties’ final proposals on the measures needed to eliminate the impediments to the negotiations and on the time limit for the resumption of negotiations.
170.Persons who represent an employer bear responsibility for evading participation in negotiations to conclude, amend or supplement a collective treaty or agreement, for failing to observe the time limits for drafting and concluding such treaties or agreements, for not ensuring that the relevant commission carries out its work within the time limits designated by the parties, or for not providing the information necessary for the negotiations and for monitoring the observance of the collective treaty or agreement. Such actions are considered to be a violation of labour legislation and are punishable under the legally established procedure.
171.Collective bargaining in the field of employment is governed by the Employment Act, according to which trade unions have the right to participate in the drafting and implementation of Uzbek legislative acts and decisions of local government bodies concerning the State’s employment policy; and to make proposals to local government bodies and employers concerning the holding of mutual consultations on ways of ensuring employment and social guarantees.
172.There are currently 14 trade unions in Uzbekistan; the trade unions comprise 180 oblast trade-union offices, 559 district trade-union offices and 42,808 primary trade-union organizations. The number of members in each trade union is shown in Table 1.
173.The Constitution and other Uzbek legislative acts do not provide for the right to strike as a method of settling collective labour disputes.
174.The procedure for settling labour disputes is set out in labour legislation. Individual labour disputes are settled in accordance with legislation in enterprises’ labour dispute commissions and in the courts. Workers have the right to choose the body that will consider their disputes with their employers. When they appeal to a court in accordance with the requirements of labour-legal relations, workers are exempt from court fees. Collective labour disputes concerning the application of labour legislation or other regulations, including collective treaties and agreements and local acts adopted by agreement between the employer and the trade‑union committee or another body that represents workers, may be considered by the courts. Trade unions have the right to institute legal proceedings in both individual and collective labour disputes.
175.The procedure for settling collective labour disputes concerning the introduction of new, or the alteration of existing, working conditions is somewhat more complicated, since this issue is not covered in Uzbek legislation. It should be noted that paragraph 2 of the Supreme Soviet Decision of 4 January 1992 on the ratification of the agreement and protocol concerning the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States states: “Decide that, until the adoption of the relevant legislative acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the laws of the former USSR shall be applied in its territory insofar as they do not contravene the Constitution or legislation of Uzbekistan. ” In this connection, the Soviet Act on the procedure for settling collective labour disputes of 20 May 1991 is formally still in force, although many of its provisions are outdated and no longer correspond to legal relations in the area of labour in Uzbekistan.
176.In view of the fact that, in 1995, Uzbekistan acceded to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, article 8 of which guarantees “the right to strike, provided that it is exercised in conformity with the laws of the particular country”, there is a pressing need to adopt national legislation on a procedure for settling collective labour disputes concerning the introduction of new, or the alteration of existing, working conditions.
Article 9
Right to social security
177.Under article 39 of the Constitution, “everyone has the right to social security in old age, in the event of disability or loss of a breadwinner and in other cases specified by law. Pensions, allowances and other kinds of welfare may not be lower than the officially established minimum subsistence wage”. The social welfare of citizens is ensured by the President, the Oliy Majlis, the Cabinet of Ministers, ministries and departments, the khokimiyats, local bodies and citizens’ local self-government bodies, each within its sphere of competence.
178.At the beginning of 2001, 3,087,000 pensioners were registered with social welfare bodies; of that number, 53 per cent were women and 47 per cent were men. Of the overall number of pensioners receiving pensions based on their age, 69.5 per cent were women and 48 per cent were men; the figures for persons receiving disability pensions were 19 per cent and 18.2 per cent, respectively. The average size of retirement pensions increased 3.8 times over the past three years alone, while disability pensions increased 3.7 times. Monthly allowances for children up to two years of age increased more than three times, and the minimum size of scholarships for students of higher and specialized secondary establishments increased 3.8 times.
Social insurance system
179.In Uzbekistan, the social insurance system consists of the following:
(a)Social insurance sectors:
Paid sick benefits;
Pregnancy and childbirth benefits;
Benefits for non-working mothers caring for children up to two years of age;
(b)Old age pensions; disability pensions; pensions for the loss of a breadwinner;
(c)Compensation for damages in the event of an industrial accident or occupational disease;
(d)Unemployment benefits;
(e)Benefits for families with children, and material assistance for needy families.
Paid sick benefits
180.Sick benefits come under the category of State social insurance benefits. Sick benefits are paid in accordance with the Labour Code, Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 444 of 15 November 2000 on measures to improve the system of pension benefits, and Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 498 of 23 December 2000 approving the Regulations governing the Procedure for the Formation and Expenditure of the Resources of the Extrabudgetary Pension Fund.
181.The procedure for allocating and paying benefits is contained in the Regulations governing the Procedure for Allocating and Paying State Social Insurance Benefits. The Regulations are registered by the Ministry of Justice.
182.Sick benefits are financed from the extrabudgetary Pension Fund, which is formed from obligatory contributions to State social insurance, and are paid only when there is entitlement to such benefits, during the period when the labour contract is in force.
183.All workers must participate in this form of social insurance, with the exception of members of peasant (dekhkan) farms, who have the right to participate in the social insurance system on a voluntary basis.
Pregnancy and childbirth benefits
184.These benefits fall under the category of State social insurance benefits. They are paid in accordance with the Labour Code, Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 444 of 15 November 2000 on measures to improve the system of pension benefits and Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 498 of 23 December 2000 approving the Regulations governing the Procedure for the Formation and Expenditure of the Resources of the Extrabudgetary Pension Fund.
185.The procedure for allocating and paying benefits is contained in the Regulations governing the Procedure for Allocating and Paying State Social Insurance Benefits. The Regulations are registered by the Ministry of Justice.
186.The benefits are financed from the extrabudgetary Pension Fund, which is formed from obligatory contributions to State social insurance, and are paid only when there is entitlement to such benefits, during the period when the labour contract is in force.
187.All working women must participate in this form of social insurance, with the exception of members of peasant (dekhkan) farms, who have the right to participate in the social insurance system on a voluntary basis.
Benefits for non-working mothers caring for children up to two years of age
188.These benefits are paid in accordance with Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 33 of 25 January 2003 on measures to implement the Programme of Targeted Support for Socially Vulnerable Segments of the Population for the Period 2002-2003. The benefits are allocated to non-working mothers for the care of children up to two years of age, taking account of families’ need for such benefits. The benefits are financed from the State budget.
Old age pensions
189.Old age pensions are paid in accordance with the State Pension Benefits Act and the Servicemen’s Pension Benefits Act, Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 249 of 11 May 1994 approving the laws and regulations necessary for the implementation of the State Pension Benefits Act, and Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 250 of 12 May 1994 approving the lists of industries, institutions, jobs, professions, posts and indicators that entitle persons to a pension on preferential terms.
190.Old age pensions are paid to persons covered by State social insurance for the rest of their lives: they are paid to men who have reached the age of 60 and who have worked at least 25 years, and to women who have reached the age of 55 and who have worked at least 20 years (when they have worked for at least 20 years without interruption, women have the right to retire at age 54).
191.Old age pensions are financed from the extrabudgetary Pension Fund, which is formed from obligatory contributions to State social insurance.
Disability pensions
192.Disability pensions are paid in accordance with the State Pension Benefits Act and the Servicemen’s Pension Benefits Act, and Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 249 of 11 May 1994 of the approving laws and regulations necessary for the implementation of the State Pension Benefits Act.
193.Disability pensions are paid to persons covered by State social insurance for the entire period of their disability, once the disability group has been established and the required length of time in service is met.
194.Disability pensions are financed from the extrabudgetary Pension Fund, which is formed from obligatory contributions to State social insurance.
Pensions for the loss of a breadwinner
195.These pensions are paid in accordance with the State Pension Benefits Act and the Servicemen’s Pension Benefits Act and Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 249 of 11 May 1994 approving the laws and regulations necessary for implementing the State Pension Benefits Act.
196.The pensions are paid to the non-working members of a family of a deceased worker who was covered by State social insurance, having completed the required length of time in service. The pensions are financed from the extrabudgetary Pension Fund, which is formed from obligatory contributions to State social insurance. The number of pensioners registered by social security services, by sex and type of pension, is contained in Table. 2.
Compensation for damages in the event of an industrial accident or occupational disease
197.In cases of an industrial accident or occupational disease, both the victims and families that have lost a breadwinner receive compensation in accordance with the Regulations governing Compensation by Employers for Damages Caused to a Worker by an Injury, Occupational Disease or Any Harm to Health that Occurred during Their Performance of Their Labour Obligations, which were approved by Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 48 of 1 February 1994.
Unemployment benefits
198.Unemployment benefits are paid in accordance with the Employment Act. They are paid to able-bodied persons between age 16 and retirement age who are registered with their local labour office and have been recognized as unemployed. The benefits are financed from the extrabudgetary Employment Fund, which is formed from obligatory deductions from the wage fund by enterprises of all types of ownership.
Benefits for families with children
199.These benefits are paid in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 3017 of 25 January 2002 on increasing targeted support for socially vulnerable segments of the population, Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 437 of 10 December 1996 on measures to increase social support for families with children and Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 33 of 25 January 2002 on measures to implement the Programme of Targeted Support for Socially Vulnerable Segments of the Population for the period 2002-2003. The benefits are paid to families who have children or adopted children or families that serve as tutors or guardians for minors who require such benefits. The benefits are financed from the State budget.
Material assistance to low-income families
200.This form of assistance is provided in accordance with Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 434 of 24 August 1994 on social protection for low-income families, and the regulations governing the procedure for registering low-income families and allocating and disbursing material assistance to them. Such assistance is allocated to families and single citizens who, for objective reasons, have low incomes that do not cover their basic needs. Such assistance is financed from the State budget.
201.Monthly expenditure on pensions and social insurance benefits amount to 49 billion SUM. In 2002, expenditure on unemployment benefits amounted to 1.2 billion SUM, benefits for families with children - 58.3 billion SUM, and material assistance to low-income families - 5.9 billion SUM.
202.There are no non-State (private) social security programmes in Uzbekistan. All citizens and permanent residents of Uzbekistan have the right to social security. The amount of social security benefits and the procedure for disbursing them are not subject to considerations of ethnic origin, sex, social status or political or religious views, and are established by legislation. Members of peasant (dekhkan) farms have the right to participate in the social security system on a voluntary basis.
203.The average amount of pensions and social benefits provided to the population by the Government is contained in Table 3.
Social protection of the most vulnerable segments of the population
204.In order to implement the measures contained in Decision No. 306-II of 6 December 2001 of the Oliy Majlis and Presidential Decree No. UP-3017 of 25 January 2002 on increasing targeted support for socially vulnerable segments of the population, on 22 January 2002 the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Decision No. 33 on measures to implement the Programme of Targeted Support for Socially Vulnerable Segments of the population for the period 2002-2003. According to Decision No. 33:
Since 1 September 2002, in addition to primary school students from low-income families, students from low-income families who attend higher grades of general education schools have received a free set of winter clothes;
Every year, students from low-income families who attend general education schools are provided, free of charge, with a set of textbooks from the library collection; as at 1 September 2002, no less than 75 per cent of students from low-income families and, as at 1 September 2003, 100 per cent of students from low-income families were provided with textbooks;
Social protection for orphans and children deprived of parental care who are full wards of the State has been increased;
It has been decided that foster parents who agree to raise a child shall receive a monthly allowance equivalent to three times the minimum wage for every foster child;
The Ministry of Education, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, drafted and approved a procedure for the one-time provision of clothing and shoes to orphans who are being raised by families. The procedure sets out the norms and contains a list of articles of clothing and footwear, depending on the children’s age;
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, together with the Ministry of Finance, the Mahalla Foundation and the National Bank, have drafted and approved, in accordance with established procedure, the Regulations on the Procedure for Allocating and Paying Monthly Allowances to Mothers caring for Children up to Two Years of Age, bearing in mind families’ need for this allowance;
With a view to increasing the State’s targeted support for socially vulnerable segments of the population, improving their material well-being, protecting the interests of the older generation and creating conditions for the full physical, intellectual and cultural development of the rising generation, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Decision No. UP-3017 of 25 January 2002 on increasing targeted support for socially vulnerable segments of the population.
Other forms of social assistance for pensioners, persons with disabilities and elderly persons living alone
205.With a view to implementing paragraph 3.9 of the State programme entitled “Year of Protection of the Interests of Senior Citizens”, which was approved by Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 30 of 24 January 2002, and in order to provide full social services to elderly persons living alone, pensioners and disabled persons who require home care, on 29 March 2002 the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Decision No. 106 on increasing social assistance to elderly persons living alone, pensioners and disabled persons who require home care.
206.The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare was instructed to encourage, through social security offices for unemployed citizens registered with employment offices, the organization of paid community work in order to provide social services to elderly persons living alone, pensioners and persons with disabilities who require home care.
207.In accordance with the State programme entitled “Year of Protection of the Interests of Senior Citizens”, and with a view to providing support for socially vulnerable segments of the population, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Decision No. 149 of 1 May 2002 on one‑time allowances for citizens who provide services to elderly and incapacitated persons, children with disabilities and persons who have been disabled since childhood.
208.The regulations on the procedure for allocating and paying one-time allowances were approved, and it was decided that, for the aforementioned categories, they are not subject to taxation.
Social and legal protection of persons with disabilities
209.Act No. 422-XII of 18 November 1991, the Disabled Persons (Social Welfare) Act, defines State policy towards disabled persons with a view to ensuring that they have the same opportunities to exercise their rights and freedoms as all other citizens of Uzbekistan, and with a view to eliminating limitations on their activities and creating favourable conditions that allow them to lead a full life, participate actively in economic and political life and perform their civic duties.
210.A person with disabilities is anyone who, owing to his or her limited activity as a result of physical or mental impairments, requires social assistance and protection. Limitation of activity means the full or partial loss of the capacity or opportunity to help oneself, move, understand, communicate, control one’s behaviour or hold a job. A person is recognized as a disabled person by occupational disease expert commissions in accordance with the procedure established by the Cabinet of Ministers. Disabled persons have all the social and economic and individual rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution and other legislative acts. Discrimination against disabled persons is prohibited and is punishable by law.
211.In providing social protection for disabled persons, the State creates the necessary conditions for their individual development and the realization of their creative and productive opportunities and capabilities by taking account of the needs of disabled persons in relevant State programmes and providing social assistance in accordance with legislation in order to remove obstacles to disabled persons’ exercise of their rights to health, work, education and vocational training, and to housing and other social and economic rights. The State pays particular attention to children with disabilities.
212.In order to assist disabled persons in Uzbekistan and its various oblasts, non‑taxable social welfare foundations for the disabled are being established. The procedure for establishing such foundations, and their activities and sources of funding, are defined by the Cabinet of Ministers.
213.In order to improve the living conditions of Group I and II disabled persons, such persons are provided with living quarters that are in keeping with their need to live near their place of work, general health institutions and transport lines. Privileges for disabled persons and for families caring for a disabled family member, with regard to the provision, acquisition, construction and use of housing, are established by Uzbekistan’s housing legislation.
214.Voluntary associations, in accordance with their statutes, and citizens may take part in solving problems relating to the social protection of disabled persons, and in financing relevant activities. Local councils of people’s deputies must provide comprehensive support for disabled persons.
215.The Disabled Persons (Social Welfare) Act sets out regulations for creating conditions for disabled persons’ unhindered access to social infrastructure, namely:
Ensuring that disabled persons have access to residential buildings and other social infrastructure (art. 8);
Consideration of the needs of disabled persons when planning and building social infrastructure (art. 9);
Adaptation of existing social infrastructure for use by disabled persons (art. 10);
Adaptation of living accommodations for access and use by disabled persons (art. 11);
Economic liability for failure to carry out the obligation to provide disabled persons with access to transport and other social infrastructure (art. 12);
Provision of access to cultural institutions and theatres and to sports complexes (art. 13);
Participation of enterprises, associations, institutions and organizations in financing the construction, equipping and maintenance of social and cultural facilities and sports complexes for disabled persons (art. 14);
Privileges accorded to enterprises, associations and organizations that produce goods and technical equipment for disabled persons (art. 15).
216.The Act also sets out regulations for the medical, vocational and social rehabilitation of disabled persons:
Objectives of the medical, vocational and social rehabilitation of disabled persons (art. 16);
Individual programme for the rehabilitation of disabled persons (art. 17);
Institutions involved in the rehabilitation of disabled persons (art. 18).
Objectives of the medical, vocational and social rehabilitation of disabled persons
217.Uzbekistan organizes and facilitates the establishment and development of a system for the medical, vocational and social rehabilitation of disabled persons, which offers a range of measures to restore or compensate for impaired or lost functions, enhance such persons’ ability to help themselves and engage in various types of vocational activity, and allow them to lead a full life, exercise their rights and realize their potential.
218.The Government of Uzbekistan finances and organizes scientific research and trains specialists in the medical, vocational and social rehabilitation of disabled persons, and the prevention of disabilities.
Individual programme for rehabilitating disabled persons
219.The medical, vocational and social rehabilitation of disabled persons is carried out in accordance with an individual rehabilitation programme prepared on the basis of a medical and social expert examination by State bodies authorized by district and municipal councils of people’s deputies with the participation of representatives of voluntary associations of disabled persons.
220.The individual rehabilitation programme recommended for a disabled person defines the specific amount and type of rehabilitation and the time frame for conducting such measures, and also the types of social assistance.
221.The individual rehabilitation programme for disabled persons is a document that must be implemented by the relevant State bodies and also by enterprises, associations, institutions and organizations.
General secondary, specialized secondary and higher education for disabled persons
222.General secondary, specialized secondary and higher education for disabled persons is provided by all educational establishments and, when necessary, by special educational establishments. Tutoring is also organized for children with disabilities who are being treated in inpatient general medical institutions or in rehabilitation institutions. The relevant educational establishments must assist parents in providing home tutoring for disabled children.
223.The number of women and men who were registered as persons with disabilities for the first time is contained in Table 4. The number of persons with disabilities registered with social welfare bodies is provided in Table 5.
Fostering services
224.In accordance with the provisions of chapter 22 of the Family Code, foster care means a situation in which a family accepts to bring up one or more children. Under‑age children deprived of parental care, including children in orphanages and medical institutions and also in social welfare institutions, are placed in foster families that assume responsibility for raising them.
225.Children are pre‑selected for placement in foster care by the persons who wish to bring the children into their families, with the agreement of the tutorship or guardianship agency. When a child is placed with a foster family, his or her wishes are taken into account. Children who have reached the age of 10 can be placed in foster families only with their consent.
226.Agreements concerning a family’s agreement to foster a child is concluded between the tutorship or guardianship agency and the foster parents. The agreement must include conditions relating to the maintenance, upbringing and education of the child, the rights and duties of the foster parents, the duties of the tutorship or guardianship agency towards the foster family, and also the grounds for and consequences of terminating such an agreement. Before the agreement is concluded, an inspection is made of the living conditions and health of the family members of the person fostering the child.
227.Children who are placed in foster families maintain the right to:
Receive the maintenance due them, and also to a pension, allowances and other social payments;
Own and use living quarters;
Receive accommodation in accordance with legislation.
228.The prospective foster families are selected by the tutorship or guardianship agency.
229.Children who are placed in a foster family also have the right to defend their rights and legitimate interests, and the right to communicate with their parents and relatives. The tutorship or guardianship agency monitors foster children’s living conditions and the way they are raised.
230.Moreover, social security agencies, together with citizens’ local self‑government bodies, provide services to citizens who live alone and require home care.
231.The neediest pensioners living alone and disabled persons are offered free of charge, according to fixed norms, nine types of basic foodstuffs and articles of hygiene, including:
Meat - 1 kg;
Flour - 3 kg;
Vegetable oil - 0.5 kg;
Pasta products - 0.25 kg;
Rice - 0.8 kg;
Tea - 0.1 kg;
10 eggs;
Sugar - 0.8 kg;
Detergents - 0.2 kg (Presidential Decree No. 212 of 27 May 1991).
Article 10
Social protection of the family, mothers and children
232.In accordance with the provisions of article 63 of the Constitution, “the family is the primary unit of society and shall have the right to societal and State protection”.
233.The work of State structures and non‑governmental and voluntary organizations is coordinated by the Social Protection System for Families, Mothers and Children of the Cabinet of Ministers; the System is headed by the Deputy Prime Minister. Pursuant to government decisions, only women are appointed to that post.
234.Women and children in Uzbekistan receive special attention; in his annual statement concerning social and economic goals, the President gives priority to issues relating to the protection of mothers and children. In accordance with the proclamation of the Year of the Implementation of Human Interests (1997), the Year of the Family (1998), Women’s Year (1999), the Year of the Healthy Generation (2000), the Year of Mothers and Children (2001), the Year of the Elderly (2002) and the Year of the Mahalla (2003), the relevant State programmes are being drafted and approved.
235.The main objective of these programmes is to pay special attention to priority tasks of particular social and humanitarian importance and to channel efforts, resources, forces and capabilities for the full achievement of those tasks.
236.Bearing in mind the importance of the family in the development of society and the education of a spiritually developed and physically healthy generation, the Oila (Family) Centre was established with a view to preserving the family as the repository of rich and profound national traditions, correlating those traditions with universal values, and ensuring the sanctity of the family and marriage. The Centre has branches in the 12 regions of Uzbekistan; the local branches deal with issues involving the family and society and the family and the mahalla.
Social protection of the family
237.In 1998, the State Programme of Measures to Protect the Interests of the Family was adopted. As part of its priority goals, a series of measures was carried out that made it possible to:
Increase and broaden the legal bases for founding a family and for family life, and improve the legal protection of family members;
Strengthen the material basis of the family by increasing employment and real income, providing State support for low‑income families and families with children, and saturating the consumer market;
Create conditions for raising a healthy rising generation and improving the health of family members;
Increase efforts to deepen scientific and social studies of the family, and so on.
238.In Uzbekistan, the system of social protection for families is intended primarily for low‑income families and families with many children. This high priority is ensured by the social welfare system created in Uzbekistan and known as the “Mahalla system”. Social protection of the family is financed mainly from the State budget through the allocation of resources to mahalla committees. For this purpose, resources from special extrabudgetary funds and various charitable funds are used.
239.The aim of the programmes “Enhancement of the role of women in society”, “Healthy generation”, “Mother and child” and “Family” is to create the necessary legal and economic conditions for meeting the interests of families, women and children, increase the role of the family in the transformation of society, strengthen the role of women in the family and society, and bring up a physically healthy, spiritually rich and harmoniously developed rising generation. On the whole, the programmes have played a positive role in strengthening marriage and the family.
240.According to the Family Code, parents must provide for their children who are under the age of 16. A court may require parents who do not voluntarily provide for their minor children, to make maintenance payments.
241.The Family Code takes account of children’s right to property. Minor children have the right to personal property in the family (personal effects, property received as a gift, earnings from entrepreneurial activity and so on).
242.In recent years, the number of registered marriages has decreased. In 2000, 168,900 marriages were registered, 1,400 fewer than in 1991. There were also fewer divorces than in 1991: 12,200 in 2000 as compared with 23,400 in 1991.
243.The purpose of family law is to strengthen the family, build family relations on the basis of mutual love, trust and respect, cooperation, mutual assistance and the responsibility of all family members to the family, prohibit arbitrary interference in family affairs, and ensure that family members can exercise their rights and defend themselves without hindrance (article 1 of the Family Code).
244.Family relations are regulated on the basis of the principle of the voluntary nature of the marital union of a man and a woman, the equality of the spouses’ individual and property rights, the settlement of family issues by mutual consent, the priority of raising children within the family and of children’s well‑being and development, and protection of the rights and interests of minors and non‑working members of the family (art. 2).
245.All citizens have equal rights in family relations. Any direct or indirect restriction of rights, or the establishment of direct or indirect privileges at the time of entry into marriage or interference in family relations on the grounds of sex, race, ethnic origin, language, religion, social origin, beliefs, individual or social status, and other circumstances are prohibited (art. 3).
246.Marriages are concluded in civil registry offices. Marriages contracted in a religious ceremony have no legal force. Marriage is concluded when the persons entering into marriage are present, one month following their application to a civil registry office (art. 13). Marriages are entered into on a voluntary basis. In order to conclude a marriage, the future spouses must have the capacity to express their consent freely. Forced marriages are prohibited (art. 14).
247.The marriageable age for men is 18, and for women 17. In exceptional cases, when there are valid reasons, a khokim of the district or city where the marriage is registered may, at the request of the individuals entering into marriage, lower the marriageable age, but not by more than one year (art. 15).
248.Spouses have equal rights and duties in the family (art. 19). A husband does not have the right, without his wife’s consent, to institute divorce proceedings when his wife is pregnant or within one year of the birth of a child (art. 39). A marriage is dissolved if a court finds that the continued cohabitation of the spouses and the preservation of the family have become impossible (art. 41). When spouses without common minor children mutually agree to dissolve a marriage, the marriage is dissolved in a civil registry office (art. 42).
249.A child has the right to express his or her opinion concerning the settlement of any family matter that affects his or her interests, and also to be heard during any court or administrative proceedings (art. 68). Parents are responsible for the protection of their children’s rights and interests.
250.Parents are the legal representatives of their children and protect their rights and interests in relations with any natural or legal person, including in the courts, without requiring special authorization (art. 74). Parents are responsible for maintaining their minor children.
251.The courts may require parents who do not voluntarily provide for their minor children, to make maintenance payments. Tutorship and guardianship agencies have the right to institute proceedings against a father or mother in order to obtain maintenance for dependent children in the amount established by law, in cases where the parents cannot reach agreement concerning maintenance, or if they do not make such payments voluntarily and neither of the parents has brought court proceedings with a view to obtaining maintenance (art. 96).
252.Parents of minors have the same obligations to support and maintain dependent children, and also to maintain children who have reached the age of majority but are unable to work and require support (art. 97).
253.If a child’s parents die, if the parents lose their parental rights or if their parental rights are restricted, if the parents are declared as having no legal capacity, if the parents are ill or absent for an extended period, if the parents refuse to raise their children or protect their rights and interests, including the refusal of parents to remove their children from a care institution, medical institution, social welfare institution or other similar institutions, and also in other cases where parental care is lacking, tutorship and guardianship agencies assume responsibility for protecting the child’s rights and interests.
254.Officials of institutions (pre‑school educational establishments, general education establishments and medical and other institutions) and other citizens who have information concerning children deprived of parental care are obliged to report this to the tutorship or guardianship agency in the locality where the child resides. Within three days of receiving such information, the tutorship or guardianship agency must investigate the child’s living conditions and, if it is found that the child is not being cared for by his or her parents or relatives, the tutorship or guardianship agency assumes responsibility for protecting the child’s rights and interests until a decision is taken about where to place the child (art. 149).
255.Children deprived of parental care may be placed in the care of a family (for adoption, under tutorship or guardianship, or in a foster family). If that is not possible, children are placed in institutions for orphans or children deprived of parental care.
256.Until children deprived of parental care are placed in a family or in the institutions indicated in article 150, paragraph 1, of the Family Code, a tutorship or guardianship agency temporarily assumes the obligations of tutor.
257.Only minor children may be adopted and only when the adoption is in their interests. Adoption is concluded by a decision of the khokim of a district or city pursuant to an application by the persons wishing to adopt a child and at the recommendation of a tutorship or guardianship agency (art. 151). Adopted children have all the individual and property rights as the adoptive parent’s own children. Adopted children and their biological parents (parents’ relatives) forfeit their individual and property rights and duties with respect to one another (art. 165). Minors who, at the time they are adopted, are entitled to a pension or benefit owing to the loss of a breadwinner, maintain that right after adoption (art. 166).
258.Tutorship or guardianship is established for children deprived of parental care with a view to ensuring their maintenance, upbringing and education, and also to protecting their personal property rights and interests (art. 173).
259.Tutorship and guardianship are established in the place of residence of the person subject to tutorship or guardianship; if the person does not have a fixed place of residence, tutorship or guardianship is established in the place of residence of the tutor or guardian (art. 174).
Social protection of mothers
260.Article 65 of the Constitution stipulates that the State shall protect mothers and children. The scale and diversity of activities to uphold the all-round interests of children and shape a healthy younger generation mean that it is essential to pool efforts and capacities and undertake clearly coordinated and complementary initiatives.
261.On 20 November 2000, at an expanded meeting of the Coordinating Committee to draft the Uzbek national report on the implementation of the Plan of Action and recommendations of the 1990 World Summit for Children, an alliance of governmental and non‑governmental structures and voluntary organizations was formed in order to work together for the sake of the children of Uzbekistan.
262.The Alliance for Cooperation for Children responded to the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, who proclaimed 2001 the Year of Mothers and Children, by contributing to the elaboration of a State programme with the same name, which formed a set of interlocking and coordinated measures to assist mothers and children.
263.In its decision No. 32 of 25 January 2002 on supplementary measures to improve the health of women and children, by which it aimed to boost medical knowledge within families, improve women’s health and establish conditions conducive to the birth and upbringing of healthy children, the Cabinet of Ministers recommended the establishment of a standing government commission on issues pertaining to child health, improving women’s health and boosting medical knowledge within families, which would have the following tasks:
Study and analysis, by region and territory, of the demographic situation and the effectiveness of measures to improve reproductive health, and identification of solutions to problems impeding the positive outcomes of these processes;
Priority-setting and development of specific measures to improve reproductive health, boost medical knowledge among young people and families and encourage the birth and upbringing of healthy children.
264.Uzbekistan has instituted a system of voluntary pre-marital medical examinations. In 2000, a total of 32,446 persons entering into marriage underwent medical examinations. Ongoing courses to prepare young people for family life are organized at civil registry offices in all towns and districts of Uzbekistan. Pursuant to the “Healthy Family” strategy paper, since 1991 a special programme to improve the health of women of childbearing age has been implemented, and a programme to improve reproductive and family health has been developed and is being implemented. Reproductive health centres have been opened in all major cities and oblast capitals, and clinics have been opened at the district level. To ensure improved assistance in the spheres of reproductive and family health, a national teaching and technical support centre has been established on the basis of the clinic at the Tashkent State Medical Institute (Paediatric Department) and the Paediatric Research Institute.
265.The international non-governmental charitable foundation Soglom Avlod Uchun (For a Healthy Generation) was set up in 1993 to safeguard maternal and child health and develop and deepen international cooperation in the sphere of maternal and child welfare. The foundation carries out its work through a network of 14 oblast-based offices and almost 200 focal points. For its significant achievements in the sphere of comprehensive maternal and child welfare, Uzbekistan has been ranked in the highest category by the World Health Organization (WHO).
266.The ASPERA programme to help mothers and children in the Aral Sea region has been successfully implemented with assistance amounting to over US$ 3.2 million from UNICEF and the Ekosan Foundation. A network of public health and environmental sanitation facilities has been established.
267.The principal aim of reproductive health policy is to ensure safe maternity and minimize risks associated with pregnancy. One very important health-protection measure is the establishment of normal working conditions for women in industry. Pregnant women are entitled to perform lighter work and are prohibited from performing heavy work and work in hazardous conditions.
268.Women and girls working in adverse conditions receive a range of benefits and compensation. The existing system of benefits and compensation for work in difficult and hazardous conditions includes the following provisions:
Additional leave of between 3 and 24 days, depending on the hazardousness of the work;
A reduced workday of between four and six hours, and a reduced workweek of between 24 and 36 hours;
Free diet therapy, with food allowances based on the hazardousness of thework;
Free milk products, without the possibility of monetary compensation.
269.Pursuant to article 17 of the Family Code, and in order to create conditions conducive to family health, prevent the birth of children with inherited or congenital diseases and ensure quality medical examinations for persons intending to marry, on 25 August 2003 the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Decision No. 365 approving the Regulations on the medical examination of persons intending to marry.
270.Since Uzbekistan’s independence, 33 new diagnostic techniques have been introduced in the area of maternal and child welfare, including treatment of chronic childhood pneumonia by the laser-immune method and the treatment and diagnosis of chronic viral hepatitis and chronic gastroduodenitis using bifilin and protein preparations.
271.A home treatment system which is a significant addition to the primary health‑care network, has been established.
272.The introduction of comprehensive programmes to improve the health of women of childbearing age and children, the existence of special preventive-health and curative units for children and mothers in hospitals and clinics, broader access to a variety of modern contraceptive methods, and public information campaigns about optimum inter-birth intervals have contributed to improvements in maternal and child health. In recent years, there has been a decline in the birth rate, fertility and infant mortality, and a decrease in the number of low birth‑weight babies (2,500 grams or less).
273.Salt mined in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and in Surkhan Darya and Navoi oblasts is currently being iodized to prevent iodine deficiency in the population. UNICEF is providing considerable assistance to Uzbekistan in this endeavour. The gradual implementation of a wide range of health-protection measures is having a positive impact on the health of mothers, children and the population as a whole.
Social protection of children
274.Since independence, Uzbekistan has made every effort to encourage the development of healthy children. Article 65 of the Constitution states that children are equal before the law irrespective of their origin or their parents’ civil status. The law protects mothers and children. The State and society guarantee the maintenance, upbringing and education of orphans and children deprived of parental care, and encourage charitable activities to assist them (art. 64).
275.On becoming a Member of the United Nations in 1992, Uzbekistan acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The most important aim of Uzbek State policy with regard to children is to provide fully guaranteed protection for families, mothers and children, both present and future generations.
276.As priorities of State policy to protect children’s interests, the following measures have been taken over the past decade:
Establishment and enhancement of the legal foundations for protecting the interests of families, mothers and children taking account of progressive international experience and law;
Creation of economic conditions to strengthen the family and the material welfare of children and prevent homelessness among children and adolescents;
Implementation of specific measures to encourage couples to bear and raise healthy children, starting with the founding of a healthy young family, the provision of free State perinatal treatment and childcare assistance, childhood immunization and free provision of all paediatric services;
Implementation of a national education programme envisaging 12 years of free general education and the allocation of substantial public assistance for the education of young people at higher and specialized secondary educational establishments;
State protection for socially vulnerable groups, such as children with disabilities, orphans and children from poor families;
Creation of social conditions favourable to families, mothers and children and development of ethical rules and standards based around them. Due public and State recognition for citizens who serve society by raising healthy children.
277.This policy takes the form of rigorously monitored and executed government decisions to protect the interests of children, families and women, and relevant State programmes funded publicly and by donors. The principal State programmes to protect the interests of children in Uzbekistan are:
The National Personnel Training Programme, under which all children have the right to 12 years of free compulsory education, including vocational education;
The health-care reform programme, which guarantees free perinatal care for pregnant women and medical treatment for children;
The “Advancement of women in society”, “Healthy generation”, “Mother and child” and “Family” programmes, which are intended to establish the necessary legal and economic framework to uphold the interests of women and children, enhance the role and participation of the family in the transformation of society, strengthen the role of women in the family and society, and raise physically healthy, spiritually developed and balanced children;
The programme to rehabilitate children with disabilities;
The programme to extend financial assistance to low-income families with children.
278.Given the importance that the Government attaches to children, various governmental and non-governmental foundations that have a direct or indirect connection with the upbringing of children and young people are being established in Uzbekistan. Special resources are being allocated for the implementation of measures to address child-related issues.
279.Mention should also be made of the work done by such foundations as Soglom Avlod Uchun, Umid andEkosan, and the Kamolot movement. The principal objectives of the international non‑governmental charitable foundation Soglom Avlod Uchun, which was founded in 1993, are to ensure a healthy future generation, protect mothers and children, implement a series of measures to encourage the spiritual development and the cultural and physical enhancement of the individual, and to raise a healthy and balanced generation of Uzbek citizens.
280.The Uzbekistan Children’s Foundation is active in a number of fields; for example, it works with children living in difficult circumstances. The Foundation has set up the Mekhr Tayanchi human rights centre in Tashkent for children and adolescents living in difficult circumstances, that is, street children who comprise children from dysfunctional families, children of internal migrants and children residing at or released from institutions for children.
281.The Mekhr Tayanchi human rights centre provides such children with practical assistance of the most basic kind and assists them in changing their lifestyle. At the centre, children learn about their rights, receive assistance in filling out and obtaining necessary documents, learn to behave appropriately in social situations and acquire communication skills. The centre has instituted the following social services:
Psychological support and help for children and their parents;
First aid, drug rehabilitation, medical and sex education;
A telephone hotline providing information on survival and moral support for persons in need of help;
A job-placement service;
Legal advice and assistance for children;
Protection of the legitimate rights and interests of children on a case-by-case basis;
Collection of research material on problems facing children in difficult situations, for use in human rights work and when lobbying Uzbek lawmakers in the interests of children.
282.The Uzbekistan Children’s Foundation also looks after children who were formerly in children’s homes. The PIASC centre for post-institutional support and social adaptation, which aims to provide legal assistance in the fields of restitution of housing rights, continuation of education and job placement for children deprived of parental care, has been established in affiliation with the Children’s Foundation.
283.A systematic study of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is being undertaken with a view to submitting proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers. Ongoing seminars are being organized to raise awareness of issues relating to the implementation of the Convention among senior officials of local government bodies and senior officers of citizens’ self-government bodies.
284.In addition, all NGOs in Uzbekistan that deal with children’s issues have come together in a coalition to provide tangible assistance in protecting the rights and interests of children. The Uzbekistan Children’s Foundation has been chosen to coordinate the coalition. Under the guidance of the Uzbekistan Children’s Foundation, the members of the coalition are participating in the national plan of action to implement the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, adopted pursuant to the consideration in Geneva of Uzbekistan’s report on the implementation of the Convention.
285.Considerable efforts are also being made to protect children against neglect, cruelty and exploitation. Uzbekistan has adopted a series of fundamental legal provisions that guarantee children the basic human rights, including the right to life, development and full participation in social and cultural life, the right to education and access to other spheres of life necessary for their development as individuals and the enhancement of their well-being.
286.The Constitution states that every citizen has a right to education. The State guarantees free general education. Schooling is supervised by the State (art. 41), the rights of minors are under State protection (art. 45), and children are equal before the law irrespective of their origin or the civil status of their parents (art. 65). Mothers and children are protected by the State. Parents must support and bring up their children until the latter attain the age of majority (art. 64).
287.The State and society guarantee the maintenance, upbringing and education of orphans and children deprived of parental care, and encourage charitable activities to assist them (art. 64). In addition to the Constitution, the legal status of children in Uzbekistan is regulated by the following codes:
Family Code of 30 April 1998;
Administrative Liability Code;
Civil Code of 29 August 1996;
Criminal Code of 22 September 1994;
Labour Code of 21 December 1995;
Penal Enforcement Code.
And by the following statutes:
Citizenship Act of 2 July 1992;
Education Act;
Health Protection Act of 29 August 1996;
Disabled Persons (Social Welfare) Act, and certain other legislative enactments.
288.These laws incorporate the principles and categories of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Thus, article 4 of the Education Act states that: “Everyone is guaranteed equal rights to education, irrespective of sex, language, age, race, ethnic origin, beliefs, attitude towards religion, social origin, occupation, social status, place of residence or length of residence in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In the Republic of Uzbekistan, education is a priority for the social, economic, spiritual and cultural development of society.”
289.Pursuant to article 3 of the Education Act and the National Personnel Training Programme, the main principles of State policy in the education sphere are:
Education shall be proclaimed a priority in the area of social development;
Education and upbringing shall be humanist and democratic in character;
Education shall be a lifelong and continuous process;
General secondary, specialized secondary and vocational education shall be compulsory, and shall be offered at academic lycées or vocational colleges;
Education shall be secular in character;
Education shall be universally accessible within the limits prescribed by State standards;
There shall be a unified yet differentiated approach to the choice of curricula;
Scholarship and talent shall be encouraged;
There shall be a combination of State and public administration in the education system.
Article 11
Right to an adequate standard of living
Standard of living
290.Since gaining its independence, and throughout its transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, Uzbekistan has followed its own unique model, which differs from that recommended by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This unique approach has helped Uzbekistan to maintain moderate yet stable and adequate annual rates of GDP growth within a range of 3.5-4 per cent. Consequently, Uzbekistan is the only former republic of the USSR that managed in 2001 to exceed the GDP indicators calculated on the eve of independence.
291.The State development strategy has also had an impact on the population’s income and standard of living. According to the Common Country Assessment, two clear trends have emerged: (a) a small increase in income compared with the early 1990s, expressed as an increase in per capita GDP in both US dollars and Uzbek SUM; and (b) a widening income gap. Between early 1996 and 2001, average pay in the agricultural sector, which is the means of subsistence for almost 10 per cent of the population, shrank to 23 per cent of the average pay in industry.
292.Various studies have produced quantitative data on the extent of poverty in Uzbekistan. However, the generally accessible data are of varying quality, which limits the possibility of comparing them with similar indicators for other countries in a transition period. Besides, most of these data reflect only quantitative aspects and describe the low volume of income, often overlooking the social aspect of poverty. In the absence of reliable data, it is hard to gauge the actual scale and range of poverty. There is also a lack of data disaggregated by gender, age and ethnicity, which makes it difficult to define and pinpoint vulnerable population groups.
Right to adequate food
293.The reduction of factors that adversely affect the health of the Uzbek population is a national priority and is in keeping with the objectives of the national food security programme pursuant to the strategy paper on the national security of Uzbekistan, which was approved by the Oliy Majlis on 29 August 1997. The national food security programme is intended to ensure all‑round national economic growth, minimize risk factors connected with the low level of food security, reduce social risk factors connected with changes in the standard of living and quality of life of certain socially vulnerable population groups, identify in a timely manner any urgent threats to food security and social stability resulting from a situation characterized by a decline in national agricultural production and price parity between industrial output and agricultural staples, the population’s purchasing power, and the development and implementation of specific arrangements and measures to guarantee food security.
294.The food security strategy paper is posited on the need to achieve and maintain food autonomy and defines the priorities for developing the real economy insofar as this affects the development of the nation’s agro-industrial complex and its processing sectors and current and future social policy. It provides for assessment of the current state of the food market and the social situation based on the set of indicators that has been developed, the identification of external and internal threats to food security, the definition of short-, medium- and long-term goals and tasks, a system of measures to phase in the implementation of such goals and tasks, and the establishment of specific legal arrangements to ensure food security.
295.Research by Uzbek nutritionists, paediatricians, immunologists and pathophysiologists, points to a national trend towards increased anaemia, cardiovascular and endocrine disease and physical development disorders among children and adolescents - despite the preventive measures taken by the Government and health-care bodies and institutions - which are principally attributable to a poor diet. The principal causes of dietary problems that lead to the development of nutritional deficiency diseases are as follows:
Lack of awareness of what constitutes a balanced diet, particularly among the rural population, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers;
The national diet, which consists primarily of cereal products and large quantities of green and black tea, which have iron-blocking properties, and low consumption of foods of animal origin, fish, fruit and vegetables;
Geocontinental peculiarities, such as a natural scarcity of iodine in food;
Social problems and poverty leading to inadequate and unwholesome nutrition.
296.It should be noted that the Ministry of Health has established recommended average daily norms for the consumption of essential foods that satisfy physiological requirements without compromising public health.
297.For the first time in a former republic of the USSR, average daily nutritional intake requirements for use in computing the minimum consumer budget were developed in Uzbekistan in late 1990 on the initiative of President Karimov. The intake requirements developed by a team of nutrition experts have facilitated the implementation of a number of State programmes designed to ensure the social welfare of the population.
298.Given the positive social and economic changes in Uzbekistan and the prospects for further stabilization, it was deemed appropriate to review and fine-tune the intake requirements in order to reflect specific climatic, geographic and national features, eating habits and the diets of different sex and age groups. The requirements were approved by the Ministry of Health in 2003 (Sanitary Norms and Regulations (SanPiN), No. 0135-03 of 11 March 2003: average recommended daily food intake requirements for use in calculating the minimum consumer budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan). The following elements were used as the basis for determining the average recommended daily intake requirements:
The results of an assessment of the actual nutritional situation of the Uzbek population;
Data on the average chemical composition of foods estimated on the basis of chemical composition tables;
Information on the amount of nutrients lost, on average, during the cooking and consumption of food;
The average values of the relative density and energy content of the nutrients in the proposed intake requirements for the selected foods;
Actual energy consumption, by sex, age and occupational group;
Average anthropometric statistics for the population;
Established habits and national peculiarities regarding the consumption of certain foods;
The actual possibility of supplying the recommended foods.
299.Given the importance of nutritional factors in maintaining maternal and child health, special foods for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, and dietary supplements for infants, have been included in the intake requirements for the selected foods for the first time.
300.Owing to the problem of the natural scarcity of iodine in Uzbekistan and the particular importance of consuming iodized table salt to ensure public health and balanced growth and the development of present and future generations, iodized salt with an iodine content of 1.8 milligrams per 100 grams was included in the nutritional intake requirements for the first time.
301.Thus, the formulation of intake requirements for selected foods takes account of medical and biological norms that stipulate the chemical composition and energy value of the selection in accordance with the body’s need for nutrients and energy, and socio-economic factors determined by eating habits, national dietary traditions and also the possibility of producing or importing these items. It should be noted that Uzbekistan’s nutritional intake requirements by and large conform to the standards proposed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Assessment of the nutritional status of the population
302.While questions concerning the public food supply are handled by different government departments, assessment of the nutritional status of the population is a medical issue. First of all, this is because objective data on the nutritional situation of different sectors of the population must be obtained not only through surveys but also by studying the clinical manifestations of energy and nutrient deficiencies. Secondly, statistical reporting on the production and sale of foodstuffs does not always reflect reality. For example, statistics for flour consumption are compiled on the basis of reports from UzDonMakhsulot, whereas in reality the bulk of the rural population consumes home-made flour, which is not reflected by statistical offices. Accordingly, in order to assess the nutritional situation of various groups of the population, experts rely principally on research undertaken by hygienists, which appears for the most part in candidate-of-sciences and doctoral dissertations, since there is no scientific centre in Uzbekistan that specializes in assessing the nutritional situation of the population.
303.Studies conducted in recent years show that various groups (strata) of the population can be differentiated according to actual food intake, depending on the economic status of the family and the socio-economic status of their place of residence.
304.The nutritional factors in chronic non-infectious diseases have been illustrated in the starkest terms during the transitional period of economic reforms in Uzbekistan. Consequently, all research on the nutritional situation of the population is of value both from the standpoint of public health and national policy, particularly in the choice and planning of food security programmes.
305.According to the Ministry of Health, the nutritional status assessment conducted in 2001‑2002 found that average daily food intake varies considerably with family income. Consequently, those surveyed were provisionally divided into four groups according to average income per family member (Table 6).
306.Respondents in the low-income group comprised 16 per cent of the total number of persons surveyed. Group 2 (persons with fluctuating incomes) accounted for 28.4 per cent of the total. Group 3 (persons with average incomes) contained the largest group of respondents (42.9 per cent), while group 4 (persons with high incomes) formed the smallest category (12.7 per cent).
307.A pattern common to all groups in respect of average daily food intake was the comparatively high consumption of bread and black and green tea, and low consumption of vegetables, fruit, berries and juices.
308.An analysis of the average daily pattern of food consumption in group 1 shows that the recommended requirements with regard to the intake of selected foods and the nutritional and energy values of the diet are not being attained, either in the winter/spring or the summer/autumn seasons, in any sex or age group. Nutritional status in this group is essentially linked to the family’s economic situation. This finding indicates the need for systematic and targeted assessments of the nutritional situation of socially vulnerable population groups.
309.In all groups, the eating habits of urban and rural respondents differ in that the latter have a comparatively high average daily intake of potatoes, cabbage and other vegetables in summer and autumn.
310.The study shows that consumption of sugar, animal fats and meat products increases sharply in proportion to income. Thus, in comparison with group 2, sugar intake increases by 50 per cent in group 3 and by 150 per cent in group 4. Consumption of meat products and animal fats show similar increases.
311.In group 4, the intake of bread and margarine decreases sharply and the consumption of legumes, wheat flour, rice and other grains increases, thereby naturally raising the proportion of carbohydrates in the diet.
312.During the summer/autumn season, persons in group 4 consume comparatively fewer meat products, animal fats and oils and more fresh fruit, berries, melons, dried fruits and legumes. Nevertheless, they still do not consume the optimum recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, thereby indicating that persons in group 4 do not have a balanced diet despite having sufficient means, which is a factor contributing to nutritional risk.
313.Analysis of the structural composition of the respondents’ diet from the point of view of the energy content of the principal nutrients shows that fats account for 20.4 to 21.8 per cent of the energy content of the diet in group 1; 26.6 to 27.7 per cent in group 2; 26.8 to 28.3 per cent in group 3; and 32.5 to 33.4 per cent in group 4, compared to the recommended range of 26 to 27 per cent for a healthy diet in countries with a hot climate. Clearly, in group 1 the recommended value is not attained, whereas group 4 significantly exceeds the norm.
314.The energy content of the diet attributable to fats and oils is increasing in line with purchasing power and, conversely, the energy content attributable to carbohydrates is substantially decreasing. However, in all groups of respondents, the energy content of the diet derived from carbohydrates is still excessive and is a cause for concern; in group 1 the indicator is 64.8 to 68.4 per cent; in group 2, 59.9 to 60.9 per cent; in group 3, 58.1 to 60.1 per cent; and in group 4, 55.2 to 56.7 per cent, compared with the recommended range for a healthy diet of approximately 55 per cent. The recommended physiological norms for energy derived from proteins, between 11 and 13 per cent, is consistent with the findings of the studies for all groups. However, the requirement that animal protein should account for at least 55 per cent of the total protein intake was met only by groups 3 and 4, where this value was 53.7 to 63.8 per cent of the total average daily protein intake.
315.From the point of view of sex and age, in all the groups surveyed, men aged 41-60 had the least healthy diet, thus indicating that men in this age group pay insufficient attention to healthy eating, even when they are affluent.
316.An objective indicator of the actual nutritional situation of a population used in WHO international evaluation criteria is the body mass index (BMI), which is a ratio of anthropometric characteristics expressed mathematically as
Weight in kilograms(Height in metres) x (Height in metres).
Analysis of the data we have obtained shows that BMI <18.5 occurs most frequently among group 1 of the respondents (65.5 per cent), a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 occurs most frequently in group 2 (40 per cent) and group 3 (50.9 per cent), and a BMI of between 25 and 29.9 occurs most frequently in group 4 (56.8 per cent). BMI >30 is also most common in group 4. The WHO BMI index findings, expressed as a percentage of the number of persons surveyed in each group, are cited in Table 7.
317.Obesity is 10 times more prevalent in group 4 than in group 1. A similar result obtains in respect of the overweight category (BMI = 25-29.9). These data, when transposed to an average statistical mix of all groups, according to which 30.1 per cent of the entire population has a poor diet and 40.8 per cent is properly fed, is not inconsistent with data from other sources throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States.
318.Thus, studies to assess the actual nutritional situation of the population show that there are no significant differences between the urban and rural populations within each group as regards average income. Characteristic of all groups, regardless of economic status, is the excessive proportion of grains, legumes, bread and flour products, fats, oils and black and green tea in the diet and the low consumption of vegetables, fruit and meat and milk products. The distribution of nutrients by energy content in the daily diet shows that not enough fats are being consumed in group 1, whereas consumption of fats in group 4 is excessive.
319.Oblast-based studies carried out by experts from the Uzbek public health service in 2002‑2003 also indicate low consumption of fruit and vegetables nationwide and low consumption of products of animal origin in rural areas. The preponderance of bread and flour products and vegetable (cottonseed) oil are typical of the Uzbek diet, and this fact has been taken into account in the recommended food intake requirements for the minimum consumer budget. The findings of the average daily food intake assessment based on a survey of the rural and urban population of Uzbekistan in 2002-2003 are cited in Table 8.
Article 12
Social protection of health and the environment
Public health is the most important indicator of the well-being of society
320.Nearly 1,800 rural health units staffed by general practitioners are already operating in Uzbekistan. By the end of 2005, the number of rural health units will be increased to 2,200. Accessibility, professional aptitude, and free treatment are the watchwords of the unique nationwide network of emergency medical facilities. In addition to the central scientific centre in Tashkent, the network comprises facilities in every oblast and in Karakalpakstan. Every year, these facilities provide emergency assistance to almost 200,000 people in critical situations and outpatient care for almost 1 million. To equip the national emergency centre alone, a credit of €10.6 million was obtained from the Government of Spain and a grant-in-aid of 760 million yen from the Government of Japan.
321.Pursuant to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers on measures to upgrade the technical equipment of the health sector, the perinatal centre in Tashkent, the rehabilitation and recovery facility in Gulistan (Syr Darya oblast) and the maternity home in Nurata (Navoi oblast) have been provided with ultramodern equipment worth US$ 7.2 million. The national oncology centre uses advanced radiological equipment - a linear accelerator for radiotherapy worth over US$ 5 million. A loan from the World Bank has been used to purchase equipment worth more than US$ 11 million for the primary health network (rural health units) and district hospitals in Fergana, Syr Darya and Navoi oblasts. The neurosurgery service was given a significant boost after being endowed with advanced technology at a cost of over US$ 3 million.
322.Infant mortality has decreased by a factor of 1.8, maternal mortality by a factor of 2.3 and the fertility coefficient by a factor of 1.5. Medical care and follow-up has been extended to 87.9 per cent of women in the early stages of pregnancy, and 99.8 per cent of all women undergo a medical examination upon confirmation of pregnancy. Various contraceptive methods are now in extensive use, which has led to a fourfold reduction in the number of abortions. Ninety-three per cent of newborns are breastfed in the first hours of life; approximately 22 per cent of children under 4 four months are exclusively breastfed, and 76 per cent of children aged 12 to 15 months continue to breastfeed while taking other food.
323.As a result of improved immunoprevention, the incidence of measles among children has been almost halved. Only isolated cases of whooping cough and diphtheria have been recorded. In the past five years, no cases of polio have been recorded.
324.Indicators of morbidity and mortality connected with diseases having a “social dimension” are systemic indicators that provide a fairly accurate picture of economic status, morals and psychological health and the degree of stress inherent in social processes. They include certain infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, venereal diseases, drunkenness and alcoholism, drug addiction and substance abuse, and suicide.
325.A total of 64,804 women and 70,794 men died in Uzbekistan in 2000. Compared to 1990, the mortality rate has decreased by 6.5 per cent for women and by 12.7 per cent for men.
326.Circulatory diseases are the most important cause of death (accounting for 58.5 per cent of deaths among women and 47.3 per cent among men), followed in both sexes by respiratory diseases (11.1 per cent and 12 per cent respectively). The third most important cause of death among women is tumours (7.3 per cent) and among men - accidents, poisoning and injuries (11.2 per cent). For practically all major causes of death except circulatory disease, the death rate among men significantly exceeds that among women. More than 34.4 per cent of all men who died in 2000 were of working age (the corresponding indicator for women was 17.6 per cent).
327.The differences in the mortality rates between the sexes are due to the gap in life expectancy between men and women. The life expectancy of women - 73.1 years - is currently 4.9 years longer than that of men. The findings of a sample survey on women’s health conducted in 2000 are cited in Table 9. The total number of medical institutions and medical staff in Uzbekistan is cited in Table 10.
328.According to government statistics, the crude morbidity rate in Uzbekistan has hardly changed in recent years. At the same time, there are certain differences in morbidity trends among different age groups. Specifically, child and adolescent morbidity tends to increase in some years and decrease in others. However, the rate of morbidity among adults (persons over 18) is clearly tending to decrease. In 1999, this ratio was 91,331.1 per 100,000 of population; in 2000 it was 90,520.2; and in 2001 it was 86,041.4.
329.This process is particularly apparent in Andijhan, Djizak, Fergana and Surkhan Darya oblasts, where both the crude morbidity rate and the first-time detected morbidity rate are the lowest in the country.
330.Among all recorded diseases, the most prevalent are diseases of the blood and the blood‑producing organs (21.3 per cent), the respiratory system (20.1 per cent) and the digestive system (12.2 per cent). Anaemia accounts for 91.5 per cent of all cases of blood disease and disorders of the blood-producing organs. The incidence of anaemia in the Republic of Karakalpakstan is nearly three times the nationwide average. Circulatory diseases are the most common cause of disability and the cause of death in more than half of all cases.
331.The principal factors that adversely affect the human organism and contribute to disease are environmental factors, the hot climate, the unbalanced and unvarying diet of the Uzbek population and the inadequate supply of quality drinking water. Only 89 per cent of the urban population and 68.3 per cent of the rural population are supplied with quality drinking water. Lack of quality drinking water has a certain impact on the incidence of acute infectious and other diseases. A centralized water supply is available to 31 per cent of the population in Bukhara oblast, 36.4 per cent in Navoi oblast and 46 per cent in the Republic of Karakalpakstan.
332.The scarcity of iodine in the water, soil and food in endemic areas of the country causes goitre, or enlargement of the thyroid gland. Under the JFPR 9005 Project “Improving Nutrition for Poor Mothers and Children in Asian Countries in Transition”, since 2001 flour has been fortified to prevent anaemia and salt has been iodized to prevent goitre.
333.The State health system reform programme was adopted on 10 November 1998. The programme, approved by Presidential Decree No. UP-2107, laid the logistical, economic and legal foundations for improving the quality of medical services, raising healthy children and bringing the health system into line with the transformations taking place in Uzbekistan. The basis for the national health-care model is the State health-care system, which guarantees citizens access to medical services. Within the framework of guaranteed medical services, the State has committed itself to defraying the cost of free medical care in the following areas:
Emergency treatment;
Primary health care and treatment at a number of preventive medical institutions, primarily in rural areas;
Immunization and vaccination against a variety of infectious diseases;
Examination and treatment of adolescents as ordered by draft boards;
Provision of obstetric services;
Treatment of various categories of patients with special entitlements (war veterans, disabled persons and orphans).
334.Primary health care is a major priority. In order to attain the goal of developing the primary health-care network, the Uzbek Government has earmarked significant financial resources for the construction and equipment of rural health units. The World Bank has released a credit of US$ 30 million to equip rural health units and develop a nationwide general practitioner service. In addition, grants-in-aid have been made available by a number of international organizations that are providing technical assistance and advice at the introductory stage of heath reform.
335.However, it should be noted that 4.6 per cent of the total State budget was allocated to health care in 1992, 2.9 per cent in 1998, and 2.4 per cent in 2004. Approximately 49 to 50 per cent of these resources are spent on the provision of medical treatment at primary health-care facilities.
336.As a result of the special measures that have been taken, the death rate among children under 14 is decreasing, from 1.74 in 2001 to 1.6 in 2002. Infant mortality has also fallen, from 35.4 per 1,000 live births in 1991 to 16.3 in 2002. The infant mortality indicators for Uzbekistan are given in Table 11. The primary cause of death among children under 14 is respiratory disease (47.2 per cent), followed by accidents and poisoning (12.2 per cent), infectious diseases (8.8 per cent), congenital defects (7.0 per cent), diseases of the nervous system and sensory organs (5.2 per cent), malignant tumours (2.0 per cent) and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (1.6 per cent).
337.The decline in child and infant mortality is attributable to:
Campaigns to improve the health of women of childbearing age and prevent unwanted pregnancy in women with extragenital diseases;
Upgrading the skills of specialists;
Implementation of joint programmes with international organizations such as WHO, UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the area of maternal and child health; for example, programmes to encourage safe motherhood, protect reproductive health, encourage safe vaccination, advocate and promote breastfeeding and foster integrated management of childhood diseases;
Mother and child screening;
Strengthening of the resource base of children’s institutions.
338.The water supply and sewerage situation in Uzbekistan, as at 1 January 2003, is outlined in Table 12.
339.The immunization coverage rate for various diseases in the first eight months of 2003 for children under 1 year of age was as follows:
Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough: 98.0 per cent;
Polio: 98.6 per cent; measles: 97.9 per cent; tuberculosis: 96.8 per cent; hepatitis B: 98.4 per cent.
340.Every citizen of Uzbekistan has a constitutional right to receive skilled medical care. All citizens have the opportunity to avail themselves of professional medical treatment in institutions of the public health service and private establishments. Uzbeks experience no problems in obtaining the 20 basic medicines within one hour’s drive or walk because private pharmacies are obliged to sell the 20 basic medicines.
341.As a result of special measures to prevent and detect extragenital diseases in women of childbearing age and make them healthier, improve home treatment for children and pregnant women and strengthen the resource base of maternity homes, maternal mortality fell from 65.3 per 100,000 live births in 1991 to 32.0 in 2002. The principal causes of maternal mortality are haemorrhage, late toxicosis, postnatal septicaemia and extragenital diseases.
342.The following are contributory factors to an increase in maternal mortality:
A high incidence of concomitant extragenital diseases (73.6 per cent) that complicate pregnancy and childbirth;
Insufficient measures to prevent pregnancy and childbirth in women for whom pregnancy and childbirth are not medically advisable;
A low level of medical awareness among the general public (pregnancy and childbirth among young girls and older women, failure to observe proper birth intervals, and late referral to medical personnel when complications arise in pregnancy).
Maternal mortality indicators for the period 1991-2002 are cited in annex 14.
343.All children in Uzbekistan have the possibility to receive professional medical treatment. Such treatment is provided in 112 children’s hospitals, 104 children’s clinics, 148 paediatric units, 2,275 children’s surgeries and 30 children’s rest homes.
344.There are more than 3 million pensioners and over 26,000 single people in Uzbekistan. It is assumed that people in this group experience particular hardship since their material situation is appreciably worse than that of the rest of the population. However, the Government has adopted the national programme to protect the interests of senior citizens, the Obod Mahalla programme and other initiatives, and there are various funds that provide financial assistance to people with low incomes.
345.No special health studies have been conducted on specific groups or geographical regions.
346.Pursuant to the adoption of Presidential Decree No. UP-2107 of 10 November 1998 on health system reform, there have been significant changes in health policy, and the health system has been brought into line with the transformations taking place in the country. Special and general medical institutions have gradually switched to a system of charging for treatment, which has obviously had an impact on the poorer segments of the population.
347.As stated above, Uzbekistan is establishing a health-care system that seeks to maintain and improve the health of the population. One of the principles behind the reforms under way in the country is that everyone should have equal access to all types of medical services. One recognized priority is the development of preventive health care and promotion of a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, and encouragement of physical exercise and sports.
348.On 24 October 2002, seeking to improve children’s physical fitness, the President adopted Decree No. VII-3154 establishing the Fund for the Development of Children’s Sport in Uzbekistan; on 31 October 2002, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Decision No. 374, which sets out the Fund’s activities.
349.Pursuant to the Presidential Decree, the Decision of the Cabinet of Ministers and the minutes of the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Fund for the Development of Children’s Sport dated 7 February 2003, the Ministry of Health has taken a number of steps.
350.In its Order No. 93 of 14 February 2003 the Ministry of Health established a working group comprising top specialists from the Ministry of Health and leading Uzbek academics. Bearing in mind children’s physical conditions and their age, the working group recommended that children should engage in sports in primary school, secondary school, colleges and lycées, and sports activities organized by mahallas. The following six age groups have been defined: 5 to 7, 7 to 9, 10 to 11, 12 to 13, 14 to 15 and 16 to 18. A medical and scientific rationale has also been developed for various sports activities depending on the children’s age.
351.In order to make optimum use of available resources, a number of entitlements relating to inpatient treatment and the provision of medicines for outpatients have been developed and approved by government instruments for the following categories of citizens: Second World War veterans, disabled persons, persons living alone and persons with low incomes. Furthermore, under the State health system reform programme, the State guarantees free treatment to inpatients and persons undergoing outpatient pharmacotherapy in connection with a range of socially significant illnesses, namely tuberculosis, leprosy, AIDS and HIV infection, mental illness, oncological diseases and sexually transmitted diseases.
352.As a result of measures to reduce child mortality and the stillbirth rate, child health and child mortality indicators are currently improving.
353.In order to ensure the birth and development of healthy children and reduce stillbirth and child mortality rates, the authorities are implementing the State programmes SoglomAvlod (Healthy Generation) and Mother and Child, in addition to a special programme of measures to increase medical knowledge within families, improve women’s health and promote the birth and upbringing of healthy children.
354.Ongoing courses are organized at civil registry offices in all towns and districts of Uzbekistan to teach young couples how to found healthy families. Reproductive health centres have been opened in all major cities and oblast capitals. At district level, clinics run a programme to improve the health of women of childbearing age, promote better reproductive health and encourage healthy families. A national centre for the reproductive health of girls and teenage girls has been established. The principal aim of reproductive health policy is to ensure safe maternity and minimize the risks associated with pregnancy, thus ensuring the birth of healthy children.
355.Breastfeeding is supported and publicized; 10 breastfeeding principles have been introduced nationwide, and emphasis is placed on keeping children with their mothers. The Paediatric Research Institute of the Ministry of Health has established a national centre to encourage and publicize breastfeeding, with branches in oblast capitals.
356.UNICEF has certified 13 obstetric clinics as baby-friendly. They include:
The clinic at the Ministry of Health Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research Institute;
The clinic at the Ministry of Health Paediatric Research Institute;
The perinatal centre at the Tashkent State Medical Institute;
Obstetric unit No. 3, Andijhan;
The Mother and Child obstetric unit, Bukhara oblast.
357.The programme to vaccinate children against controllable diseases is being successfully carried out. The number of measles cases has almost halved and not a single case of polio has been recorded in the past six years.
358.A national mother-and-child screening centre with branches in eight oblasts has been established, together with perinatal centres, to reduce infant mortality and the number of congenital defects.
359.Over the past few years, some important obstetric and paediatric facilities have begun operation. These include the Gulistan rehabilitation centre, the National Perinatal Centre, the clinic at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research Institute, the Mother and Child facilities in the Besharyk and Kuvin districts of Fergana oblast, the obstetric unit at Nurata central district hospital in Navoi oblast, the Khorezm oblast children’s hospital and the children’s rehabilitation centre in Davlatabad district in Namangan oblast, all of which now have up-to-date medical equipment.
360.Occupational medicine is the system for protecting health in the workplace, and includes legal, social, economic, organizational, technical, health and safety, preventive, rehabilitation and other measures. The main aspects of occupational medicine are:
Organization of safety arrangements at work and improving the health of the workforce;
Study of disease involving temporary loss of fitness for work;
Study and prevention of occupational diseases;
Occupational medicine for women working in industry;
Adapting workplaces to enhance the efficiency of older workers;
Epidemiological studies in the area of occupational medicine.
361.In order to address these core issues, the occupational medicine units of the State Public Health Inspectorate analyse working conditions at industrial enterprises according to occupation, trade and type of work performed. Working conditions are dictated by the labour process and by the health and hygiene environment (difficulty and intensity of the work, meteorological factors, effect of hazardous and toxic substances, physical factors, and so on) to which the human organism is exposed in the course of work or the working period. The impact of all these factors is studied using modern methods of hygiene science that lay down criteria and specify the extent of the adverse impact of a given industrial factor on an employee’s health and capacity to work.
362.The Ministry of Health has approved and introduced a number of regulations to protect workers’ health, ensure optimum working conditions, maintain efficiency and prevent sickness involving temporary loss of fitness for work or occupational disease.
363.These comprise 45 health and safety norms and regulations designed to establish and ensure optimum working conditions in industry, of which 22 requirements relate to the technological process and equipment; 5 relate to conditions of work; 18 relate to maximum permissible concentrations of hazardous substances in the air of the work area and maximum permissible levels of physical factors at the workplace. In addition, the chief medical officer of Uzbekistan has approved the following health and safety norms and regulations:
Hygiene classification of working conditions indexed according to level of hazards and risks in the industrial environment and difficulty and intensity of the work process;
Hygiene standards relating to preventive nutrition for employees in hazardous working conditions.
364.In order to ensure early detection of pathological and organic changes in employees working in hazardous and difficult conditions, the Ministry of Health has ordered an improvement in the system of pre-employment and periodic medical check-ups for workers in Uzbekistan. Persons whose work involves contact with hazardous materials, or who are engaged in dangerous occupations, must be medically certified by a board and licensed to work under such conditions.
365.One of the principal challenges of occupational medicine is ensuring that project designers and civil engineering organizations comply with the above-mentioned regulations (by conducting preventive public health inspections) when designing new industrial enterprises in order to ensure optimum working conditions, and ensuring that design specifications are complied with in the course of construction or reconstruction work.
366.A total of 538 projects were reviewed in 2002; anomalies were detected in 79 cases where no provision had been made for optimum working conditions (failure to observe norms and regulations relating to construction, health and safety). Checks on 663 industrial facilities under construction revealed a departure from design specifications in 105 cases in the areas of improvement of working conditions, leisure and eating facilities and maintenance of the requisite ambient conditions in production areas, and so on. Accordingly, the appropriate administrative sanctions provided for by Uzbek law were taken against the managers of these organizations.
367.Working conditions at existing industrial enterprises are regularly monitored and supervised. The elements monitored include production engineering, air quality in the work area, the level of physical factors in the workplace (noise, vibration, electromagnetic fields, ionizing radiation) and ambient conditions in the production area that affect workers’ health. In addition, inspectors check that workers are supplied with personal protective items such as special clothing and diet, and that washing facilities and sanitary installations are appropriate for the number of workers per shift. There are currently more than 11,000 industrial enterprises in Uzbekistan. At more than 7,000 of these, conditions of work conform to health and safety standards; 5,000 enterprises have departed from production engineering standards (chemical, oil and gas, mining and metallurgical, ore-enrichment, and so on). Consequently, occupational medicine units are placing special emphasis on working conditions and are monitoring laboratory tests to determine the impact of harmful factors on workers’ health.
368.Studies on the content of dangerous substances and the impact of physical factors were conducted in 2002:
A total of 142,321 air samples were taken from working areas and analysed for the presence of dust, aerosols, vapour and gas. A total of 25,708 samples were found to contain Class I and II dangerous substances; maximum permissible concentrations of these substances in the air of the working area were exceeded in 12.0 per cent of cases;
Sound and vibration levels were measured at more than 30,000 workplaces; maximum permissible levels were exceeded in 20.5 per cent of workplaces;
Ambient conditions were analysed at 54,985 workplaces; maximum permissible levels were exceeded at 11.7 per cent of workplaces;
Lighting was inspected at 88,715 workplaces; 16.2 per cent of workplaces did not conform to the health and safety norms and regulations.
369.For failure to comply with occupational health and safety norms and regulations, 5,885 senior personnel at enterprises have been fined more than 11 million SUM, and cases involving 55 directors of enterprises have been referred to investigative agencies. Operations at 1,119 sites have been halted and more than 1,800 people have been suspended from work for failure to undergo medical examinations.
370.Units of the public health inspectorate closely monitor flour mills and table salt manufacturers to ensure that they implement the above-mentioned programme.
371.Precautionary hospitalization of persons suspected of having infectious diseases is a widely used method of preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Persons with particularly dangerous diseases, or suspected carriers of such diseases, are subject to compulsory hospitalization. The likelihood of patients’ being a source of infection is assessed before they are discharged from hospital.
372.In order to prevent relapses and complications and ensure that a number of infectious diseases do not become chronic, persons who have had infectious diseases are subject to outpatient observation and laboratory testing.
373.Persons with chronic infectious diseases are placed on a register. Widespread use is made of scheduled immunization against such diseases, for which effective vaccines have been developed, with a view to preventing their occurrence. To this end, immunization standards and regulations have been developed for mandatory nationwide implementation.
374.At the first signs of an epidemic, immunization is carried out in areas prone to certain infectious diseases with the aim of reducing or preventing a disease outbreak in that area.
375.Phagotherapy is extensively used, principally to treat intestinal infections in people who have had direct contact with persons suffering from, or suspected of carrying an infectious disease and residents of areas where such infection might occur.
376.In order to prevent the spread of zoonotic infections, close cooperation has been established with the veterinary service. As a result, cases of infection of humans by animals are extremely rare.
377.Extensive prophylactic efforts are made to control vectors and sources of infectious diseases through the application of pest control and disinfection measures.
378.The programme to reform primary health care encourages the establishment throughout Uzbekistan of modern rural health units supplied with up-to-date equipment, medicines and an indispensable selection of disposable items to provide free basic medical care to the population. For this purpose, the Government has allocated special funds from the national budget. It is anticipated that by 2005 there will be 2,800 rural health units in Uzbekistan. At present, in all oblasts, 2,079 rural health units have been brought into service, of which 999 are newly built and 1,080 have been refurbished. A special effort is being made to ensure that these health units have water, electricity, efficient heating and communications. In addition, the health units are supplied with the medical equipment that they require to offer a wide range of services. Consolidation of rural health units is expected to yield benefits in a number of areas, namely:
At the national level, the new rural health units and general practitioners will simplify the multi-tiered primary health-care structure, thus saving public funds and targeting resources to health service delivery, which will benefit public health in the long run;
At the family level, the service offered by general practitioners at rural health units means that families will save financially by not having to seek medical assistance at central district hospitals (hospitalization or consultation, expenditure on medicines, food and fares).
379.All of the foregoing will enable the staff of rural health units to offer a broader range of high-quality services for the prevention and treatment of the most common diseases and avert unnecessary hospitalization. In this connection, a list of core services that rural health units must offer to the public has been drawn up. The list includes:
Medical treatment of the population assigned to them;
Organization of outreach activities to prevent disease and injury;
Advocacy for public health and hygiene, a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle (action to discourage smoking, alcoholism and drug addiction);
Provision of urgent and emergency treatment to the population, irrespective of sex or age, and formulation of a programme of follow-up care;
Scheduling and conducting regular medical check-ups for various population groups, evaluation of the findings and coordination of follow-up;
Implementation of measures to prevent tuberculosis and dermato-venereal and oncological diseases;
Performance of simple medical procedures and physical and instrumental examinations, expert assessment of temporary incapacity to work, and timely referral of patients to consultants and hospitals, as necessary;
In cooperation with local authorities and directors of enterprises and farms, organization of measures to protect and improve public health taking account of the age, sex and socio-occupational group of the population.
380.The national health-care reform programme envisages legal and administrative independence for primary health-care institutions. These institutions - the rural health units - are independent legal entities with their own budget, which gives them greater autonomy to decide how to utilize their resources within the framework of the stipulated expenditure items. This independence encourages rural health units to pay greater attention to preventive medicine and the improvement of the quality of the services that they offer. Rural health units are free to take decisions on bonuses for their best staff members, or on the purchase of essential instruments, equipment and medicines. In order to satisfy the needs and requirements of the population, rural health units may independently determine their work schedule and decide whether to renovate their premises and redesign their waiting rooms.
381.It is very important to note that the legal and administrative independence of rural health units is directly related to the effective management of the unit and its budget. Accordingly, the new position of financial manager has been introduced into the staffing table of rural health units. While the unit manager is responsible for medical and preventive aspects and the quality of the services offered, the financial manager will be involved in planning and allocating resources and handling the unit’s accounts. Fergana, Navoi and Syr Darya oblasts already have an encouraging track record in this area, following the introduction of pilot schemes to test the new management and financial arrangements. Summing up, we can say that effective measures have been taken in the following areas:
Consolidation of the resource base of paediatric and obstetric institutions;
Upgrading of staff skills;
Enhanced quality of medical services;
Increased medical awareness among the general public.
Some problems are:
Limited and insufficient budgetary resources;
Low level of medical awareness among the general public.
382.In order to provide social protection, the national health-care reform programme specifies measures to consolidate the social welfare of the population, particularly the elderly. The Government has taken appropriate measures. Thus, Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 19 of 14 January 1999 on rationalizing the sale of medicines and medical items establishes a uniform pricing system for such items.
383.Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 532 of 2 December 1997 on improving financing arrangements for medical institutions contains a list of persons entitled to receive free meals when undergoing treatment in such institutions, and to free medication for the duration of their outpatient treatment.
384.Pursuant to Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 30 of 24 January 2002 approving the State programme entitled “Year of Protection of the Interests of Senior Citizens”, the Ministry of Health issued Order No. 90 of 27 February 2003 introducing a warrant-based system of hospital admissions, which lays down procedures for receiving medical treatment on a preferential basis, including for senior citizens.
385.Presidential Decree No. UP-3214 of 26 February 2003 on organizational aspects of the work of national specialized medical centres and Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 140 of 17 March 2003 on the same subject define the category of persons entitled to free treatment on a preferential basis.
386.Changes in the health system will also have an impact on relations between rural health units and the population. As noted above, the new financing arrangements provide rural health units with incentives to provide quality services and work with the public to detect and prevent various diseases, which will make it possible to reduce the number of hospital admissions and forge closer and more trusting relations with the public. Through access to information on the prevention of various diseases and pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, it will be easier for the population to prevent disease and develop a responsible attitude towards their health, which in the short term will reduce the incidence of disease and result in cost savings for primary health‑care institutions.
387.In future, people will have the right to choose their physician depending on ranking, experience and other factors. This will stimulate competition among primary health-care institutions for the right to provide services to the public. In such a scenario, primary health-care institutions will try to win as many clients as possible by improving the quality of their services, broadening or narrowing the range of services that they offer, acquiring new knowledge and skills, establishing better interpersonal relationships with the population and undertaking a range of other initiatives to satisfy the needs and requirements of the public. In addition, the new system will enable relations between the public and service providers to attain a level at which the public will have the right to recommend changes in the working methods of primary health‑care institutions.
388.Prior to 2001, health concentrated their efforts and resources on public health campaigns intended to disseminate knowledge of diseases and ways of preventing and controlling them. In April 2001, pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 2107 of 10 November 1998 on the State programme for the reform of the Uzbek health system, the Institute of Health was established on the basis of the National Health Centre, with branches in the oblasts and health centres at district level.
389.The principal aim of the Institute is to develop and implement policy to encourage a healthy lifestyle, prevent disease and improve the health of the general public.
390.A healthy living information centre has been established. It includes the National Institute of Health, made up of 14 regional branches and 161 district and 15 city health centres with a total staff of 1,500. Its principal areas of activity are:
Scientific research. The Institute of Health conducts research in two areas, namely the development of psychological and social models to encourage a healthy drug-free lifestyle, and analysis of community-level capacity to prevent HIV/AIDS. The Institute has published more than 60 scientific articles and 1 manual. It has held a conference on issues of current importance for the encouragement of a healthy lifestyle in Uzbekistan.
Educational programmes. The WHO “Health-Promoting Schools” project was introduced in Uzbekistan in 2002. Five oblasts and the city of Tashkent are piloting the project. A textbook entitled “Course in healthy lifestyles for schools” has been prepared in Uzbek and Russian and has been distributed nationwide.
Programmes have been put in place in the following areas:
Prevention of diarrhoea, acute respiratory viral infections and anaemia;
Breastfeeding;
Prevention of iodine, iron and vitamin deficiency;
Reproductive health;
Early childhood development programme;
Primary medical assistance to promote a healthy lifestyle;
Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS;
Balanced diet;
Physical activity;
Prevention of infectious diseases.
The following WHO projects are being implemented:
Health-promoting schools;
Integrated management of childhood diseases;
Anti-smoking campaigns.
Partnership:
Joint work is being carried out with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Uzbekistan Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, national and international foundations and non-governmental non-profit organizations.
Cooperation with international organizations:
Relations have been established with WHO, the World Bank, UNICEF, USAID/ZdravPlus and Project HOPE.
391.The media broadcasts public information about healthy lifestyles. Television and radio programmes on aspects of healthy living are broadcast on 4 national and 14 oblast-based television and radio channels. The first and second national television channels and all local television and radio channels in oblasts and cities regularly broadcast programmes entitled “Salomatlik”. Twenty-five spots and seven video clips have been prepared and are regularly shown on television.
392.A number of wide-ranging campaigns are conducted every year to mobilize the public. These include Sikhat-Salomatlik, the Festival of Health and the youth-run “No to Smoking” and “No to Drugs” campaigns.
393.The types of health education activities for the period 2001-2002 that were organized in Uzbekistan to raise awareness of how to prevent various diseases are listed in Table 15.
Principal environmental problems
394.A study conducted in 1998 on the basis of the National Plan of Action to Protect the Environment identified the three environmental priorities that provoke the greatest environmental concern in Uzbekistan, namely (a) the degradation of water resources and associated salinization of irrigated lands and mineralization of water are resulting in a shortage of quality drinking water; (b) desertification; and (c) disruption of ecosystems and their increased susceptibility to natural disasters and human impacts.
395.The principal threat to biodiversity in Uzbekistan is the loss of fauna and flora habitats and changes to their habitats. To a varying degree, 80 per cent of the country’s main deserts, 95 per cent of its riparian woodlands, 20 per cent of its sandy deserts and 40 per cent of its mountainous regions are affected. Three types of human activity are responsible for this situation: irrigated farming, unsound use of natural grazing land, and the mining and power industries.
396.The economy and security of Uzbekistan depend heavily on the quantity and quality of its water resources. Natural ecosystems play a vital role in conserving and maintaining these factors. Thus, healthy ecosystems yield numerous benefits both locally and nationally. They prevent erosion, reduce the risk of natural disasters (floods, landslides and so on), improve the climate and create the potential for sustainable economic use of water resources in tourism and hunting.
397.The most serious disruption of ecosystems and the largest man-made disaster in Uzbekistan has been the desiccation of the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya delta. The dire state of these areas is the result of the ill-advised use of water resources and unsound agricultural practices in Uzbekistan and throughout the region. It is known, for example, that the environmental crisis in the Aral Sea region has significantly increased the susceptibility of the local population to adverse impacts and has given rise to problems in the spheres of the economy, health care and social welfare. The costs in money terms alone (which, incidentally, have not been clearly established) are extremely high and are of a long-term nature.
398.Uzbekistan has signed a number of international conventions on environmental protection and has demonstrated considerable commitment to implementing most of the obligations contained in these instruments, including the development of an appropriate strategy and plans of action and conducting research in this sphere. However, implementation of the policy and the plans has been negligible. The current situation is the result of the vast centralized economic system that developed over a period of 40 years and continues to affect the structures and approaches that are used today to manage practically all natural resources. It is not only extremely difficult to change the system that was in place at the time of independence and to diversify and stabilize the economy; it is also risky from the economic and social point of view. This explains the slow pace of reforms.
Ecotourism
399.The development of ecotourism in Uzbekistan plays an important role in the process of positive social, economic and environmental change. Experience in many regions of Uzbekistan demonstrates that ecotourism benefits both business and the environment because it boosts employment and restores and conserves natural ecosystems, thus providing an argument for widespread ecotourism in Central Asia.
400.In the light of the foregoing, many tourist organizations have developed environmental tours of Uzbekistan, and organizations directly involved in the development of ecotourism have been set up.
401.One such organization is the Ekosan-Tour Centre, established pursuant to the recommendations of the First International Conference on Ecotourism and the Great Silk Road, held under the auspices of the Ekosan International Ecological Fund, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the Uzbektourism National Company. The Centre has enlisted experts from the tourism sector, conservation organizations in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries and consultants to further its activities. Efforts have also been made to attract businesses operating in areas and sites of interest to ecotourism, as well as local authorities and local self-government bodies.
402.The Ekosan-Tour Centre’s activities were given a boost by the Programme to develop tourism in Uzbekistan in the period up to 2005, which was approved by the President in 1999. The programme includes marketing initiatives designed to conserve and make meaningful use of the protected areas and natural monuments that are part of the world’s cultural and historical heritage.
403.In devising and developing marketing strategies for ecotourism routes, the Centre is mindful of the obligation to keep environmental resources intact and prevent any adverse impact on these resources. In this aspect of its work, the Centre is assisted by Uzbekistan’s environmental protection legislation and the environmental and sustainable development standards adopted under international agreements that facilitate the attainment of the Centre’s goals.
404.There are a multitude of problems affecting the development of ecotourism in Uzbekistan. These include difficulties in involving the local population in ecotourism activities, a shortage of qualified personnel, and the fact that potential tourists from many countries are not aware of the unique natural and scenic beauties of the Central Asian region. In order to address these and other issues, a dialogue has been initiated with local communities concerning the advantages and sustainability of ecotourism, and personnel training has been initiated at the University of Economics and in courses run by the Uzbektourism National Company. Advisory meetings are being held with foreign tourist centres and tour firms to inform people in other countries of the region’s potential for ecotourism. Uzbek embassies abroad and overseas branches of the Ekosan Fund are taking part in this initiative. The Centre continuously monitors the environmental, social and economic aspects of project implementation, their interrelationship being an indicator of the sustainability of ecotourism. The monitoring indicators are: the state of natural ecosystems, the conservation and restoration of complex natural ecosystems, biological diversity, the development of social infrastructures, water supply, public health conditions, the improvement in working conditions, economic indicators, the growth in the income of the local population, the improvement in living conditions, community amenities, environmental culture and the increase in the level of education.
405.Visits to the Aral Sea region by ecotourists (diplomats from more than 50 countries and representatives of 20 international organizations) have generated assistance in excess of US$ 20 million a year. With this money, a water supply network and a social infrastructure have been established and community sanitation has been improved.
406.The experience of ecotourism demonstrates its importance to the sustainable development of tourism in Uzbekistan. Ecotourism has made local populations aware of the need to protect the natural environment, prevent overexploitation of forests and participate in the restoration of disturbed natural ecosystems. Initiatives in the field of ecotourism considerably broaden environmental awareness and contribute to the improved social and economic situation of people living in ecotourism regions.
Article 13
Right to education
407.Everyone has the right to education. The State guarantees a general education. Schooling is under State supervision (Constitution, art. 41).
408.The right to education is one of the priority rights of individuals. On the basis of the principles contained in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Uzbekistan has created an effective mechanism for implementing that right.
409.The basic principles of the State’s education policy are set forth in the Education Act of 29 August 1997:
“Education shall be a priority in the social development of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
“The basic principles of the State’s education policy are:
“–Humanist and democratic nature of education and upbringing;
“–Continuity and succession of education;
“–Compulsory general secondary and specialized secondary and vocational education;
“–Free choice between specialized secondary education or vocational education: academic lycéeor vocational college;
“–Secular nature of the education system;
“–General accessibility of education within State educational standards;
“–Unified and differentiated approach to the choice of a programme of study;
“–Encouragement of learning and talent;
“–Combination of State and societal administration of the education system.”
410.Compulsory 12-year education includes nine years of general secondary education and three years of specialized secondary or vocational education. General secondary education is conducted in two stages in general education schools: primary education (grades 1-4), and general secondary education (grades 1-9). Specialized secondary and vocational education is provided by academic lycées and vocational colleges.
411.Currently, over 6 million children are enrolled in more than 9,000 schools, and are taught by some 500,000 teachers. Since 1997, over 520 schools and annexes have been built, providing nearly 200,000 new places. The number of educational establishments with data-processing and computer facilities increased by 340, which means that 50 per cent of such establishments are now equipped with these facilities.
412.Every year, educational establishments of a new type are opened. By 2008, specialized secondary and vocational education will be offered by 1,689 colleges and 178 lycées. The number of candidates for the baccalaureate degree who were accepted on the basis of a competitive examination has risen to 51,000.
413.Pursuant to a presidential decree issued in July 2004, the Istedod (Talent) Presidential Foundation, which was created from the Umid (Hope) Foundation for enabling talented young people to study abroad and the Ustoz (Teacher) Foundation, has the task of improving the qualifications and lengthening the probation period of promising young teachers and scientific personnel.
414.Over 20 per cent of children between the ages of 3 and 5 attend some form of organized educational programme for pre-school children. There is universal access to free 12‑year education, including primary education, incomplete secondary education and also study at new types of educational establishments: academic lycées and vocational colleges. The literacy rate of the adult population is 99.2 per cent. The aims and purposes of the National Programme are being achieved in phases: first phase (1997-2001); second phase (2001-2005) and third phase (2005- ).
415.The aim of pre-school education is to form a healthy and integrated personality that prepares a child for school. Pre-school education lasts until the age of 6 or 7 in the family, in kindergartens and in other educational establishments, irrespective of form of ownership.
416.The aim of primary school is to lay the groundwork for literacy, knowledge and the habits necessary for obtaining a general secondary education. Children are accepted into the first grade at the age of 6 or 7.
417.General secondary education provides the required volume of knowledge, develops independent thinking habits, organizational ability and practical experience, and offers initial career counselling and facilitates the choice of the next phase of education.
418.In order to obtain a specialized secondary or vocational education, everyone with a general secondary education has the right to choose, of his or her own accord, a field of study in an academic lycée or vocational college.
419.Academic lycées and vocational colleges provide specialized secondary or vocational education that entitles persons to work in their chosen profession or to continue their studies.
420.In 2001, the first phase of the National Personnel Training Programme was completed. During that phase, the legal basis and the prerequisites in the areas of personnel, methodology, funding and materials were created for reforming and developing the system of education in Uzbekistan. The first teachers’ conference, held in 2001, discussed the implementation of the first phase of the National Programme. The board of the Ministry of Education adopted Decision No. 7/3 of 25 July 2001 on improving methodical assistance in the national education system. Appropriate measures based on the monitoring of the implementation of the first phase have been developed.
421.The aim of the second phase (2001-2005) is the full implementation of the National Programme, and further improvements in education and training based on contemporary needs. On the basis of the Education Act and the National Personnel Training Programme, virtually all Uzbek legislative acts and regulations concerning general secondary education were reviewed.
422.With a view to implementing the National Personnel Training Programme, which provides for the placement of ninth grade graduates in specialized secondary or vocational education establishments, all specialized secondary schools and vocational education establishments in Uzbekistan have accepted students for the first year of the 2001/02 academic year in accordance with the curricula of academic lycées and vocational colleges.
423.Strategic measures in the national education system are being taken in the following areas: with a view to ensuring the continuity and succession of education pursuant to the requirements of the State educational standards for general secondary education, experimental work is being carried out in general educational subjects. The results of this work are generalized and studied, after which new academic curricula and plans are improved and gradually introduced:
Full transition to compulsory general secondary and specialized secondary or vocational education, and to differentiated instruction based on students’ capacities and capabilities;
State educational standards that set out the necessary requirements for the quality of students’ training and qualifications, and their cultural and spiritual and moral development;
Multi-grade ranking system for assessing students’ educational levels and guidelines for preparing a new generation of textbooks and study materials for the continuing education system have been approved. Experienced methods specialists, academics, teachers and foreign specialists are being invited to prepare sets of methodical textbooks and recommendations for teachers in pre-school establishments and schools; the system of retraining and improving the qualifications of teachers is being reformed; the pedagogical and psychological groundwork for interdisciplinary integration is being developed; and research is being conducted with a view to defining the parameters for integration and effective and optimum models.
Basic secondary education
424.The literacy rate in Uzbekistan continues to be one of the highest in the world: 99.34 per cent. According to article 4 of the Education Act, everyone is guaranteed equal rights to an education, irrespective of sex, language, age, race, ethnic origin, beliefs, attitude towards religion, social origin, occupation, social status, place of residence, or length of residence in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Information on the network of general education schools in Uzbekistan is provided in Table 16.
425.In order to ensure that schools are accessible to the entire school-age population, there are 62 boarding schools for children with limited capabilities and 22 special schools for mentally handicapped children.
426.Since 1997, first-grade students in orphanages, special schools and boarding schools have been provided with all the required textbooks and study aids at government expense. Since 1997, State budget expenditure on first-grade students and students from low-income families has increased 5.7 times. Information on the number of children of school age (7-15) and the number of school-age children enrolled in general education schools is provided in Table 17.
427.In the 2000/01 academic year, 95.2 per cent of children of the relevant age group attended the first to ninth grades of general education schools. In order to implement the Education Act and the National Personnel Training Programme, over 50 regulatory instruments, academic programmes, textbooks and teaching aids in the Latin alphabet have been approved for the tenth and eleventh grades of general education schools.
Material and technical base of schools
428.In Uzbekistan, 61 per cent of existing schools (5,840) are housed in model modern buildings. As at 1 January 1991, there were 901 emergency schools; by contrast, as at 1 January 2003, owing to new construction, as well as the renovation and overhaul of existing buildings, there were only 107 emergency schools. Moreover, between 1991 and 1 January 2003, a total of 2,255 schools with 860,072 places were constructed and put to use throughout Uzbekistan.
429.In recent times, the material and technical base of rural schools has improved considerably, this was facilitated by the adoption by the Cabinet of Ministers of a decision on a programme for developing the social infrastructure of villages in Uzbekistan for the period up to the year 2000. During the period 1996-2000, school buildings with 237,500 places became operational; during the same period, 631 rural schools were supplied with gas, and 287 schools began to be supplied with piped water.
430.In order to strengthen the material base of general education establishments, in July and August 2001 a programme for the period 2001-2005 was developed and approved by a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the khokimiyats of all oblasts and the city of Tashkent. The programme provides for the replacement of existing emergency schools by newly built schools and renovated existing schools, the overhaul of schools, and the provision of educational establishments with drinking water and a gas supply. In addition, the programme provides for new desks, blackboards, teachers’ desks and chairs, as well as the computerization of 4,500 schools. In accordance with the programme for 2003, major work is currently under way to renovate buildings and premises.
Textbooks
431.In order to ensure that all students have textbooks, Uzbekistan conducted an experiment involving the introduction of a rental system. In 2001, in four districts of Uzbekistan, students of the second through eighth grades were provided with 39 different textbooks for a total cost of 1 billion SUM. In 2002, in 156 districts, ninth grade students were provided with 10 different textbooks on a rental basis for a total of 4.6 billion SUM.
432.According to Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 33 of 25 January 2002, 75 per cent of students from low-income families had to be provided with textbooks from the State budget. Such students require a total of 11,972,136 textbooks. In the 2002/03 academic year, 78 per cent of such students were provided with textbooks. In 2002, 431,029 students from low-income families received winter clothes.
433.In Uzbekistan, 158 education departments are equipped with modems and e-mail communication. Over the past six years, some 100 students have participated in prestigious international competitions in mathematics, chemistry, biology, ecology, computer science and Russian in the United States of America, Japan, the Russian Federation, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Turkey and other countries.
Teaching staff
434.Over the period 1997-2002, the number of schoolteachers increased by 3.72 per cent, and the overall number of teachers in the current year is 451,857. During the reform years (1997‑2002), the proportion of women teachers increased by 2.8 per cent and constituted 65.4 per cent of all teachers in the system of the Ministry of Education (see Table 18); 314,871 (69.7 per cent) women teachers have completed higher education, 12,873 (2.8 per cent) are continuing their education at higher educational establishments and 124,232 (27.5 per cent) have completed specialized secondary education.
435.Between 1997 and 2002, over 400,000 employees of educational establishments were retrained or improved their qualifications. All retraining and further training institutes for teaching staff have been given the status of “higher educational establishment”. The structure of the institutes has been changed and they have switched over to the department system; the temporary regulations for retraining and further training institutes for teaching staff have been approved. As part of the development, together with the Asian Development Bank, of project UZB-1961, entitled “Programme for developing the education sector” (Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 92 of 19 February 2003), there are plans to create a distance-learning system for teachers in general education schools.
Funding
436.On the basis of presidential decrees and Cabinet of Ministers decisions concerning the improvement of conditions for teachers, since 1991 some 119,000 teachers have privatized State housing, and 24,500 have privatized jurisdictional housing. Land for the construction of private homes has been allotted to 48,000 teachers.
437.Since 1 September 2001, the salaries of school directors have been differentiated according to the number of students. As of 1 January 2002, category-1 teachers received 13,494 SUM; since May 2003, they receive 26,635 SUM. On the basis of presidential decrees, during 2002 the salaries of workers covered by the budget have increased twofold: in March they increased 1.15 times and on 1 July they rose on average 1.15 times; moreover, since 1 September 2002, the salaries of teachers and directors of establishments of the education system rose 1.2 times. Since 1 April 2003, they rose another 1.2 times. On 27 March 2003, the President issued a decree on the introduction, as of 1 April 2003, of compensatory monetary payments to replace advantages in the payment of housing and communal services.
438.Information on the number of students in specialized secondary educational establishments at the beginning of the 2000/01 academic year is provided in Table 19. The number of students at higher educational establishments at the beginning of the 2000/01 academic year is given in Table 20.
439.Specialists with a higher education are trained at 63 higher educational establishments: universities, institutes and other higher educational establishments (Table 21). Of the total number of higher educational establishments, there are 20 universities and 43 institutes; these include 14 technical, 3 economic, 15 humanitarian, 6 teaching, 7 medical, 4 agrarian (agricultural) and 12 specialized (sectoral) higher educational establishments, one branch of the V.G. Plekhanov Economic Academy, and the International Westminster University in Tashkent. Of those, 33 higher educational establishments are attached to the department of the Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education; the rest are under the authority of sectoral ministries (Table 22).
440.Since 1998, pursuant to the Education Act, two-tiered training for specialists with a higher education has been introduced: the baccalaureate and the master’s degree. Students are accepted to higher educational establishments on the basis of State grants and on a tuition basis. Since 2001, education loans have been granted for study at higher educational establishments.
441.Since 1994, the number of secondary school graduates accepted to the first year of higher educational institutions has increased. On average, of the 1,000 students accepted each year, 350 to 400 are women. Instruction at higher educational establishments is conducted in Uzbek, Russian and Karakalpak; in some specialities, the language of instruction is Kazakh, Tajik or Turkmen.
442.In the 2002/03 academic year, the International Westminster University opened in Tashkent; the University was founded by the Umid Foundation and the London Westminster University. The language of instruction is English.
443.In the 2002/03 academic year, there were 222,000 students at higher educational establishments, and 42,220 graduates, including 8,810 graduates who were trained as teachers.
444.The State educational standards for higher education have been approved, as have model study plans for the existing 131 areas for the baccalaureate and 664 specialities for the master’s degree. Academic programmes have been prepared on the basis of the State educational standards for each area and speciality. Work has begun on the preparation of new, original textbooks and teaching aids for schools of higher education. In order to provide higher education establishments with such textbooks and teaching aids, a forward-looking plan has been prepared for the publication of literature for the period 1999-2007. Between 1998 and 2002, 2,927 textbooks and teaching aids were published. Higher educational establishments have begun creating electronic textbooks and introducing them into the teaching process. In 2000‑2002 alone, 400 electronic textbooks were prepared.
445.The principal aim of the National Personnel Training Programme is to improve the quality of education. A series of measures are being conducted to introduce modern teaching technologies, methods of developing critical thinking in students, and the use of interactive methods of instruction into the learning process. The technical base of higher educational establishments is being improved through the modernization of the computer stock.
446.Library collections are acquiring literature on new data carriers. The first Uzbek electronic base of textbooks, teaching aids and synopses, and lectures in various academic disciplines, which includes some 2,500 data resources, has been created (www.ails-nuu.tk).
447.In Uzbekistan, staff are retrained in 2 special academies, 22 institutes, 15 centres and 17 departments for improving qualifications, which are under the authority of 22 ministries and departments. An Uzbek‑American academy for the retraining of teaching staff (EdNET) has opened. Teachers’ qualifications are being improved under various foreign grants, projects, bilateral agreements and the Ustoz (Teacher) Foundation.
448.Uzbekistan is conducting a special State policy to support gifted children and young students. Special centres and foundations (Umid, Ulugbek, Kamolot) for identifying talented young men and women have been established, and instruction and training for gifted young people in leading foreign academic and scientific centres has been organized.
449.The higher educational establishments attached to the Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education employ 11,226 teachers, 47.1 per cent of whom have scholarly degrees and titles. The number of research projects conducted at the higher educational establishments attached to the Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education is increasing. The results of over 600 research projects have been introduced into various sectors of the economy. Between 1998 and 2002, more than 620 patents for inventions were received, over 600 monographs were published and 24,639 scholarly articles were published in foreign and Uzbek publications. The number of graduate students and doctoral candidates for the period 1998‑2002 is indicated in Table 23.
450.State budget expenditure on education is growing steadily. According to forecasts, in order to meet education needs in 2005, budget allocations in the amount of 248 billion SUM will be required. The forecasts for State budget allocations for planned expenditure are based on the real rate of GDP growth, that is, 4.5 per cent in 1999 and 5 per cent in 2000. With this GDP growth rate and a volume of State expenditure at around 36 per cent of GDP, expenditure on education amounts to 8 to 11 per cent of GDP. In 2002, 25,606.4 million SUM were allocated from the State budget for the Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education (Table 24).
451.During the period of economic reform, an important aspect of the activities of higher educational establishments is their ability to attract extrabudgetary funds. In this connection, ministries and higher educational establishments are making special efforts to increase ways and means of attracting extrabudgetary funds. In 2002, the Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education received 27,741.4 million SUM in extrabudgetary funds (Table 25).
452.International organizations and financial institutions and the Governments of developed countries are providing financial and technical support for the educational reforms taking place in Uzbekistan (World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the Japanese Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF), the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the American Council for Collaboration in Education and Language Study (ACCELS) and others). All‑round assistance is provided in the form of investments, projects and grants. In 2002 alone, foreign investments amounted to some US$ 5.8 million.
453.Every year (until 2005), 20 places are allocated for master’s degree students in Japanese higher educational establishments (in 2000 - 127 million yen and in 2001 - 242 million yen). Every year, 20 Uzbek citizens study in Chinese higher educational establishments at their own expense. An agreement has been reached on the annual allocation of 50 places for students, graduate students and doctoral candidates from Uzbekistan in higher educational establishments of the Russian Federation, at their Government’s expense.
454.In 2002, the International Westminster University and a branch of the G.V. Plekhanov Russian Economic Academy opened in Tashkent, and Samarkand State University began a master’s degree programme in cooperation with the University of Bologna in Italy. Steps are being taken to open a branch of Waseda University (Japan) and a branch of Fontis University (Netherlands) in Uzbekistan, as well as to open a joint Uzbek‑Spanish department in the Uzbek State World Languages University with assistance from the University of Alcalá (Spain). The Spanish side has offered preferential credit in the amount of €25 million. Close and fruitful cooperation has been established with a number of leading world centres of learning, such as Cambridge University and the Sorbonne.
Article 14
Right to free primary education
455.In accordance with the Education Act of 29 August 1997, “everyone is guaranteed equal rights to an education, irrespective of sex, language, age, race, ethnic origin, beliefs, attitude towards religion, social origin, occupation, social status, place of residence, or length of residence in the territory of Uzbekistan”. The right to education is guaranteed by:
The development of State and non‑State educational establishments;
The organization of full and part‑time education;
Free instruction under State education and personnel training programmes, and paid vocational training at educational establishments on a contractual basis;
The equal rights of graduates of all types of educational institutions to continue their studies at educational establishments;
The granting of the right to all citizens who receive an education at home or who are self‑taught to qualify as external students at accredited educational institutions.
456.In accordance with international agreements, citizens of other States are entitled to receive an education in Uzbekistan. Stateless persons residing in Uzbekistan have the same rights to an education as Uzbek citizens. According to article 12 of the Education Act, primary education comprises grades 1 to 4 and is one of the stages of general secondary education. The aim of primary education is to lay the groundwork for literacy, knowledge and the habits necessary for obtaining a general secondary education. Children are accepted into the first grade at the age of 6 or 7.
457. Uzbekistan provides universal access to free 12‑year education, including primary education, incomplete secondary education and also study at new types of educational establishments: academic lycées and vocational colleges. Since 1997, first‑grade students in orphanages, special schools and boarding schools have been provided with all the required textbooks and study aids at government expense.
Article 15
Right to take part in cultural life and enjoy the benefits of scientific progress
458.According to article 42 of the Constitution: “Everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of scientific and technical work, as well as the right to enjoy cultural benefits. The State shall promote the cultural, scientific and technical development of society.”
459.Of the 25 million inhabitants of Uzbekistan, over 5 million belong to 130 different nations and peoples and constitute 20 per cent of the entire population. In 1992, there were a total of 10 ethnic cultural centres; at present, in all oblasts, cities and districts and in localities with high concentrations of ethnic minorities, 135 ethnic cultural centres for 28 different ethnic groups actively cooperate and interact with State bodies at all levels of local self‑government.
460.The activities of national cultural centres are intended to establish harmonious relations among the nations and peoples living in multi‑ethnic Uzbekistan, to strengthen inter‑ethnic accord and unity, which is the guarantee of peace and stability, to preserve and develop native languages, cultural identity, customs and traditions, to inculcate patriotism, humanism and internationalism in young people of different nationalities, awakening in their hearts the sacred feeling of love for their native land, and to establish cultural ties with their historic homeland.
461.The cultural centres pay special attention to activities related to national traditions. Among these are Ramadan, Kurban Khait, Christmas, Easter, Shrovetide, Purim, Hansik, Khosil Bayrami and Chusok. A number of anniversaries were widely celebrated in Uzbekistan, including the one hundred and twenty‑fifth anniversary of the Tashkent and Central Asian Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, the thousandth anniversary of the Manas epic, the six‑hundredth anniversary of our great ancestor Amir Timur, and the anniversaries of Jami, Imam al‑Bukhari, Ahmad al‑Fergani, Abai, Pushkin, Makhtumkuli, Shevchenko, Esenin, Muhtar Avezov, Chingiz Aitmatov and others.
462.A positive development has been the creation of young people’s divisions in some centres (Association of Korean Centres, the Kazakh Centre).
463.The national cultural centres focus their activities primarily on Uzbekistan’s domestic policy, which seeks to create equal conditions and opportunities for the development of all peoples living in Uzbekistan. Thanks to this policy, 762 schools provide instruction in Russian; 581 schools have Kazakh as the language of instruction; 318 provide instruction in Tajik; 64 offer instruction in Turkmen; and 56 provide instruction in Kyrgyz. In addition, mother tongue instruction is offered in Sunday schools by Armenian, Jewish, Korean, German, Polish, Ukrainian, Uigur, Bukhara Jewish, Greek, Georgian, Dungan, Chinese and other ethnic cultural centres.
464.After completing secondary school, every graduate has an opportunity to continue his or her studies at higher or specialized secondary educational establishments, colleges and lycées, both in Uzbekistan and abroad.
465.The Uzbek International Cultural Centre and the national cultural centres attach great importance to the holding of exhibitions that, through displays of works of art, ethnographic and everyday objects, and other monuments of material and spiritual culture, provoke interest in the cultural heritage of multi‑ethnic Uzbekistan with a view to publicizing and developing the fine arts of artists of Uzbekistan belonging to different ethnic groups. In order to instil a sense of patriotism in Uzbek citizens, art exhibitions with the theme “Uzbekistan ‑ My Homeland” have been held.
466.A number of exhibitions have been organized by national cultural centres with assistance from embassies and have been held in the Modern Art Centre and the Central Exhibition Hall of the Art Academy. The media provide regular and full coverage of the activities of national cultural centres. Television viewers can obtain up‑to‑date information on the activities of national cultural centres and on inter‑ethnic friendship and solidarity on all Uzbek television stations, including on the programmes “Akhborot”, “Davr”, “Assalom Uzbekistan!” and “Potait”. The activities of the national cultural centres are covered in greater detail in various languages on the international television channel; such broadcasts include “Uzbekistan ‑ our common home” and “In a common family” in Russian, “Umid” in Uigur, “Zhetigen” and “Diydar” in Kazakh, “Aichurek” in Kyrgyz, “Mekhrangez” and “Ranginkamon” in Tajik, “Biznen meres” in Tatar, “V dobriy khati” in Ukrainian and “Chinsen” in Korean.
467.The Uzbek International Cultural Centre and the national cultural centres cooperate closely with broadcasting stations in Uzbekistan, and also work with the editorial offices of a number of leading newspapers and magazines. The activities of the cultural centres receive regular and full coverage in the newspapers Khalk suzi, Narodnoe slovo, Pravda vostoka, Toshkent okshomi and Tashkentskaya pravda (under the rubric entitled “At national cultural centres”), and in Nurly jol in Kazakh and Ovozi tojik and Fakhrangi Osie markazi in Tajik.
468.The social movement Khalk Birligi (Unity of the people of Uzbekistan) has its own periodical, the newspaper Birlik ‑Edinstvo (Unity), which was founded in 1995 on the initiative of the Uzbek International Cultural Centre and the national cultural centres. The Russian national cultural centre has its own periodical (Vestnik), the Korean national cultural centre publishes its own newspaper and the Yangiyul municipal Ukrainian cultural centre publishes the newspaper Nadiya (Hope). Newspapers are published in Russian, Kazakh, Tajik, Korean, Kyrgyz and Turkmen in districts and oblasts of Uzbekistan. To date, the Uzbek International Cultural Centre has published seven books and brochures in Uzbek and Russian:
The Culture of Inter ‑ethnic Relations in the Independent Republic of Uzbekistan (in Russian; 1995);
Uzbekistan on the Path of Inter ‑ethnic Harmony (in Russian; 1996);
Inter ‑ethnic Unity ‑ the Guarantee of Stability (in Russian; 1999);
Hamjihatlik va bagrikenglik ‑ taraqqiet omili (in Uzbek; Tashkent, 2000);
The National Idea ‑ Our Idea (in Russian; 2001);
Uzbekistan ‑ Our Common Home (in Russian; Tashkent, 2001);
Millatlararo totuvlik va diniy bagrikenglik ‑ taraqqiet omili(in Uzbek; 2003).
469.Representatives of the various ethnic groups take part in world forums in their historic homelands: since 2001 alone, more than 200 delegates from Bashkir, Tatar, Kazakh, Tajik, Lithuanian, Kyrgyz, Armenian, Korean and Ukrainian national cultural centres have participated in such forums.
470.The chairman of the Bashkir cultural centre in Tashkent, Mr. I. Hasanov, took part in an expanded meeting of the Executive Committee of the World Assembly of Bashkirs, and representatives of the Tashkent Lithuanian Cultural Society participated in the Eleventh Parliament of Lithuanians Abroad, which was held in Lithuania in June 2004. More than 40 delegates took part in the World Assembly of Kyrgyz in August 2004, and 10 activists of Ukrainian cultural centres in Uzbekistan took part in the World Congress of Ukrainians in Kiev.
471.A particularly important event at the Ukrainian centre was the participation of its representatives in the unveiling of a monument to Taras Shevchenko at school No. 110 in Tashkent by the President of Uzbekistan, Mr. Islam Karimov, and the President of Ukraine, Mr. Leonid Kuchma, in December 2002. Activitists of the Russian cultural centre met with the President of Uzbekistan, Mr. Islam Karimov, and the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Putin. The chairman of the Kazakh cultural centre, Mr. M.M. Bakirov, was a member of the government delegation during President Karimov’s official visit to Kazakhstan.
472.The activities of the national cultural centres are coordinated by the Uzbek International Cultural Centre, which was established pursuant to a Cabinet of Ministers decision of 13 January 1992. The Uzbek International Cultural Centre plans and carries out its work on the basis of the recommendations of the Social Council (the membership of the Social Council was approved by a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers), which is composed of directors and deputy directors of ministries and departments, heads of voluntary organizations, chairmen of national cultural centres and leading academics.
473.The Constitution of Uzbekistan guarantees the right to participate in cultural life. Any citizen has the right to demonstrate his or her talents and capabilities in the field of culture. Moreover, the Civil Code provides that citizens are free to take part in cultural life. Legislation on culture and libraries has recently been drafted in order to further explain citizens’ rights and duties in the sphere of cultural life.
474.Many foundations promote cultural development and public participation in cultural life. The Uzbekteatr creative and productive association has established the Artmadad Foundation, and the Mukarrama Turgunbaeva Foundation operates as part of the Uzbekraks national dance association.
475.Pursuant to the Presidential Decree of 26 March 1998 on the development of theatre arts in Uzbekistan and the Cabinet of Ministers Decision on the establishment of the Uzbekteatr creative and productive association, 37 professional theatres and many studio theatres are currently part of the association: 1 opera and ballet theatre in two languages (Uzbek and Russian), 7 drama theatres (including 3 Russian-language theatres), 14 musical and musical drama theatres (including 1 Russian-language and 1 Karakalpak-language theatre), 4 young people’s theatres and 1 young spectators’ theatre (including 1 Russian and 1 Karakalpak), and 10 puppet theatres (including 1 Karakalpak and 4 bilingual - Uzbek and Russian - theatres). The theatres are located in oblast capitals (except Navoi) and in the Republic of Karakalpakstan.
476.Uzbekistan has many studio theatres, for example, Ilhom, Aladin, Mulokot, Eski Machit, Turon and others. In addition, almost all higher educational establishments have studio theatres. Every year, a festival of the Nihol or Hazina theatre company is held on an alternating basis.
477.The Ministry of Culture oversees 85 museums. Museum collections consist of 1.5 million museum objects. These include historical documents, archaeological and ethnographic objects, coins and works of applied art, sculpture, painting and graphic art. Uzbekistan has 10 art museums, of which the Savitsky State Art Museum of Karakalpakstan, owing to its rich and unique collections, has recently become world famous.
478.There are 31 commemorative literary, commemorative and literary museums. The exhibits in such museums are devoted to outstanding cultural and artistic figures of Uzbekistan: writers, composers, musicians, performers and artists. The museums have unique collections and a special, warm atmosphere, since most of these museums have been created in houses where such persons lived and worked.
479.The three largest museum-sanctuaries - in Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva (Ichan-Kala) - are the pride of Uzbekistan. In Samarkand, there is the famous Afrosiab with its astounding paintings; in Bukhara, Varakhsha and Paikend; and in Khiva, a well-preserved medieval town. The Samarkand and Bukhara museum-sanctuaries have, respectively, 8 and 9 different types of associated museums. All types of museum activity are ultimately intended to ensure that the greatest number of people become familiar with the cultural heritage contained in the museums. In 2002, the museums under the Ministry of Culture were visited by over 2 million people, 58,724 excursions were conducted, 4,407 lectures were given and 524 exhibitions were organized and held.
480.In 2001, the Ministry of Culture managed 5,710 libraries; in 2003, that number rose to 5,735. The total holdings of the libraries amount to 57,928,800 volumes. Of that number, there are 27,726,100 volumes in Uzbek, 11,000,500 volumes of political literature, 45,796,500 volumes of fiction, and 12,347,800 volumes of other literature.
481.The media gives widespread coverage to cultural life in Uzbekistan. In particular, the magazines Moziidan sado, Teatr and Guliston, and the newspaper Uzbekiston adabieti va san’ati(Literature and Art of Uzbekistan), which are official publications of the Ministry of Culture, endeavour to cover all aspects of promotion of and participation in cultural life.
482.The National Centre for Forecasting, Technique and Information collects materials in the various oblasts of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Karakalpakstan and Tashkent. The materials are then processed and sent to the Uzbek media for further elucidation. The National Centre has close contacts with the Uzbekistan Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, State and private radio stations, and also with Radio Ozodlik and VS.
483.With a view to preserving and developing Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage and disseminating information about it in the media, articles are published, documentaries are regularly filmed and aired on television stations, meetings with academics are held, symposia are conducted, and visual propaganda is issued.
484.Objects of cultural heritage in Uzbekistan are public property and are protected by the State. The Protection and Use of Objects of Cultural Heritage Act clearly regulates in the field of protection, conservation, popularization and use of objects of cultural heritage.
485.Private owners, on whose property objects of cultural heritage are situated, are bound by law to conserve such objects. Private individuals who own movable objects of cultural heritage must register historical and cultural property and provide timely information about their movement. Private persons who own objects of cultural heritage must preserve the external and internal appearance of such objects in accordance with the official description of the protected object. When excavating or building on land in which an object of cultural heritage is situated, private owners obtain authorization to do so from the Ministry of Culture, provided that such activity does not damage the monument.
486.The Ministry of Culture may restrict the right to use an object of cultural heritage insofar as this is necessary for ensuring the protection, conservation, use and popularization of the relevant object of cultural heritage and its immediate environment, and for the observance of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens, legal entities and the State. If an object of cultural heritage is not properly maintained, it may be confiscated from the owner by a court decision.
487.The National Personnel Training Programme and the gradual introduction of a new State education system have made it possible to establish an integrated network of professional education in the field of culture and art.
488.In Uzbekistan today, culture and art form part of primary education (schools of music and art schools), specialized secondary education (special academic lycées for music, and colleges of art and culture) and higher education (conservatory, institute of culture, art institute, higher schools of national dance and choreography). Under the Ministry of Culture, there are 311 schools of music and art schools, and 25 specialized secondary and 4 higher educational establishments. In 2003, these educational establishments trained 58 masters of arts, 527 bachelors of arts and 2,320 junior specialists. In 2004, in accordance with State quotas, 35 students were admitted to the master’s degree programme, 376 to the baccalaureate programme, and 2,744 to specialized secondary educational establishments. The number of admissions to such establishments on a contractual basis is being calculated.
489.Currently, legal information centres have been established in all oblast, municipal, district and central libraries administered by the Ministry of Culture. The purpose of such centres is to improve the public’s knowledge of the law and to promote a culture of legality. The centres explain and disseminate presidential decrees, decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers and information about the priority legal concerns of State policy.
490.Staff of the centre and legal advisers, in cooperation with the Council of Elders of Mahallas, travel throughout the country to inform local populations about new laws and decisions and to provide legal advice. Legal advice is provided to low-income families free of charge.
491.In order to ensure the conservation of objects of cultural heritage, there is a permanent liaison with such creative institutions as the Union of Architects of Uzbekistan, Oltin Meros, and also voluntary organizations of scientists working in the field of architecture and the structural reinforcement of buildings, and geologists and hydrogeologists.
492.International contacts and cooperation in the field of culture are being encouraged and developed on the basis of legislative and other measures adopted by the State, as well as such relevant documents as presidential decrees and decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers.
493.In addition, cooperation in the field of culture with various States is governed by bilateral agreements and treaties signed by the Government of Uzbekistan and the Governments of the relevant States. Cooperation is also being developed on a multilateral basis within the framework of diverse international organizations and associations, such as the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
494.Paragraph 2 of the Protection and Use of Objects of Cultural Heritage Act provides for international cooperation in the protection and use of objects of cultural heritage. If an international agreement to which Uzbekistan is a party establishes regulations different from those provided for in Uzbek legislation, the regulations contained in the international agreement take precedence over domestic legislation. Under such agreements, the Ministry of Culture is cooperating closely with Italy, Germany, Japan and representatives of UNESCO.
495.In particular, cooperation was carried out in the structural reinforcement of the western façade of the Tillya-Kori madrasa on Registan square and in the restoration of a number of mausoleums in the Shakhi-Zinda complex in Samarkand. Work is being conducted to preserve the architecture of one of the oldest and most famous monuments of the Fayaz-Tepa Buddhist temple complex in Surkhan Darya oblast.
496.Together with the international organization Restorers without Borders, Uzbekistan is currently studying a proposal on the restoration and conservation of the artistic qualities of movable monuments and also of the monumental painting of architectural monuments. The aim of such cooperation is to create in Uzbekistan an international centre for the restoration of monuments. There are similar centres in France and Turkey.
497.Historically, Uzbekistan is the heir to universally recognized schools of natural science and humanities that gave the world outstanding scholars whose achievements predetermined for centuries the progress of civilization. Today such schools have enormous scientific potential for solving the complex tasks facing Uzbekistan in the areas of social and economic development.
498.The Presidential Decree of 20 February 2002 on improving the organization of scientific research sets out fundamentally new approaches and organizational methods for fully utilizing Uzbekistan’s scientific and technological potential in close connection with the reforms being carried out in the State administration system, and with the development of democratic institutions and the structural transformation of the economy.
499.An extremely important decision, which brings the level of organization of scientific and technical activity in Uzbekistan into full conformity with the contemporary high demands on science and technology, is the establishment, under the Cabinet of Ministers, of a Coordination Council on Scientific and Technical Development. The Council has created a foundation for financing innovative scientific and technical activities with substantially diversified sources of funding.
500.The Centre for Science and Technology, together with ministries and departments, has established priority areas in the basic research (with funding amounting to 1,991.5 million SUM) being conducted under 20 State scientific and technical programmes (with funding amounting to 5,664.1 million SUM) and 14 State programmes of innovative work (with funding in the amount of 700 million SUM). Over 12 years, thanks to President Karimov’s great interest in developing science in Uzbekistan, all of the required funding has been made available.
501.In the area of basic research to be carried out over a long-term period (up to five years), priority is given to financing efforts to increase knowledge and scientific potential, and to support research of strategic importance from the point of view of the future application of the results. Applied State scientific and technical programmes for the medium term (up to three years) are a means of carrying out applied research based on the results of basic research; the aim of the programmes is to develop new techniques and technologies that will lead to a breakthrough in selected priority areas for scientific and technical development. Scientific and technical progress, which has been universally recognized as the most important factor in economic development, is most often associated with innovative development.
502.This is a unique process that combines science, technology, economy, entrepreneurship and administration. The approved State innovation programmes for short-term periods (up to two years) are based on the programme-specific principle and ensure a high degree of continuity in the chain “basic research, applied developments, and innovative projects for mastering technology”.
503.For the first time in Uzbekistan, an innovative mechanism has been developed to implement completed applied research; the mechanism is based on the principle of shared financing and the return of resources to the Centre for Science and Technology for reinvestment in new and promising innovative projects. Shared financing by ministries, departments and khokimiyats is a way of guaranteeing that the results of research will meet their needs and be applied in production processes. Shared resources may take the form of equipment, raw and other materials, and sources of energy.
504.In creating its innovative system, Uzbekistan studied the innovative experience of many European countries, the United States of America and the Russian Federation; the system was approved at five international seminars conducted jointly with the Science Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and scientific centres of European countries, with the participation of leading experts in the field of innovation policy in European countries. In its implementation, the Uzbek system is similar to innovation mechanisms in the United States of America, Italy and France.
505.Uzbekistan has great scientific potential in many of its regions, and an important aspect of State policy in the area of science and technology is the elimination of disparities in scientific and technical potential among the various regions.
506.Uzbekistan’s scientific organizations are currently cooperating actively with their counterparts in the United States of America, Europe and Asia; every year, they win grants in scientific-project competitions held by the European Union’s International Association (INTAS) and Inco-Copernicus, the United States Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), the International Scientific and Technological Centre in Ukraine, UNDP and other international scientific organizations and foundations. The overall number of grants allocated for projects and executed in 2003 with the participation of Uzbek scientists exceeded US$ 7 million. Considering the positive experience of such cooperation, in recent years Uzbekistan has been increasing implementation of joint projects based on shared financing. Uzbekistan has conducted such programmes with CRDF and scientific agencies in such countries as Germany, the Republic of Korea, China and India.
507.Cooperation with the NATO Science Committee plays an important role in Uzbekistan’s wide-ranging scientific and technical ties with international and foreign scientific and technical organizations and foundations.
508.One of the most important aspects of such cooperation is the holding of international science seminars. The seminars have played a special role in promoting international cooperation involving Uzbek scientists and in finding an outlet for Uzbekistan’s scientific and technical products on the international intellectual property market.
509.In this regard, the meeting of the NATO Science Committee held away from headquarters in June 2003 played a very significant role. A representative delegation headed by the Deputy Secretary-General of NATO visited Uzbekistan in order to participate in a meeting on environmental science issues. The meeting coincided with a seminar on the regional problems of Central Asia. This scientific forum discussed the most important scientific and technical problems of Central Asia, which included such fields as energy, ecology, water problems, seismology, environmental safety, an examination of the current state of and prospects for scientific cooperation among countries members and partners of NATO in joint projects, cooperation among institutes, exchange of specialists, and familiarity with the implementation of joint projects carried out by Uzbek scientific organizations under NATO grants.
510.The seminar will consider issues relating to the security and sustainable development of the Central Asian region, and measures to combat international terrorism.
511.Humankind entered the twenty-first century with great hopes but, unfortunately, also with many difficult problems that must be solved, such as environmental and health problems, social and regional conflicts, religious extremism and international terrorism. Perhaps one of the most difficult problems is the threat posed by international terrorism to our stability and security.
512.Research is being conducted in the areas of nuclear physics, electronics, biotechnology, molecular biology, genetics, veterinary science and infectious diseases - all of which can be used to combat terrorism. To this end, scientists and specialists who previously worked for the military have been invited to participate in a number of joint projects, particularly projects in the areas of biotechnology, physics and chemical technology. On the basis of these relations, in 2002 the Centre for Science and Technology, together with the United States Civilian Research and Development Foundation, announced a competition involving projects to reduce the impact of terrorist acts on the civilian population.
513.In recent years, the Centre for Science and Technology has been financing and coordinating research with a view to intensifying measures to reduce drug addiction, since the drug trafficking is an integral part of international terrorism. The Centre is financing a project to prevent cultivation of the opium poppy. Field tests were conducted in large opium poppy plantations in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; the tests yielded good results. This research was financed by the Centre and the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency; overall financing amounted to US$ 560,000.
514.Together with German scientists, the Institute of Electronics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan is developing devices to detect drugs in microquantities, in objects and in biological materials. Such a device was developed for the first time in Uzbekistan and has no counterpart in any other country of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
515.The Veterinary Institute of Uzbekistan is conducting major research on the industrial production of vaccines and diagnostic equipment with a view to preventing particularly dangerous infectious diseases in domestic animals and humans. The Centre also finances projects conducted by the Veterinary Institute to monitor particularly dangerous diseases in domestic animals throughout Uzbekistan and in areas bordering Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
516.Today Uzbekistan is a major scientific centre in Central Asia, with a developed material research base, vast scientific resources and qualified scientific staff whose work has been recognized all over the world.
517.Uzbekistan’s scientific research complex comprises 362 academic, higher educational and sectoral institutions, including:
101 research institutes;
55 research units at higher educational establishments;
65 project-design organizations;
32 science production associations and experimental enterprises;
30 information and computer centres.
518.The core of Uzbekistan’s scientific potential is the Uzbek Academy of Sciences, the leading scientific and experimental centre in the region, which has existed for over 50 years. Unique scientific centres have been established within the Academy of Sciences and are successfully carrying out research; such centres include:
The Institute of Nuclear Physics;
The Fizika-Solntse science production association;
The Biolog science production association;
The complex of alpine astronomical observatories on Maidanak mountain.
519.Some 46,000 persons are active in the field of science, including 2,800 doctors and approximately 16,100 candidates of science. For the first time in Uzbekistan, a higher degree commission has been established; the commission’s task is to train young scientific personnel. Highly qualified scientific personnel receive training in 20 fields of science.
520.Scientists in Uzbekistan are currently conducting basic and applied research in many fields of contemporary science. World-class science schools have been established, and research is being successfully conducted in the following fields: mathematics, probability theory, mathematical modelling of natural and social processes, and information and computer technology.
521.Uzbekistan has its own astronomy school, which was founded in the days of Beruni, Ulugbek and Giyasiddin Jamshid. Even in ancient times, the works of Uzbek astronomers who studied the movement of heavenly bodies were world-renowned. Uzbek astronomers were the first to compile an accurate map of the starry sky. Uzbekistan has established a reliable astronomical network for studying the climatology of the region. Along with scientists and specialists from the United States of America, Italy and Japan, Uzbek scientists at the Ulugbek Kitab International Latitude Station, which was built in 1930, are participating in an international study of the movement of the Earth’s poles along its surface.
522.Research on patterns of geological processes that lead to the formation of mineral and raw-material resources has industrial applications; research is also conducted in the field of tectonics, geophysics, seismology and other Earth sciences. Uzbek geologists’ comprehensive geological, geophysical and geochemical study of the Earth’s crust, ore formation in metallogenesis and oil formation have contributed to the creation of an extensive mineral and raw-materials base in Uzbekistan. Scientists and geologists have directly participated in the discovery, study and exploitation of mineral deposits in Uzbekistan and throughout the Central Asian region.
523.Research in the field of molecular genetics, genetic engineering and biotechnology constitutes the necessary basis for ensuring scientific and technological progress in agriculture, the microbiology industry and environmental protection.
524.Scientific schools in the fields of organic and inorganic chemistry, the chemistry of plant matter, biology and genetics, and biotechnology have been established and developed in Uzbekistan. Such schools have developed the theoretical bases and technology for producing new types of highly effective, clean fertilizers, low-toxicity defoliants, new medicinal preparations, plant growth stimulators and plant protectors. Such research involves the comprehensive study of the physico-chemical properties of materials.
525.Basic research in the physics of the atomic nucleus and elementary particles, radiation physics and materials science are particularly well developed in Uzbekistan. A new scientific discipline has been introduced: relativistic nuclear physics. This discipline serves as the theoretical basis for research in the field of nuclear energy and applied nuclear physics.
526.Efforts are being made to develop non-traditional forms of energy: the comprehensive and effective transformation and mastery of solar energy, which is of great importance to the solution of Uzbekistan’s energy problems.
527.Social scientists, first and foremost historians, archaeologists, ethnographers, linguists and literary specialists, have made a significant contribution to the development of Uzbekistan’s intellectual potential and to the expansion of international scientific and cultural ties. Of particular interest are studies in the area of ethnogenesis and the reconstruction of the objective history of the Uzbek people, and the study of its traditions, way of life and culture.
528.Uzbekistan has ratified and, therefore, acceded to the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, and the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques. In addition, Uzbekistan has signed 12 international agreements on cooperation in the field of environmental protection.
529.Uzbekistan is participating with the Earth Council in drafting the Earth Charter. At the beginning of 1999, the national charter project was sent to the Secretariat of the Earth Council.
530.On the initiative of the Government of Uzbekistan, a conceptual framework for solving the problems associated with the Aral Sea and the Programme of Specific Measures to Improve the Ecological Situation in the Aral Sea Basin were developed and adopted by the heads of State of Central Asia in 1994. These measures formed the basis for the work of the International Conference on the Sustainable Development of the Aral Sea Basin, which was held by the United Nations in Nukus in September 1995. The Conference adopted the Nukus Declaration, which reaffirmed its commitment to the international conventions on the observance of the basic Rio principles and defined a strategy and basic measures to ensure the sustainable development of the Central Asian States.
531.Uzbekistan has developed a national plan of action to protect the environment, a national strategy and plan of action to preserve biodiversity in Uzbekistan, a national programme to halt the use of ozone-depleting substances, a programme of measures to prevent climate change and to combat desertification, a national plan of action for a clean environment, and a transboundary project to conserve the biodiversity of the western Tien Shan in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Efforts are under way to create and develop national parks, reservations and nature reserves.
532.The overwhelming majority of tasks involving the technological modernization of the basic branches of the economy will be solved when the Government of Uzbekistan implements its Programme to Develop Export Potential and Continue Uzbekistan’s Integration into the World Economic Community for the period up to 2005, as well as the special programmes that will be developed as part of the framework for structural changes in the economy for the period up to 2010.
533.The State scientific and technical policy, which is currently being established for 2001‑2005 and subsequent years, consists of selective support for scientific research, developments and innovative projects in the following areas:
Basic research, in cooperation with leading world scientific centres, on the evolution of nature and society, establishment of a system of ethical values in the areas of social and economic development, environmental protection, and development of the biosphere;
Creation of the technical prerequisites for the environmentally sound increase in the production of fuel and energy and mineral and raw-material resources;
Development of competitive technologies, materials, designer projects and technology that will contribute to a sharp increase in Uzbekistan’s export potential, particularly in high-tech engineering;
Development and large-scale introduction of basic technologies that ensure a significant improvement in the quality of production, promote environmental safety, reduce production costs and saturate the domestic market;
Progressive changes in techniques and technology with a view to conserving sufficient resources in order to compensate for the increased cost of raw materials and fuel and energy resources and materials;
Selection of highly productive strains of agricultural crops and animals;
Development of new, highly effective and environmentally safe technologies, agricultural production, means to combat diseases in agricultural plants and animals, and effective means and methods of irrigating agricultural lands;
Creation of highly effective, resource-saving and environmentally pure food‑production processes, and of technologies for the processing sector of the agro‑industrial complex;
Development of the scientific bases and recommendations for the gradual formation in Uzbekistan of a socially oriented market economy and its integration into the world economic system, transformation of the social structure and the political organization of society, and improvement of the State system and law in the transition to a market economy;
Scientific and technical support for measures to achieve Uzbekistan’s social goals: development of public health and education, social and cultural regeneration, and environmental protection.
534.The priority areas for scientific and technical development will be implemented through publicly funded State scientific and technical programmes.
535.In the forthcoming period, the State will support the following priority areas of its policy on science and technology:
Intersectoral activities to create, introduce and disseminate techniques and technologies that will radically alter Uzbekistan’s technological base and reduce the impact of industry on the environment;
Work on major intersectoral scientific and technical projects that require large concentrations of resources and which are beyond the means of individual clients;
Scientific and technical support for measures to achieve Uzbekistan’s social goals (through the development of public health, education, culture, environmental protection, and related infrastructure);
Research on the creation of a democratic State with strong social guarantees, the conduct of economic reforms, Uzbekistan’s integration into the world economic community and solution of problems encountered in developing a fully fledged market;
Preservation and development of the gene pool of the plant and animal world through the use of museums that engage in scientific research, and State collections of scientific and technical information.
536.Uzbekistan’s scientific and technical potential is represented by 296 scientific institutions under ministries and departments with some 25,500 employees, of whom over 3,000 have doctorates and 17,000 are candidates of science. The core of Uzbekistan’s scientific complex is the Academy of Sciences (50 scientific institutions), the National Scientific and Practical Agricultural Centre under the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management (16), scientific and educational institutions of the Ministry of Health (29) and the Ministry of Higher Education Establishments (36), whose activities are supported by the State within the framework of scientific and technical and research programmes.
537.In 2004 alone, 400 developments in various areas of research conducted under the auspices of the Academy of Sciences received grants. For example, scientists in the field of physics and mathematics and technology are making great contributions to technical progress. In 2003 alone, they introduced 71 new products. Extrabudgetary funds in the amount of 3,745,495,400 SUM were allocated to such activities. Over the past year, products amounting to over US$ 1,565,000 were exported.
Notes
ANNEXES
Annex I. Tables 1 to 25
Table 1
|
Name of trade union |
Number of members |
|
Air transport workers’ union |
20 415 |
|
Road transport and road maintenance workers’ union |
107 986 |
|
Agro-industrial workers’ union |
2 856 812 |
Union of workers in State institutions and the social services sector |
263 949 |
|
Railway workers’ and transport engineers’ union |
70 684 |
|
Health workers’ union |
640 207 |
|
Cultural workers’ union |
95 702 |
|
Union of workers in light industry, the furniture industry and public utilities |
361 881 |
Union of workers in small and medium-sized businesses, consumers’ cooperatives and trade, and private entrepreneurs |
417 921 |
|
Union of metallurgical workers and mechanical engineers |
121 021 |
|
Education and science workers’ union |
1 367 200 |
|
Communications workers’ union |
52 460 |
|
Union of construction workers and workers in the building materials industry |
110 041 |
|
Union of fuel and energy workers and workers in the geological and chemical industries |
215 054 |
|
Total |
6 701 333 |
Source: Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan.
Table 2
Number of pensioners registered by social security services, by sex and type of pension
|
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
|||||
|
Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
|
|
Total number of pensioners |
1 512.3 |
1 395.9 |
1 604.7 |
1 367.0 |
1 649.5 |
1 405.1 |
1 636.1 |
1 450.9 |
|
By age |
1 114.8 |
683.6 |
1 165.7 |
642.2 |
1 174.1 |
644.2 |
1 136.9 |
696.8 |
|
By disability |
273.5 |
203.2 |
285.2 |
226.4 |
303.8 |
294.4 |
310.2 |
264.2 |
|
By loss of a breadwinner, for each non-working member of the family |
- |
457.9 |
- |
456.3 |
- |
462.0 |
- |
462.4 |
|
Others |
124.0 |
51.2 |
153.8 |
42.1 |
171.6 |
49.5 |
189.0 |
27.5 |
Source: Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.
Table 3
Average amount of pensions and social benefits provided tothe population by the Government
(in SUM) |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
By age |
1 972 |
3 101 |
5 100 |
7 433 |
|
By disability |
1 926 |
2 913 |
4 730 |
7 109 |
|
Group 1 |
2 776 |
4 290 |
6 790 |
9 840 |
|
Group 2 |
2 057 |
3115 |
5 118 |
7 818 |
|
Group 3 |
1 131 |
1 615 |
2 544 |
3 675 |
|
By loss of a breadwinner |
1 826 |
2 820 |
4 458 |
6 635 |
|
Social benefits |
1 269 |
1 938 |
3 131 |
4 413 |
|
Persons disabled since childhood |
||||
|
Group 1 |
1 400 |
2 100 |
3 340 |
4 675 |
|
Group 2 |
1 400 |
2 100 |
3 340 |
675 |
|
Women 60 and over and men 65 and over |
850 |
1 269 |
2 024 |
2 835 |
|
Monthly allowance for each child up to the age of 2 |
1 013 |
1 388 |
2 249 |
3 063 |
|
Minimum amount of grant (1 October) |
||||
|
To students in higher educational establishments |
1 400 |
2 560 |
3 585 |
5 377 |
|
To students in specialized secondary educational establishments |
1 375 |
2 440 |
3 465 |
5 200 |
Source: Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.
Table 4
Number of women and men registered as persons with disabilities for the first time
|
Total per 10 000 inhabitants |
||||||||
|
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
|||||
|
Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
|
|
Uzbekistan |
40 294 |
40 688 |
41 321 |
40 372 |
33.7 |
34.4 |
34.1 |
33.6 |
|
Republic of Karakalpakstan |
2 335 |
2 579 |
2 450 |
2 832 |
31.9 |
36.8 |
33.1 |
38.4 |
|
Oblasts: |
||||||||
|
Andijan |
4 881 |
4 142 |
4 967 |
4 241 |
46.0 |
39.3 |
46.0 |
39.6 |
|
Bukhara |
2 279 |
2 229 |
2 233 |
2 146 |
32.8 |
32.5 |
31.7 |
30.8 |
|
Djizak |
1 366 |
1 303 |
1 341 |
1 343 |
29.5 |
28.3 |
28.5 |
28.7 |
|
Kashka Darya |
2 521 |
2 642 |
2 660 |
2 702 |
24.3 |
25.4 |
25.1 |
25.5 |
|
Navoi |
1 303 |
1 174 |
1 318 |
1 109 |
34.0 |
30.5 |
34.1 |
28.5 |
|
Namangan |
2 522 |
2 621 |
2 791 |
2 532 |
27.2 |
28.2 |
29.6 |
26.7 |
|
Samarkand |
4 316 |
4 327 |
4 272 |
4 148 |
33.2 |
33.6 |
32.4 |
31.7 |
|
Surkhan Darya |
1 830 |
2 309 |
1 845 |
2 369 |
22.1 |
27.6 |
21.8 |
27.7 |
|
Syr Darya |
1 630 |
1 075 |
1 438 |
1 049 |
50.3 |
33.2 |
43.9 |
31.9 |
|
Tashkent |
3 186 |
3 803 |
3 061 |
3 601 |
27.4 |
33.3 |
26.1 |
31.2 |
|
Fergana |
5 518 |
5 571 |
6 333 |
5 266 |
42.4 |
43.3 |
48.0 |
40.3 |
|
Khorezm |
2 132 |
1 652 |
1 988 |
1 751 |
33.1 |
26.1 |
30.4 |
27.2 |
|
Tashkent city |
4 475 |
5 161 |
4 624 |
5 283 |
40.8 |
50.2 |
41.9 |
50.8 |
Source: Statistical handbook Zhenshchiny i muzhchiny Uzbekistana (“Women and men of Uzbekistan”), Tashkent, 2000.
Table 5
Number of persons with disabilities registered with social welfare bodies
At year’s end
|
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
|||||
|
Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
|
|
Number of persons with disabilities |
||||||||
|
Total, in thousands |
144.7 |
161.8 |
160.8 |
166 |
166.7 |
166.3 |
166.4 |
160.8 |
|
Per 10 000 inhabitants |
121.1 |
136.9 |
132.6 |
138.3 |
135.6 |
136.4 |
133.6 |
130 |
|
Number of persons recognized as disabled for the first time |
||||||||
|
Total, in thousands |
139.4 |
84.1 |
145.8 |
97.3 |
163.7 |
104.5 |
156.5 |
105.4 |
|
Per 10 000 inhabitants |
11.8 |
7.2 |
12.1 |
8.1 |
13.3 |
8.6 |
12.6 |
8.6 |
|
Of them, number of children with disabilities up to the age of 16 who receive social pensions |
||||||||
|
Total, in thousands |
72.4 |
33.6 |
78.6 |
45.1 |
94.4 |
53.2 |
88.5 |
55.3 |
|
Per 10 000 inhabitants |
6.1 |
2.9 |
6.5 |
3.8 |
7.7 |
4.4 |
7.1 |
4.5 |
Source: Statistical handbook Zhenschiny i muzhchiny Uzbekistana, Tashkent, 2002.
Table 6
Distribution of persons surveyed by group and by average annual income per family member
|
Name of group |
Number of men |
Number of women |
Total |
Percentage of total |
|
|
Group 1 |
|||||
|
With low incomes |
Urban |
111 |
121 |
232 |
10.0 |
|
Rural |
61 |
75 |
136 |
6.0 |
|
|
Total |
172 |
196 |
369 |
16.0 |
|
Group 2 |
|||||
|
With unstable incomes |
Urban |
129 |
144 |
273 |
11.9 |
|
Rural |
195 |
186 |
381 |
16.6 |
|
|
Total |
324 |
330 |
654 |
28.5 |
|
|
Group 3 |
|||||
|
With average incomes |
Urban |
240 |
256 |
496 |
21.5 |
|
Rural |
243 |
247 |
490 |
21.4 |
|
|
Total |
483 |
503 |
986 |
42.9 |
|
|
Group 4 |
|||||
|
With high incomes |
Urban |
81 |
71 |
152 |
6.6 |
|
Rural |
73 |
67 |
140 |
6.1 |
|
|
Total |
154 |
138 |
292 |
12.7 |
|
|
Total |
Urban |
561 |
592 |
1 153 |
50.1 |
|
Rural |
572 |
575 |
1 147 |
49.9 |
Source: Ministry of Health.
Table 7
Categories of the WHO Body Mass Index (BMI) by number of persons surveyed and by group
|
No. |
Evaluation criteria |
Group 1 |
Group 2 |
Group 3 |
Group 4 |
Mean |
||||
|
abs |
% |
abs |
% |
abs |
% |
abs |
% |
|||
|
1 |
Underweight |
242 |
65.5 |
254 |
38.8 |
184 |
18.7 |
14 |
4.8 |
30.1 |
|
2 |
Normal |
110 |
29.8 |
262 |
40.0 |
502 |
50.9 |
64 |
21.9 |
40.8 |
|
3 |
Overweight |
12 |
3.2 |
112 |
17.3 |
234 |
23.7 |
166 |
56.8 |
22.8 |
|
4 |
Obese |
6 |
1.5 |
26 |
3.9 |
66 |
6.7 |
48 |
16.5 |
6.3 |
Source: Ministry of Health.
Table 8
Results of an assessment of the average daily food intake based on a survey of the rural and urban population of Uzbekistan in 2002-2003
|
No. |
Product name |
Karakalpakstan |
Fergana oblast |
Surkhan Darya oblast |
Tashkent |
|||
|
urban |
rural |
urban |
rural |
urban |
rural |
oblast |
||
|
1 |
Bread and flour products |
485 |
567 |
572 |
584 |
474 |
558 |
540.5 |
|
2 |
Wheat flour |
70 |
87 |
65 |
72 |
78 |
89 |
75 |
|
3 |
Hulled rice |
32 |
38 |
28 |
36 |
32 |
38 |
45 |
|
4 |
Other grains |
15 |
25 |
10 |
15 |
12 |
15 |
20 |
|
5 |
Legumes |
8 |
12 |
14 |
18 |
15 |
20 |
25 |
|
6 |
Meat, all types |
45.2 |
22.1 |
42.6 |
35.5 |
46.7 |
32.7 |
62.8 |
|
7 |
Fish, all types |
22.5 |
20.0 |
14.0 |
12.0 |
24.0 |
10.0 |
15.0 |
|
8 |
Vegetable oil |
32.0 |
26.0 |
34.0 |
25.0 |
28.0 |
26.0 |
34.0 |
|
9 |
Butter |
22.0 |
28.0 |
18.0 |
30.0 |
25.0 |
30.0 |
28.0 |
|
10 |
Sugar |
15.0 |
5.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
12.5 |
10.0 |
14.0 |
|
11 |
Milk, kefir |
150.0 |
250.0 |
200.0 |
280.0 |
180.0 |
250.0 |
400.0 |
|
12 |
Curds, cheese |
10.0 |
20.0 |
15.0 |
20.0 |
25.0 |
25.0 |
20.0 |
|
13 |
Eggs (each) |
0.5 |
0.25 |
0.75 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
0.75 |
0.75 |
|
14 |
Sausage products |
20.0 |
- |
30.0 |
15.0 |
25.0 |
10.0 |
18.0 |
|
15 |
Meat offals |
20.0 |
12.5 |
10.0 |
25.0 |
15.0 |
10.0 |
20.0 |
|
16 |
Potatoes |
100.0 |
50.0 |
150.0 |
60.0 |
75.0 |
50.0 |
120.0 |
|
17 |
Onions |
50.0 |
40.0 |
50.0 |
30.0 |
70.0 |
50.0 |
35.0 |
|
18 |
Carrots |
20.0 |
40.0 |
30.0 |
50.0 |
30.0 |
50.0 |
50.0 |
|
19 |
Cabbage |
20.0 |
15.0 |
30.0 |
25.0 |
30.0 |
25.0 |
35.0 |
|
20 |
Beets |
10.0 |
8.0 |
12.0 |
5.0 |
15.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
|
21 |
Dried fruits |
5.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
20.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
|
22 |
Melons |
20.0 |
25.0 |
15.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
15.0 |
10.0 |
|
23 |
Squash |
25.0 |
30.0 |
20.0 |
30.0 |
25.0 |
30.0 |
18.0 |
|
24 |
Greens |
5.0 |
- |
5.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
15.0 |
15.0 |
Source: Ministry of Health.
Table 9
Women’s health
Based on a sample survey of women in 2000
In per cent
|
Including |
|||
|
Total |
Urban population |
Rural population |
|
|
Total |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
No health problems |
70.5 |
57.2 |
80.3 |
|
Occasional health problems |
20.9 |
29.6 |
14.4 |
|
Constant health problems |
5.2 |
8.0 |
3.2 |
|
Serious chronic illness |
3.0 |
5.0 |
1.5 |
|
Other |
0.4 |
0.2 |
0.6 |
Source: Statistical handbook Zhenshchiny i muzhchiny Uzbekistana, Tashkent, 2002.
Table 10
Medical institutions and medical staff
At year’s end
|
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
|
|
Number of hospitals |
1 230 |
1 175 |
1 178 |
1 162 |
|
Number of hospital beds (thousands) |
155.3 |
140.5 |
138.1 |
138.6 |
|
Per 10 000 inhabitants |
65.3 |
58.2 |
56.4 |
55.9 |
|
Of the total number of hospital beds, beds for sick children (thousands) |
35.1 |
30.5 |
29.8 |
30.1 |
|
Per 10 000 children (0‑14 years) |
37.2 |
32.4 |
31.8 |
32.5 |
|
Pregnant women and women in childbirth (thousands) |
27.9 |
27.7 |
26.8 |
26.2 |
|
Per 10 000 women (15‑49 years) |
47.0 |
45.3 |
42.6 |
40.5 |
|
Gyneacological (thousands) |
5.5 |
5.0 |
5.1 |
4.9 |
|
Per 10 000 women |
4.6 |
4.1 |
4.2 |
3.9 |
|
Number of general outpatient clinics |
4 074 |
4 291 |
4 643 |
4 847 |
|
Capacity. number of visits during a shift (thousands) |
353.5 |
368.0 |
380.3 |
391.4 |
|
Per 10 000 inhabitants |
148.7 |
152.5 |
155.3 |
157.7 |
|
Number of women’s consultation clinics |
1 852 |
1 980 |
2 020 |
2 074 |
|
Number of children’s outpatient clinics |
2 018 |
2 072 |
2 205 |
2 519 |
|
Number of children’s rest homes |
35 |
32 |
30 |
30 |
|
Number of beds in children’s rest homes |
5 275 |
5 171 |
4 930 |
4 585 |
|
Number of children restored to health (thousands) |
32.7 |
20.6 |
21.9 |
22.1 |
|
Number of obstetric units |
5 235 |
4 495 |
4 098 |
3 800 |
|
Number of doctors (thousands) |
81.6 |
81.8 |
81.2 |
81.5 |
|
Per 10 000 inhabitants |
34.3 |
33.9 |
33.2 |
32.8 |
|
Paediatricians (thousands) |
13.2 |
12.9 |
12.8 |
12.9 |
|
Per 10 000 children |
14.0 |
13.7 |
13.7 |
13.9 |
|
Obstetricians and gyneacologists (thousands) |
6.0 |
6.2 |
6.4 |
6.4 |
|
Per 10 000 women |
5.0 |
5.1 |
5.2 |
5.2 |
|
Middle‑level medical staff (thousands) |
256.4 |
254.2 |
256.9 |
259.7 |
|
Per 10 000 inhabitants |
107.9 |
105.3 |
104.9 |
104.7 |
|
Midwives (thousands) |
20.8 |
20.5 |
20.5 |
20.9 |
|
Number of women of childbearing age |
35.1 |
33.6 |
32.6 |
32.8 |
Source: Statistical handbook Zhenshchiny i muzhchiny Uzbekistana, Tashkent, 2002.
Table 11
Infant mortality indicators for Uzbekistan
|
Oblasts |
1991 |
2001 |
2002 |
Andijan |
30.1 |
14.8 |
13.4 |
|
Bukhara |
29.1 |
18.2 |
15.0 |
|
Djizak |
37.4 |
16.7 |
14.3 |
|
Kashka Darya |
35.3 |
19.2 |
16.0 |
|
Navoi |
31.2 |
17.2 |
14.4 |
|
Namangan |
37.4 |
17.6 |
16.2 |
|
Samarkand |
33.3 |
15.8 |
14.0 |
|
Surkhan Darya |
41.2 |
18.7 |
15.7 |
|
Syr Darya |
48.3 |
20.0 |
18.2 |
|
Tashkent |
29.4 |
17.0 |
16.8 |
|
Fergana |
36.5 |
19.9 |
17.9 |
|
Khorezm |
38.9 |
19.8 |
19.4 |
|
Tashkent city |
25.1 |
21.0 |
19.5 |
|
Republic of Karakalpakstan |
51.2 |
22.3 |
19.9 |
|
Nationwide |
35.5 |
18.3 |
16.3 |
Source: Ministry of Health.
Table 12
Water supply and sewerage situation in Uzbekistan as at 1 January 2003
|
No. |
Name of oblast |
Number of settlements |
With a centralized water supply (%) |
With sewerage systems (%) |
|||||
|
Urban |
Population |
Rural |
Population |
Urban |
Rural |
Urban |
Rural |
||
|
1. |
Tashkent city |
1 |
2 143 700 |
- |
- |
99.0 |
- |
75.2 |
|
|
2. |
Andijan |
18 |
637 600 |
540 |
1 495 700 |
95.6 |
89.2 |
31.4 |
|
|
3. |
Bukhara |
11 |
438 100 |
1 508 |
952 700 |
95.0 |
31.0 |
41.0 |
|
|
4. |
Djizak |
15 |
289 900 |
530 |
640 600 |
86.1 |
70.6 |
32.0 |
|
|
5. |
Kashka Darya |
13 |
538 600 |
1 096 |
1 559 100 |
86.8 |
78.9 |
15.3 |
|
|
6. |
Navoi |
8 |
313 100 |
634 |
458 700 |
82.8 |
36.4 |
12.1 |
|
|
7. |
Namangan |
12 |
705 700 |
512 |
1 168 600 |
84.0 |
77.9 |
16.4 |
|
|
8. |
Samarkand |
20 |
718 900 |
1 932 |
1 888 100 |
68.3 |
79.2 |
40.1 |
|
|
9. |
Surkhan Darya |
12 |
337 300 |
850 |
1 346 800 |
95.0 |
67.7 |
44.0 |
|
|
10. |
Syr Darya |
15 |
202 700 |
305 |
449 300 |
97.5 |
78.2 |
25.0 |
|
|
11. |
Tashkent |
29 |
944 000 |
956 |
1 371 100 |
93.0 |
91.3 |
53.4 |
|
|
12. |
Fergana |
18 |
759 800 |
1 181 |
1 846 800 |
98.0 |
83.0 |
38.5 |
|
|
13. |
Khorezm |
13 |
310 200 |
612 |
977 400 |
92.3 |
55.8 |
44.3 |
|
|
14. |
Republic of Karakalpakstan |
19 |
707 900 |
1 188 |
761 100 |
73.6 |
46.1 |
12.1 |
|
|
Total |
204 |
9 222 000 |
11 844 |
15 599 300 |
89.0 |
68.1 |
45.4 |
5.5 |
Source: Ministry of Health.
Table 13
Life expectancy in Uzbekistan
|
1990 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
|
Total population |
69.3 |
70.2 |
70.2 |
70.25 |
70.3 |
70.3 |
70.08 |
||
|
Men |
66.1 |
67.8 |
67.8 |
68.1 |
68.2 |
68.2 |
67.57 |
||
Women |
72.4 |
72.6 |
72.7 |
72.7 |
73.0 |
73.1 |
72.64 |
||
|
Urban population |
69.3 |
71.5 |
71.5 |
71.5 |
71.6 |
71.6 |
|||
|
Men |
65 |
69 |
69 |
69.1 |
69.1 |
69.1 |
|||
|
Women |
73.2 |
73.9 |
74 |
74 |
74.1 |
74.2 |
|||
|
Rural population |
69 |
69.1 |
69.1 |
69.3 |
69.5 |
69.5 |
|||
|
Men |
66.4 |
66.7 |
66.7 |
66.8 |
66.9 |
66.9 |
|||
|
Women |
70.4 |
71.4 |
71.4 |
71.4 |
71.6 |
71.6 |
Source: Ministry of Health.
Table 14
Maternal mortality indicators for 1991-2002
|
Oblasts |
1991 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
Andijan |
44.1 |
20.5 |
17.3 |
|
Bukhara |
35.6 |
54.4 |
37.3 |
|
Djizak |
99.9 |
42.5 |
29.7 |
|
Kashka Darya |
69.9 |
40.6 |
37.1 |
|
Navoi |
- |
91.5 |
51.5 |
|
Namangan |
45.4 |
29.3 |
18.4 |
|
Samarkand |
43.4 |
17.9 |
21.9 |
|
Surkhan Darya |
91.5 |
19.3 |
20.4 |
|
Syr Darya |
23.6 |
35.7 |
26.4 |
|
Tashkent |
43.2 |
44.2 |
59.8 |
|
Fergana |
62.8 |
25.3 |
25.8 |
|
Khorezm |
46.0 |
36.2 |
32.3 |
Tashkent city |
141.1 |
36.4 |
59.9 |
Republic of Karakalpakstan |
108.5 |
41.9 |
26.6 |
|
Nationwide |
65.3 |
34.1 |
32.0 |
Source: Ministry of Health.
Table 15
Health education activities to raise awareness about how to preventvarious diseases in Uzbekistan, for the period 2001-2002
|
2001 |
2002 |
|
|
Lectures |
449 232 |
642 800 |
|
Talks |
4 769 002 |
4 491 672 |
|
Radio talks |
8 103 |
17 998 |
|
Question-and-answer evenings |
22 245 |
35 212 |
|
Film showings |
3 452 |
2 274 |
|
“Health corners” |
70 446 |
69 924 |
|
Television broadcasts |
583 |
665 |
|
Articles in the periodical press |
129 |
94 |
|
Meetings between directors and the public |
11 721 |
16 029 |
Source: Ministry of Health.
Table 16
Network of general education schools in Uzbekistan
|
Location Years |
2002/03 |
Pupils |
Including girl pupils |
|
City |
2 006 |
||
|
Village |
7 686 |
||
|
Total |
9 692 |
6 266 371 |
3 074 647 |
Source: State Statistical Committee and Ministry of Education.
Table 17
Number of children of school age (7-15) and number of school‑age childrenenrolled in general education schools
|
No. |
Oblast |
Number of children of school age (7-15)* |
Number of pupils aged 7 ‑15 at the beginning of the 2000/01 academic year** |
Coverage (%) |
Attendance rate*** |
|
Nationwide |
5 798 233 |
5 519 279 |
95.2 |
98.8 |
Source: State Statistical Committee and Ministry of Education.
* Number of inhabitants aged 7 to 15 as at 1 January 2001.
** This does not include the number of pupils under 15 who continue to study in the tenth grade or who have entered academic lycées or vocational colleges, or pupils in classes and schools for children with mental or physical disabilities.
*** Results of monitoring of school attendance in 2000 by the Ministry of Education.
Table 18
Number of schoolteachers
|
Academic year |
1997/98 |
1998/99 |
1999/2000 |
2000/01 |
2001/02 |
2002/03 |
Total number of teachers |
435 046 |
445 853 |
442 303 |
443 016 |
447 681 |
451 857 |
|
Percentage of women teachers |
62.6 |
63.6 |
63.3 |
64.5 |
65.2 |
65.4 |
|
Average number of pupils per teacher |
12 |
13 |
13 |
14 |
14 |
14 |
Source: State Statistical Committee and Ministry of Education.
Table 19
Number of students in specialized secondary educational establishmentsat the beginning of the 2000/01 academic year
|
Total by sex |
Percentage of total |
Distribution by sex (%) |
||||
|
Female |
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Male |
|
|
Number of students in specialized secondary schools |
133 552 |
121 269 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
52.0 |
48.0 |
|
In day divisions |
109 951 |
83 430 |
82.3 |
68.8 |
56.0 |
44.0 |
|
In evening divisions |
740 |
1 858 |
0.6 |
1.5 |
28.5 |
71.5 |
|
In correspondence divisions |
22 861 |
35 981 |
17.1 |
29.7 |
38.9 |
61.1 |
|
Students, per 10 000 inhabitants |
108 |
98 |
||||
|
Students accepted |
41 673 |
31 866 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
56.7 |
43.3 |
|
By day divisions |
34 607 |
22 136 |
83.0 |
69.5 |
61.0 |
39.0 |
|
By evening divisions |
160 |
352 |
0.4 |
1.1 |
31.0 |
69.0 |
|
By correspondence divisions |
6 906 |
9 378 |
16.6 |
29.4 |
42.0 |
58.0 |
|
Specialists graduated |
44 676 |
34 623 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
56.3 |
43.7 |
|
From day divisions |
36 289 |
22 637 |
81.2 |
65.4 |
61.6 |
38.4 |
|
From evening divisions |
228 |
452 |
0.5 |
1.3 |
33.5 |
66.5 |
|
From correspondence divisions |
8 159 |
11 534 |
18.3 |
33.3 |
41.4 |
58.6 |
|
Specialists graduated, per 10 000 inhabitants |
36 |
28 |
Source: Statistical handbook Zhenshchiny i muzhchiny Uzbekistana, Tashkent, 2002.
Table 20
Higher educational establishments
At the beginning of the academic year
|
1999/2000 |
2000/01 |
Percentageof total |
Distribution by sex (%) |
|||||
|
Female |
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Male |
|
|
Total number of students |
62.2 |
104.2 |
69.4 |
114.2 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
37.8 |
62.2 |
|
In day divisions |
49.7 |
75.7 |
55.2 |
86.7 |
79.5 |
75.9 |
38.9 |
61.1 |
|
In evening divisions |
0.1 |
0.3 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
23.1 |
76.9 |
|
In correspondence divisions |
12.4 |
28.2 |
14.2 |
27.4 |
20.4 |
24.0 |
34.1 |
65.9 |
|
Number of students per 10 000 inhabitants |
51.0 |
86.0 |
56.0 |
93.0 |
Source: Statistical handbook Zhenshchiny i muzhchiny Uzbekistana, Tashkent, 2002.
Table 21
|
Number of higher educational establishments |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
Total |
54 |
55 |
55 |
57 |
58 |
60 |
60 |
61 |
61 |
61 |
63 |
|
In Tashkent city |
25 |
26 |
26 |
27 |
27 |
28 |
28 |
29 |
29 |
29 |
31 |
Source: State Statistical Committee.
Table 22
Distribution of higher educational establishments basedon the bodies to which they are subordinate
|
Ministries and departments |
Total |
Universities |
Institutes |
|
Cabinet of Ministers |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education |
33 |
15 |
18 |
|
Ministry of Education |
5 |
0 |
5 |
|
Ministry of Health |
7 |
0 |
7 |
|
Ministry of Culture |
4 |
0 |
4 |
|
Art Academy |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
State Sport Committee |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Postal and Telecommunications Agency |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Ministry of Justice |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
UzbekistonTemirYullari Company |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Kizilkumnodirmetalloltin Concern |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Ministry of Rural Water Supply |
4 |
1 |
3 |
|
Branches of foreign higher educational establishments |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
International University |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Total |
63 |
20 |
43 |
Source: State Statistical Committee.
Table 23
Number of graduate students and doctoral candidatesfor the period 1998-2002
Higher educational establishments under the Ministry of Higher and SpecializedSecondary Education |
Number of students |
||||
|
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
Doctoral students |
61 |
70 |
43 |
76 |
49 |
|
Graduate students |
599 |
654 |
396 |
392 |
365 |
Source: Higher Degree Commission.
Table 24
(millions of SUM)
|
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
|
State budget expenditure for Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education |
2 651.9 |
5 355.3 |
7 194.9 |
11 213.1 |
17 017.9 |
25 606.4 |
|
including: |
||||||
Expenditure on textbooks and teaching materials |
27.8 |
60.2 |
82.6 |
166.7 |
422.6 |
1 485.5 |
Source: Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education.
Table 25
(millions of SUM)
|
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
|
Total extrabudgetary funds received by the Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education |
1 422 |
2 575.7 |
4 843.3 |
9 050 |
16 374.8 |
27 741.4 |
|
including: |
||||||
|
Training of personnel on a paid contractual basis |
1 047 |
1 964.3 |
4 145.7 |
7 820.7 |
14 543.4 |
25 053.3 |
|
Implementation of scientific and design projects |
63.2 |
93.9 |
110.3 |
142 |
187 |
254.2 |
|
Provision of paid services |
311.8 |
517.5 |
587.3 |
1 087.3 |
1 644.4 |
2 433.9 |
Source: Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education.
Annex II
Composition of the working group that prepared Uzbekistan’sinitial report on the implementation of the Covenant
A. Kh. SaidovDirector of the National Human Rights Centre
A.T. YunusovHead of the Department of Human Rights Education
D.B. TuraevLeading specialist of the Department of Human Rights Education
I.R. MamasalievLeading specialist of the Department of Human Rights Education
Annex III
State bodies and non-governmental organizations that contributedmaterials for the preparation of the report
State bodies
1.State Statistical Committee of Uzbekistan
2.Ministry of Finance
3.Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare
4.Ministry of Education
5.Ministry of Culture
6.Ministry of Health
7.Ministry of Economy
8.Science and Technology Centre of the Coordinating Council on Scientific and Technical Development under the Cabinet of Ministers
9.Office of the Procurator-General
Non-governmental organizations
1.Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan
2.Oila Scientific and Practical Centre
3.International Cultural Centre of Uzbekistan
4.Children’s Foundation of Uzbekistan
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