President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attends a meeting of the National Council for Combating Corruption. The meeting analysed the work done so far to create a corruption-free environment and set further goals.
In her speech, the Head of State said that corruption was a serious obstacle to the implementation of reforms. In recent years, laws have been adopted in this regard and a new system has been set up to combat this evil. Responsible committees have been set up in the parliamentary chambers, and a National Council and an Anti-Corruption Agency have been established.
Particular attention is paid to creating conditions in which the public can openly raise and discuss the problem of corruption. The role and influence of the media in this area is also being increased.
In particular, measures are being taken to address the causes of corruption. For example, the abolition of land allocation by chokin (local leaders) and the move to an auction system has made the process more transparent. The 'Shaffof Kurilish' ('Transparent Construction') programme has also brought positive changes.
Significant achievements thanks to digitalisation and transparency
The adoption of the Public Procurement Law, the digitisation of the electoral and tendering system, as well as the introduction of healthy competition, enabled savings of 14 trillion from the state budget last year.
Today, all banks provide consumer loans of up to 100 million sums online within five minutes without human intervention. Thousands of bankers who used to process applications are now working directly in the mahalla (local communities) to offer projects and credit programmes, helping to grow the customer base.
In the pre-school and school education system, more than 10 types of services have been fully converted to electronic form, resulting in a 2.5-fold reduction in the number of applications.
The higher education system has also been digitised: a system of testing and selection of universities based on results has been introduced, and the automated issuing of 35 types of documents has reduced the number of applications by 2.2 times.
The use of body cameras by traffic police, the sale of registration plates through auctions and the abolition of paper logs have significantly reduced corruption factors.
Services for residents and businesses are organised according to the principle of "the state serves the people": 120 types of documents and more than 160 licences and permits have been abolished. This has led to the creation of almost 200 000 new businesses and the number of foreign-owned enterprises has almost multiplied back to 23 000.
The number of e-public services increased 15 times to 721 and the number of users exceeded 11 million.
Most importantly, these measures have strengthened the confidence of the population, business, foreign partners, international organisations and investors in the ongoing reforms. Over the past seven years, more than $120 billion in investment has been attracted and the country's economy has doubled, reaching $115 billion last year.
The President stressed that the fight against corruption is a continuous process and outlined the current problems and future challenges in this area.
It was noted that law enforcement authorities focus primarily on detecting and punishing corruption offences, while insufficient attention is paid to preventive measures.
New measures and a call for a society-wide struggle
In this context, it was decided to change the working methodology of the Anti-Corruption Agency. On a pilot basis, compliance control in five institutions - the Ministries of Health, Construction, Water Management and the joint stock companies Uzbekneftegaz and Uzsuvtaminot - will be transferred to the Agency.
An in-depth analysis of internal and systemic corruption factors will also be conducted at the district level, based on which specific measures will be developed and submitted to the National Council.
It has been reported that 75 % of corruption crimes are in the form of internal corruption in districts and mahallas. Therefore, the composition of the regional anti-corruption councils will be completely revamped. The chairpersons of these councils will be the chairpersons of the regional councils of people's deputies.
The Regional Councils will propose to the National Council amendments to legislation aimed at removing corruption factors and ensuring that punishment is unavoidable.
Eight years ago, a system of sectors for integrated territorial development was introduced. It has contributed to solving socio-economic problems and the potential of the regions has increased significantly in recent years.
In this context, it has been decided that prosecutors, heads of internal affairs and tax authorities will no longer participate in the activities of these sectors. Additional tasks have been set in the area of crime prevention and combating.
Special attention is paid to the prevention of corruption in public procurement. An expert commission will be set up for this purpose. Based on best practices, an electronic platform will be set up to monitor the prices of goods and services purchased through public procurement, which must not exceed the average market price by more than 20 %. Penalties and fines will be introduced for breaches of this requirement.
The requirements for the purchase of fixed assets from budgetary and extra-budgetary funds will also be tightened. Domestic transport and furniture will be prioritised for government purchases and high anti-corruption standards will be introduced for major projects.
The fight against corruption begins with the selection of professional and dedicated personnel for the civil service. In this context, it has been ordered to improve the procedures for recruiting and evaluating candidates.
The need for a law on the declaration of income of civil servants was emphasised. A draft of this law will be submitted for public discussion.
The importance of inculcating ideas of integrity in educational institutions was emphasized in order to raise a new generation that does not tolerate corruption and to encourage initiatives by young people.
The President addressed the public saying that the fight against corruption is a national task and a matter of conscience for every patriot of the country:
"If we join forces, we will achieve significant positive results. That is why Mahalla activists, the older generation, intellectuals, writers and poets, art and culture workers, businessmen, celebrities, leaders, MPs and senators - the entire public - should unite and consider corruption as a 'plague on society'."
During the meeting, a dialogue was held with members of parliament, government representatives and members of the public.
This was the first time the event was held in such a format, demonstrating the strong political will to fight corruption.
The Head of State presented 55 concrete initiatives, including the drafting of 5 laws, 12 presidential decrees and resolutions, and strengthening the role of Parliament, national and regional councils and civil society institutions in the fight against corruption.
The legal basis for the fight against corruption will be strengthened: the introduction of an income declaration system and procedures to prevent illicit enrichment will reduce corruption factors. The work of the Anti-Corruption Agency and internal control structures in organisations will be strengthened.
The responsibility of heads of ministries and institutions to prevent internal corruption will be increased. A system of public evaluation of the quality of public services will be introduced and strict action will be taken against the worst-performing managers.
The independence of audit inspections will be strengthened and corruption prevention mechanisms will be introduced in investment projects and auctions.
By streamlining the public procurement system and reducing direct purchases, savings will be made in the state budget and abuse of public funds will be prevented.
The freed-up resources will be mobilised to fight crime, leading to greater stability in society and increased public confidence. Strengthened prosecutorial oversight of illegal controls will contribute to improving the business and investment climate in the regions.
The results achieved will improve our country's position in international rankings and by 2027 the conditions will be created for Uzbekistan's candidacy for the UNCAC (United Nations Convention Against Corruption) conference.
Most importantly, it will raise the legal awareness of the population, especially the younger generation, and create a sense of shared responsibility in society for the fight against corruption.
Uzbek National News Agency - UzA
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