Digital environment: an Era of Change

As President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has repeatedly noted in his speeches, one of the main tasks of the consistent socio-economic development of Uzbekistan is the widespread introduction of ICT and digital technologies. This is exactly the sphere that represents an effective tool capable of ensuring high-quality reform of economic sectors and spheres of public life.
Digital transformation is one of the main trends in the development of modern states, changing the face of almost all spheres of the economy and social sphere. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit many sectors of the economy, but has contributed to the accelerated development of the IT industry. She also showed the importance of introducing information and communication and digital technologies into the work of government agencies, private enterprises, and public organizations.
The state is implementing digitalization in all its verticals. In particular, the data analysis system is effectively used in the executive branch. For example, the search for criminals is carried out using online cameras on the streets or sending appeals to the right authorities over the Internet. One of the main achievements of the introduction of ICT is the reduction of the amount of paperwork and bureaucracy when processing documents. Certificates and passports can be obtained online, and all data can be stored and updated there.
Today, the leadership of Uzbekistan is paying more and more attention to strengthening cooperation with foreign countries, in particular, in the direction of introducing innovations and advanced technologies. In this matter, it is impossible not to ignore the role and experience of the countries of the East, which demonstrate impressive GDP growth rates. Such participants of the region as China, India, Vietnam and not only, today act as the locomotive of the world economy. Japan and South Korea retain leadership in many areas of innovative and high-tech industries. Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand show exceptional achievements in exporting goods and services to world markets. And the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia are making serious progress in the field of alternative energy, innovative projects in the field of finance and space exploration.
All this is the result of a well-thought-out socio-economic policy. The Governments of the countries are developing and implementing in practice strategic programs of measures for the integrated development of all aspects of the economy and public life. Studying the experience of the countries of the East is of undoubted interest for Uzbekistan, which is currently engaged in solving similar problems.
2020 in our country has become fundamental in the adoption of documents that laid the regulatory foundation for further digital reforms. On April 28, the Presidential decree "On measures for the widespread introduction of the digital economy and e-government" was adopted. This document outlines a range of topical issues related to the widespread introduction of digital technologies into the work of domestic enterprises and public services, the training of IT specialists, comprehensive support for IT entrepreneurship and not only.
The logical continuation of these works was the Presidential Decree "On the approval of the Digital Uzbekistan - 2030 Strategy and measures for its effective implementation" dated October 5, 2020. According to the document, all state duties and fines are carried out using electronic payment systems online. In addition, over 400 information systems, electronic services and other software products are being implemented in various areas of socio-economic development of the regions.
The strategy "Digital Uzbekistan - 2030" provides for the approval of two programs (on digital transformation of regions and industries), as well as "roadmaps" for their implementation. Undoubtedly, this will ensure the most comprehensive coverage and effective implementation of the document, which includes such priority areas as the development of digital infrastructure, e-government, the national digital technology market, education and advanced training in the field.
It is also known that in accordance with the document for monitoring the state of digital transformation in the regions, a methodology for rating the digital development of territories has been developed, which allows for preliminary diagnostics of digitalization on the ground. Among the criteria are the use of the Internet in social institutions (preschool, schools, polyclinics), the introduction of educational and other systems and software products, the coverage of certified teachers in computer science, as well as school students within the framework of the "One million Programmers" project and the number of IT training centers.
Among the most important documents, it should be noted the decree of the head of state "On measures for the widespread introduction of digital technologies in the city of Tashkent" dated March 17, 2020. The comprehensive program "Digital Tashkent" approved by the document is aimed at the digital development of the capital of Uzbekistan.
The Development Strategy of the New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026, adopted on January 28, 2022, covers seven priority areas of reforms related to public administration, the rule of law, economic development, social policy, spiritual education, security, as well as pragmatic and active foreign policy.
The Development Strategy defines further digitalization of a number of important areas, such as public and social services, law enforcement agencies, traffic management and healthcare systems, banking and agricultural sectors, and not only.
In addition, it provides for the improvement of the electronic government of Uzbekistan and bringing the share of electronic public services to one hundred percent, the introduction of a Mobile ID system-identification of a person in their provision, the projects "Digital Passport of citizens" and "Digital Authority".
The e-Government Project Management Center together with the Ministry for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan is working on the implementation of the project "Digital Passport of Citizens".
As an experiment, from July 15, 2022 to December 1, 2023, government agencies, banks and other organizations do not require paper identity cards. In the future, instead of them, you can present their digital versions in a special OneID Mobile application, which will be legally equal to their physical counterparts.
At the first stage of the project implementation, it is planned to implement the system in the following areas:
• verification of documents for the right to use and drive vehicles;
• domestic flights;
• travel by rail within the country;
• registration of guests in hotels, sanatoriums, rest homes and other similar institutions;
• obtaining the services of mobile operators and Internet service providers;
• provision of public services in public service centers;
• provision of services of commercial banks and insurance companies;
• receiving medical services;
• providing access to students in higher education systems.
In addition to a passport or ID card of a citizen of the Republic of Uzbekistan, users of the service can manage digital documents such as a driver's license, vehicle registration certificates, marriage and birth, student ID, coronavirus vaccination certificate and more.
The service also provides functions to share digital copies, send a technical passport to a trusted person for use for a certain time, provide document data to service providers and much more.
Digital government is the locomotive of the economy
One of the main directions of the development of the state is the use of digital technologies to improve the work of state and economic management bodies, the formation of an effective mechanism of interaction between the government and the population. These tasks are carried out through the development of the e-government system. Large-scale reforms in the public sector cover all spheres of activity without exception with the broad involvement of ministries and departments.
The most important role in the development of the e-government system is assigned to the Unified Portal of Interactive Public Services (EPIGU), thanks to which a wide range of services for the population is provided. Today, with its help, you can get more than 320 types of public services. For the convenience of citizens there is also a mobile version my.gov.uz , where there are over a hundred types of public services.
By 2026, the number of types of services on the portal is planned to increase to 610, and in the mobile version - to 300. It is important to emphasize: share my.gov.uz the total volume of electronic public services is actively growing - from 26 percent in 2019 to 54 percent in 2021.
In addition, a Unified OneID Identification System has been introduced, where more than 20 percent of the population is registered. With its help, citizens get access to various electronic resources of the government, including the system for issuing ID cards with automatic creation of the owner's account. Also, a unified billing system of public services is successfully functioning, allowing citizens to pay for services in the areas of housing and communal services, healthcare, construction, education and not only. By the end of 2021, the number of such payments exceeded 20 million.
One of the priority tasks in the framework of the development of the e-government system is the creation of an effective mechanism of interaction between the government and the population with the widespread use of digital technologies.
A number of important projects aimed at developing public dialogue between citizens and the Government have been implemented: The virtual reception room of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for citizens' appeals on any issues, the Virtual reception room of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the consideration of entrepreneurs' appeals, the portal of collective appeals "Mening fikrim" ("My opinion"), the system for assessing the impact of legislative acts (SOVAZ).
The reforms in the field of e-government have been highly appreciated by the international community. For example, in the Open Data Inventory ranking, Uzbekistan ranked 45th in the world, becoming the leader in Central Asia. In turn, in the E-Participation Index, Uzbekistan improved its position by 13 points, rising to 46th place and being in the group of countries with a very high EPI.
The future belongs to IT personnel
One of the most important directions of Uzbekistan's digital development is the education of IT specialists, who are required in almost all sectors of the economy. The first and important condition is the creation of a comprehensive system of continuous training of IT personnel within the framework of school, secondary specialized and higher education.
It is important to note that more than 60 percent of the population of Uzbekistan is young people. Therefore, one of the most important tasks is its involvement in modern digitalization processes, providing young men and women with work by supporting the creation of software products and the provision of outsourcing IT services.
The foundation of school IT education was laid with the creation of a Specialized school for in-depth study of subjects in the field of information and communication technologies named after Muhammad al-Khorazmiy. The modern building of the educational institution meets the latest technological requirements, where advanced teaching methods are used with the involvement of qualified foreign and domestic specialists. The school has been taught since the 5th grade.
Students' interest in IT is constantly growing. To this end, the Presidential decree "On measures to further improve the education system in the field of information technology, development and integration of scientific research with the IT industry" was adopted on October 6, 2020, according to which 14 specialized basic schools with in-depth study of computer science and information technology were created.
In turn, the school curriculum is enriched with relevant ICT directions. Thus, the subject "Computer Science", taught since the 5th grade, has been supplemented with disciplines from the project "One million Programmers". And starting from the 8th and 9th grades, students can learn programming and design, from the 10th - robotics.
The strengthening of the position of youth in society is explained by the fact that Uzbekistan has begun to confidently join the international community, and such integration is always accompanied by the need for specialists with advanced knowledge in their field.
One of the most ambitious educational initiatives in support of youth in recent years has been the project "One Million Programmers", launched in Uzbekistan in November 2019. The megaproject plays an important role in raising the educational level among the population and youth in the field of ICT, in the extensive training of IT specialists.
Moreover, the implementation of the project went beyond the training program for the IT sector. Today it is a whole community of like-minded people who actively interact: share ideas and developments, exchange experience. The project makes a significant contribution to the achievement of the main goals - the development of a modern profile ecosystem, the education of competitive specialists capable of creating innovative startup projects that qualitatively change the life of society.
The Technology Park of Software Products and Information Technologies, opened in 2019, plays an important role in supporting IT specialists. The initiative to create an IT Park was put forward by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his first visit to the Republic of India.
IT Park is a complex of facilities, buildings and structures designed to ensure the launch and launch of promising startup projects on the market (including through integration with scientific and educational institutions). This is an extraterritorial free economic zone, where active and talented representatives of the sphere get a real chance to transform ideas into real business projects through accounting, legal, marketing and educational support.
In order to further develop this direction, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting with young programmers, managers and employees of companies in the field of IT and communications on July 29 at the Astrum IT Academy in the Yukorichirchik district of the Tashkent region.
At the beginning of his speech, the head of state spoke about Uzbekistan's achievements in the IT sector over the past five years. In particular, during this time, the industry received $ 2 billion in investments, including 700 million direct. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed confidence that this industry can be brought to a higher level if appropriate attention is paid to young people.
Digital technology training centers also contribute to the training of IT specialists. These IT centers are being created in accordance with the third of five important initiatives (organization of effective use of computer technologies and the Internet by the population and youth) put forward by the head of state. In them, young people learn the basics of web programming, computer design, mobile technologies, robotics. At the same time, managers and employees of local executive authorities, state and economic management bodies improve their skills in the field of ICT.
In order to support girls and women and create the necessary conditions for them to master relevant professions, special IT courses have been organized - TESVIKA and ITWomen.Uz .
Benefits for IT entrepreneurs
The full development of the market is impossible without the active participation of the private sector. In this connection, the leadership of Uzbekistan supports IT entrepreneurship. A huge contribution in this direction is made by the IT Park, during the creation of which the foreign experience of conditions for IT business has been studied.
IT Park provides its residents with legal, organizational, and marketing assistance. In addition, they are exempt from all taxes and mandatory contributions to state trust funds until January 1, 2028, as well as from one-time social payments. In addition, they are provided with modern office space, laboratories, coworking areas, conference rooms. Thus, according to the results of the first half of 2022, the export volume of IT Park residents increased fourfold compared to the corresponding period last year and amounted to about $ 50 million.
In order to create even greater amenities for foreign IT companies and IT specialists, from April 1, 2022, Uzbekistan began issuing an IT Visa, which allows you to freely enter and stay in the country, obtain a residence permit in a simplified manner, and also grants equal social rights with citizens of the republic.
IT Park has also launched the TashRush program, under which foreign companies and IT specialists are provided with services for opening legal entities (on the principle of OneStopShop), finding offices, recruiting staff, and IT specialists are assisted in adaptation and employment in IT Park resident companies.
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The development of the IT sector and the digital economy in Uzbekistan is among the main tasks. Due attention is paid to the improvement of the sphere producing high-tech goods and services. In addition, in conditions of fierce competition in the world markets, ICTs can safely act as a locomotive for further sustainable development and diversification of the national economy, increasing its competitiveness.