Uzbekistan is entering a new trajectory of building a welfare state

Last year, after a wide public discussion, the Strategy for the Development of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026 was adopted, which became the main program document for the next few years. The main vector is towards building a state by elevating the honor and dignity of a person, developing a free civil society, providing broad and targeted social support to the population, expanding the participation of the people in the decision-making process. Thus, the interaction of society with the authorities has entered a new stage of development.         

Earlier, as part of the Action Strategy for the five priority areas of Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021, a new institute of public appeals was introduced for the country. This mechanism was initiated by the President, who repeatedly mentioned the importance of establishing a direct dialogue between the authorities and the people, which is an integral element of the life of any modern state. People's reception rooms have helped millions of citizens whose problems have not been solved for years. And one of the most significant projects in recent years, perhaps, has been the introduction of a system of initiative budgeting implemented through the portal Openbudget.uz . 
Practical measures in this direction are outlined in the Presidential decree "On additional measures to ensure the active participation of citizens in the budget process" dated April 13, 2021. At first, the initiative was introduced in a test mode, and in 2022 it was already launched on a full scale and in the current 2023 it shows very high efficiency. So, this year the amount of funds allocated to mahallas has reached 25 trillion soums. In particular, eight trillion rubles are provided within the framework of the "Initiative Budget".       
In Uzbekistan, the mechanism of initiative budgeting was introduced in 2019. During this time, the study of opinions showed that citizens are ready to participate directly in the distribution of budget funds and taxes paid. They are glad that they can make their life and the life of their family, neighbors better and more comfortable. From year to year, the sources of funds allocated to finance events formed on the basis of public opinion are also expanding. Citizens' initiatives are taken by public vote. Now everyone can take part in determining the priorities of spending budget funds by putting forward their own proposals or supporting the initiatives of compatriots. To do this, you only need to register on the site.  
Along with the budget funds allocated for initiative budgeting, the number of project proposals is also increasing. For example, if 28.7 thousand proposals were received in 2019, then 69.7 thousand in 2022. The number of projects selected for financing has also increased significantly. For example, the programs "Well-maintained Village" and "Well-Maintained Mahalla" have been implemented since 2022 through proactive budgeting based on public opinion.     
The portal also launched the project "Mening Yulim" ("My Road"), which allocates at least 50 percent of the funds planned for the repair of regional internal roads in district (city) budgets, taking into account the opinion of citizens. There is also a special Telegram bot @ochiqbudjetbot at the disposal of citizens, which helps to expand voting opportunities and creates additional amenities. Through the bot, citizens can vote for the project they are interested in. On the portal, it is also possible to track the status of financing of the winning applications online, including accounts opened for financing applications, allocated funds, receive information about their spending and balances, signed contracts and payment orders.       
The establishment of public control over the progress of the project plays a key role in achieving high results. Every year, the country determines the tasks of initiating and organizing monitoring of the implementation of planned reforms, in particular state programs, by public organizations.
Thus, public groups of independent monitoring and evaluation have been established in all regions, which are headed by the heads of regional divisions of the Yuksalish Public Movement. Their membership mainly includes representatives of civil society institutions, the business and expert community, and the mass media. Public groups prepare and publish annual alternative reports with assessments of the level of achievement of the goals defined in the Development Strategy and state programs. Public discussions are also held, as a result of which appropriate recommendations are developed to expand the range of projects to be agreed with citizens, including improving the mechanisms of the "Initiative Budget". 
Thus, through proactive budgeting and through an established system of monitoring its implementation, opportunities for solving social problems in the regions, improving legal literacy and civic engagement of people have expanded. 
As a result, Uzbekistan is gradually entering a new trajectory of development, when reforms take on an irreversible character, and their distinctive feature is a pronounced social orientation.