To form an intolerant attitude towards corruption

The international non-governmental organization Transparency International has announced the results of the Corruption Perception Index for 2022. Our country with 31 points took the 126th place among 180 countries in it and, having increased the number of points by three, was able to improve its position by 14 lines (in 2021 - 140th place). Uzbekistan, as a state showing growth rates in this index over the past six years, is noted among the countries of Eastern Europe and the Central Asian region systematically implementing anti-corruption reforms. This growth is a positive result of work in the field of anti-corruption. 

Despite this, in order to improve our position in the rating and, in general, to eradicate corruption in society, we need to accelerate work on streamlining lobbying, monopoly and conflict of interests, eliminating such vices as nepotism, illegal enrichment, abuse of power and favoritism. 
What is the opinion of the experts?
Grigory Mashanov, co-author of the report on the assessment of the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption in Uzbekistan, notes: "The leadership of Uzbekistan consistently continues reforms to combat corruption. Although there are problems, the government has implemented a number of measures to digitalize public services, improve licensing procedures, simplify rules and procedures to combat domestic corruption." 
Currently, no State is free from corruption. And if you don't fight it, it will inevitably lead to terrible consequences. The UN Development Program stressed that the world economy is losing 2.6 trillion dollars a year due to this phenomenon and the effect can only be achieved by jointly fighting this evil, which has become the most dangerous enemy of the development of society.
No State can boast of its eradication. Even the developed countries of Europe have not got rid of it completely. 
As stated in the joint report prepared by the European Anti-Corruption Agency and the Directorate of Justice of the European Union, the corruption situation in the EU countries is of concern. If earlier the amount of funds stolen from European funds amounted to millions of euros, now this figure is estimated in billions. EU countries annually lose 323 billion euros precisely because of corruption. 
The situation with corruption in the world requires States to wage an irreconcilable fight against this evil. This problem and its consequences lead to inefficiency and the fall of the economy. Therefore, strengthening the capacity of the court, the Prosecutor's office and law enforcement agencies in the fight against corruption, improving the legal mechanisms of the sphere, active cooperation with national organizations for the protection of human rights and civil society institutions are priorities. 
Corruption is an enemy of the market economy, a merciless obstacle to the development of business, investment, bilateral and multilateral cooperation between states. It seems that the reason for the reduction of foreign investment in countries with a high level of corruption should also be sought in this dangerous vice. The problem is deepening, the coverage areas and the scale of this "disease" are also expanding, its level is increasing — the acute question "what to do?" arises.
Bribery in every way hinders the development of society, in particular, the process of democratic renewal and modernization. Corruption, firstly, leads to injustice, inequality and discontent of the population in society, and this cannot but have a negative impact on the results of reforms in all spheres; secondly, the lack of legal consciousness and legal culture among citizens, the inability to protect their rights increase the risk of violating the criterion of justice in society; thirdly, although political institutions and public organizations are formally similar to democratic criteria and Western models, in fact they lag behind the requirements of the time, and such a lack hinders progress. 
The difficulty of countering bribery also lies in the fact that it is connected with human consciousness and worldview. We have not yet fully activated a hierarchy system that works firmly from top to bottom, similar to the systems of China and Singapore. And this natural process cannot be slowed down.
The commission by civil servants of crimes related to bribery, abuse of official powers, causes a decrease in the authority of the government, causing damage to the political, economic, and legal systems of the state. In other words, corruption in the state leads to an economic and spiritual crisis, a decline in its influence in the international arena.
In Uzbekistan, in recent years, anti-corruption has been elevated to the rank of state policy. An Openness Index has been introduced, aimed at assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of transparency in the work of state bodies and organizations. Serious attention is also paid to improving the legal foundations of the sphere. The country has developed drafts of 24 regulatory legal acts designed to improve the effectiveness of the fight against corruption. The Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Combating Corruption" has been adopted. At the initiative of the President, the "Electronic Government" system is widely used. 
Its implementation and wide use of opportunities is the most effective means. Countries such as the United States, Great Britain, Sweden, Singapore, Norway, and South Korea have achieved high results in the fight against corruption precisely by creating such a system. From the experience of these countries, it can be concluded that its implementation will greatly help in ensuring the openness of the activities of public administration bodies. 
Along with this, the effectiveness of the fight against corruption depends on the growth of legal consciousness and legal culture. 
Chapter 3 of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Combating Corruption" is called "Raising legal awareness and legal culture in the field of combating corruption." It identifies priority tasks: raising the legal consciousness and legal culture of the population, the formation of an intolerant attitude towards corruption in society; improving the legal literacy of employees of state bodies and other organizations; training and education in the field of combating corruption in educational institutions. 
Recently, positive changes in the fight against corruption have taken place in the higher education system. Important factors in this were such measures as the organization of admission to higher educational institutions starting in 2018 in an atmosphere of transparency and on the basis of fairness, the transition of the educational process to a credit-modular system, an increase in the salaries of professors and teachers. 
As a teacher and a scientist who has been working in the higher education system for many years, I want to say that the importance of education in the fight against corruption is closely linked to the need for the younger generation to form a civil position against this evil. We must convey the idea that corruption and bribery are the worst vices of society. Now the concept has formed in the minds of young people that bribery and extortion in society cannot be defeated. If we do not change this, if we do not conduct extensive educational and explanatory work on the fact that corruption leads to the collapse of society and the lagging economy, it will be difficult to achieve the goal. 
We are obliged to bring to the consciousness of young people the idea that salvation lies in science and education, that it is they who call for good deeds and protect from bad deeds. It is also necessary to identify measures for quality education at all stages of social sciences, which contribute to the formation of the worldview of young people. This approach is one of the important factors in the fight against corruption. It is the social sciences that are the best means of mental and spiritual education of young people. 
As long as we look indifferently at the vice that hinders the development of any country, leading it to fall, we cannot completely free ourselves from it. So, first of all, each of us must change. Only then will it be possible to achieve results. 

Gafurjan Mukhamedov,
Rector of Chirchik State Pedagogical University, Professor, Honored Scientist of the Republic of Uzbekistan.