Strategy "Uzbekistan-2030": stable development and prosperity

After a nationwide discussion, the Presidential Decree "On the Strategy "Uzbekistan-2030" was adopted on September 12, 2023, which reflects a new vision of the country's development for the next seven years. The document consists of one hundred goals focused on five main areas, and is an important factor in improving the welfare of the population and sustainable economic growth.

One of the key priorities of the strategy is to ensure the growth of the welfare of the population through the sustainable development of the country's economy. Within this direction, there are 17 goals that affect different aspects. One of them is doubling the republic's GDP, which is an ambitious task, but undoubtedly achievable.
Another important goal includes raising per capita income to four thousand dollars, which will ensure a decent standard of living for Uzbek citizens and make the country more competitive in the international arena.
The document defines specific goals aimed at increasing productivity and profitability in agriculture with the use of modern water-saving technologies. Thus, it is expected to bring the level of provision of local seeds of vegetables, melons, potatoes to 50 percent. 
In order to prevent losses during water supply, a program for the introduction of a closed pipeline system based on the experience of Turkey will be developed. In addition, in the next seven years, water supply will cover an additional 1.2 million hectares of land.
In turn, based on the needs of business and the population, new mechanisms will be introduced in the field of infrastructure development. Thus, by 2030, it is planned to provide all settlements with one hundred percent clean drinking water, and to increase the share of electrified railways to 65 percent.
However, in order to achieve these goals, it is necessary to attract a significant amount of investment. The strategy "Uzbekistan-2030" provides for the development of 250 billion dollars of investments, including 110 billion foreign and 30 billion dollars in the framework of public-private partnership. This once again underlines Uzbekistan's openness to external partners and the country's willingness to cooperate in the field of economic development.
In addition, a transition to a "green" economy and the use of renewable energy sources is planned. This is an important step in combating climate change and promoting the country's environmental sustainability.
It should be noted that certain problems will arise on the way to achieving all these goals. For example, a sharp increase in capacity utilization rates may prove to be a difficult task for some sectors of the economy. However, with proper planning and effective management, such obstacles can be overcome.
One of the main priorities of the strategy is to improve the business climate. In this context, a number of measures have been taken aimed at reducing administrative barriers for entrepreneurs, simplifying registration and licensing procedures, as well as creating special investment zones.
Other important areas are the modernization of the economy and the development of the oil and gas sector. The strategy aims to increase the share of high-tech products in exports, as well as to develop new oil and gas fields.
One of the key priorities of the strategy is the development of transport infrastructure. Uzbekistan is striving to become an important transport hub connecting Central Asia with other countries. In this context, work is underway to modernize railways and highways, as well as to develop international transport corridors.
In addition, within the framework of the Strategy "Uzbekistan-2030", much attention is paid to the social sphere. Measures will be taken to reduce poverty by half by 2026 and to sharply reduce it by 2030. In this regard, the goals of providing employment on the basis of family entrepreneurship for the transition from manual labor to the stage of industrial production have been determined.
Special attention in the social block of the new program is paid to reducing the unemployment rate among young people from 14 to 11 percent. Measures will also be taken to ensure the employment of young people through the development of industries.
Thus, the new seven-year strategy preserves all those areas in which the most active work has been carried out in recent years. At the same time, the criteria and guidelines for them have been significantly expanded compared to what has already been done.
Furkat Yunusov.
Head of the Department of the Development Strategy Center.