A High-Speed Route

The national rail carrier Uzbekistan Railways has vowed the launch of regular high-speed route Tashkent-Bukhara.

“As of September 15, the high-speed train Afrosiab №762/761 will run between Tashkent and Bukhara daily. The train will depart from the capital at 8.00 am and arrive in Bukhara at 11.47. On its way back, it will depart at 3.21 pm and arrive in Tashkent at 7.10 pm,” reported Uzbekistan Railways.

Passengers will overcome more than 600 kilometers between Tashkent and Bukhara in approximately 3 hours 47 minutes. The construction of the new high-speed way totaled to more than $400 million.

(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

 

 

International cooperation

Session of intergovernmental commission

The 12th session of the Uzbek-Turkmen joint commission for trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation has taken place in Tashkent’s international business centre.

The event was attended by heads of the two countries’ ministries and departments responsible for the sphere of external economic relations, trade, industry, oil and gas, energy, agriculture, textile, science and technology, transport and transportation links, customs and culture.

The minister of foreign economic relations, investment and trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan and a co-chairman of the commission, Elyor Ganiyev, especially noted the consistent development of trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

As a result of regular dialogue between the first President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, and the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, a treaty-fixed legal basis was created for cooperation between the two countries. Today it serves to develop bilateral relations in such spheres as trade, the economic sphere, the fuel and energy sector, transport, agriculture, science and culture as well as tourism.

Vehicles, mineral fertilizers, agricultural produce, building materials, electrical and mechanical equipment as well as services in various spheres are exported from Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan. Oil products, polypropylene polymers and other chemical products are brought from Turkmenistan into Uzbekistan.

According to results of the year 2015, the volume of the two countries’ mutual trade amounted to about 320 million dollars, and in January-August this year - 177 million dollars.

It was emphasized at the session that despite the ongoing global financial-economic crisis and volatility on world markets, there were still positive trends for the further strengthening of the cooperation and the raising of mutual trade between the two countries.

Roads and railways of the two countries are effectively interlinked. This as well as the creation of favourable conditions for mutual trade also perform a transit function for third states.

It was noted that the provision of additional privileges for this sphere and the lowering of transit tariffs would help to raise export volumes.

“Like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan also sees it main aim in providing for the people’s interests and raising their wellbeing. Our countries have great potential for that. We can offer each other a wide range and spectrum of goods and services. We intend to effectively use these opportunities and further develop bilateral relations with Uzbekistan in such spheres as the economic sphere, industry, the fuel and energy sector, agriculture, transport and transportation links,” says Dawran Orasmyradow, the minister of trade and external economic relations of Turkmenistan and a co-chairman of the commission.

At the session of the commission, there was discussion of issues of further increasing the volume of trade between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan while keeping its growing dynamic, the diversification of trade-economic relations and the expansion of the export-import product mix.

Special attention was paid to issues of jointly drawing up and implementing projects, establishing more joint ventures and developing business contacts between entrepreneurs.

As a result of the session of the joint commission, an appropriate document was signed.

Members of Turkmenistan’s delegation familiarized themselves with the work of a number of industrial enterprises in Uzbekistan.

(Source: UzA)

 

 

Society

The younger generation of Uzbekistan: Well-Being and Happiness of the Country

The people of Uzbekistan pin hopes on the younger generation. If you ask any of our compatriots about the meaning of life, they will reply without hesitations: seeing the happiness and well-being of their children.

It stands to reason why the first order of Uzbekistan was named ‘Soglom Avlod Uchun’ (For a Healthy Generation), and a monument to a mother and child stands on Independence Square. It is not easy to find a country in the world where people treat children so kindly, love and praise them infinitely.

The government has been paying close attention to the upbringing of healthy and comprehensively advanced generation.  The state youth policy ranks among priorities. Every step in this direction is supported by the population, causing excitement among the people.

There is a strong legislative foundation for the youth policy. The Law ‘On state youth policy in the Republic of Uzbekistan’ of November 20, 1991 was among the first laws adopted after gaining independence.

The issues of comprehensive protection of the interests of young people are reflected in the Constitution of Uzbekistan, 22 laws, many decrees and resolutions of the President and the Cabinet of Ministers. Uzbekistan ratified more than 30 international acts aimed at protecting the rights and interests of the younger generation.

Despite socio-economic difficulties, the improvement of the nation’s gene pool and education of harmoniously developed generation has been a priority from the first years of independence. The idea of healthy and well-educated young people as a foundation of the great state was put forward yet in those early days.

Over the years, the leadership created appropriate conditions for the children to be born and grow up healthy, get quality and up-to-date education, and established themselves as  worthy members of society. Reforms on mother and child protection, strengthening of social protection, improvement of education, children's sports development were successfully implemented. They complemented each other, building a coherent and inseparable system. Today, modern medical centers, educational institutions, sports facilities and youth palaces contribute to the upbringing of young people healthy and harmoniously developed personalities.

The concept of ‘state youth policy’ has been increasingly heard of late. It was defined in the recently approved law ‘On state youth policy’ in the new edition, which is another clear proof of close attention to young people. The act reflects a system of socio-economic, organizational and legal measures that are implemented by the state and provide for the creation of conditions for social establishment and development of intellectual, creative and other capacities in young people.

The new legal act was built on the law of 1991 and under the national program The Year of  Mother and Child Health to further streamline the mechanisms of formation and implementation of youth policy. The unified legislative act is aimed at a unified interpretation and targeted effect of the regulations, and clear definition of concepts of ‘youth’, ‘young family’, ‘young specialist’, ‘youth entrepreneurship’. It also settles the mechanisms aimed at streamlining the state youth policy, and stipulates government guarantees for young people.

The policy priorities include ensuring of social, economic, political and other rights and interests of children and young people, affordable and quality education for the younger generation, promotion of physical, intellectual and moral development, creation of conditions for employment, education in the spirit of respect for the laws, national and universal values, promotion of healthy lifestyle, development of sports and more.

The act specifies the mission and powers of central and local state youth policy makers and institutions, and their responsibility. The implementation of the provisions on involvement of public and particularly youth organizations, local authorities and the media in the youth policy is important because education of the younger generation is seen as a common concern of the state and society.

Support and encouragement of youth initiatives, priority of spiritual, moral and cultural values, prevention of discrimination of young people rank among main principles of the policy. It focuses on ensuring the rights, freedoms and lawful interests of young people, protection of their life and health, teaching them to withstand harmful influences and movements, and cultivating strong beliefs and outlooks.

The new law will provide a legal basis for further work on guaranteeing the rights and interests of young people, creation of conditions and opportunities for full-fledged and happy life, implementation of their creative and intellectual capacity, education of comprehensively developed personalities who fully meet the requirements of the 21st century.

2016 was declared the Year of Mother and Child Health in Uzbekistan. A healthy child is obviously born in a healthy and happy family, by a healthy mother. Tested by time, this truth is getting filled with deep content and a large-scale work.

Prospective spouses pass a procedure of pre-marital medical examination. Rural health units in all regions, regional diversified hospitals, perinatal and screening centers, gynecological and maternity hospitals provide women with qualified medical services. Adolescent girls and women of reproductive age are provided with free medical examination. Regular enlightenment activities improve their health culture, and promote healthy lifestyles.

As a result of abovementioned measures, Uzbekistan has significantly reduced the level of maternal and infant mortality, preventing hereditary diseases and congenital malformations. The incidence of acute respiratory viral infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, scoliosis has been decreasing in children. Weight and growth indicators in boys and girls comply with World Health Organization standards.

Development of children's sports has become another important component of raising a healthy generation. More than 2 million children are regularly engaged in 30 kinds of sports in modern sports complexes in all regions of the country, including remote villages. The involvement of girls in sports as future mothers, and strengthening of their health is of special attention.

Modern standard design houses that are currently being built in rural areas have been improving the conditions and quality of life of families, facilitating the life of women. As a result, they spend more time for themselves, their health and children. The younger generation is growing up healthy and with broad outlook in comfortable houses and modern conditions.

The policy has been producing a visible effect on health and development of our children.

Health implies not only physical but also intellectual perfection. In this context, the role of mothers is just boundless, as they spend the bulk of their time with children. A mother needs to be educated if she wants to raise polymathic personalities. Therefore, Uzbekistan has been attaching great importance to the education of girls, and providing them with up-to-date specialties.

In context of the youth policy, it would be appropriate to mention the Public Youth Movement Kamolot as one of the country’s largest nongovernmental organizations. It brings together about 5 million boys and girls. Annually, it initiates hundreds of projects on catalyzing social activity of youth. Such an approach promotes the establishment of politically competent, ideologically mature, and highly spiritual young men and women who are protected against alien ideological forces.

Three years ago, Kamolot kicked off a unique project of youth festival ‘We are the children of a great country!’. In a short time, the initiative has turned into a powerful nationa-wide movement. Youth festivals on March-June in all regions of Uzbekistan were dedicated to the 25th anniversary of independence.

As part of the project, young men and women were introduced to ongoing socio-political and socio-economic reforms and democratic transformations in Uzbekistan, realized the importance of favorable conditions that had been created for each of them.

The republican advocacy group, which was involved in youth festivals, included people of different ages and professions - MPs, researchers, athletes, entrepreneurs, farmers, poets and writers, actors of theater and cinema, pop and opera singers, musicians and artists. Most of them have a rich background of achievements in their profession. The rest are coevals of independence who have made a progress, which is worthy of admiration. They have witnessed changes in the minds of thousands of people, especially young people, the transformations in regions over the years of independence.

The tour of this year’s youth festival ‘We are the children of a great country’ has left a bright trace from Karakalpakstan to the Ferghana Valley. The participants held nearly 1,500 events in different parts of the country, awakening a sense of pride for the beloved homeland in the hearts of young men and women.

Provision of young families with apartments in Kamolot houses is another important project of the youth organization. A husband and a wife under 30 at the moment of submission of application have a right for such an accommodation on the basis of mortgage loans if they are registered as subject to the improvement of housing conditions, and made big progress in science, art, literature, sport and other areas.

Apartments are available through preferential mortgage loans of commercial banks to repay the cost of housing for a period of 20 years, and loans of five year grace period, without initial payment, and the interest rate equal to the refinancing rate of the Central Bank, which expand the capacity of young families for prompt repayment of loans.

The newlyweds are provided with double-room apartments, and families with two or more children – with two-bedroom apartments. This is a motivation for strengthening and further expansion of young families.

There are many similar projects. The number of projects implemented in the social and legal area alone has increased fivefold, and the number of their participants has increased by eight times over the past five years.

Civil society institutions, including self-government bodies, have been actively involved in the implementation of youth policy along with government agencies. It is the mahalla, like one big family, tirelessly cares for bringing children up healthy and smart.

Public commissions under citizens' assemblies make a big contribution to this work. For instance, commissions on education and spirituality promote careful preservation and enhancement of cultural values, and cultivation of the best human qualities of love and devotion to the homeland in young people. The local commissions on minors, youth and sports create conditions for strengthening health of young people and their regular exercise, prevention of offenses.

The contribution of commissions on women issues is remarkable: they initiate events on provision of girls with education and profession, future mother’s health, raising children.

Parent Universities under citizens’ assemblies provide consulting for young mothers and fathers by psychologists, doctors, lawyers and other professionals, and reputable residents of local communities with a wealth of life experience. They team up with medical institutions for regular medical check-ups of women, children and adolescents. Public groups Mahalla Posboni help with patriotic education and crime prevention. There is a system-based monitoring of employment of graduates of vocational colleges. The issues of their employment are effectively addressed through their involvement in entrepreneurship.

Consultants of citizens' assemblies on religious, spiritual and moral education keep close contacts with educational institutions, healthcare institutions, nongovernmental organizations. Meetings and seminars with different experts have grown into a good platform for exchanging experience in rehabilitation of social and spiritual atmosphere in families, preparation of young people for family life.

The unique mechanism of interaction ‘family - mahalla - educational institution’ is highly relevant. It is called to streamline the performance of the three basic institutions and strengthen cooperation between them, which requires good knowledge and professionalism.

Workshops on ‘Priority aspects of implementation of the mechanism ‘family - mahalla - educational institution’ are held in all regions of the country for representatives of governmental and public organizations that are engaged in education.

Manuals and guidelines on further strengthening of the role of parents in children's development make the work more effective. Specialists hold regular educational conversations with parents and students on ‘Raising a child is a fruit of the Future’, ‘Family as a sacred concept’, ‘The spiritual unity of the mahalla and family’, and others.

During such events, activists of citizens’ assemblies, teachers and parents together discuss the ways of improving quality of education at schools, enhancement of children’s interest in classes, cultivation of healthy lifestyles in them, crime prevention, addictions, protection of teenagers from the influence of the mass culture, which is alien to the Uzbek mentality, and other relevant topics. The performance and behavior of students is constantly monitored.

... Education of harmoniously developed generation is a continuous process. It requires constant implementation of a broad range of tasks, close attention and responsibility of each person, each family, the whole society, and huge funds for the implementation of the state youth policy, which are spared by the government.

Uzbekistan has many reasons for being proud of its young people with firm convictions and active civic position, devoted to the Motherland. One can not but be proud of, for example, our Olympians and Paralympians who brought an unprecedented ‘harvest’ of medals from Rio de Janeiro, and raised high the prestige of the Uzbek sports. One can not but be proud of our students, who win subject Olympiads each year, suggesting the uniqueness of the National Staff Training Program, which already produces an ‘explosive’ effect, our young artists, as they demonstrate the value of the national culture at home and abroad.

Today’s boys and girls are the children of independence. They set high goals for themselves, they are responsible and implicated in the fate of the homeland, and see service for the benefit of its prosperity as a sacred duty. Each of them believes that he is the son or daughter of a great country.

It is worth to refer to the results of sociological survey of Ijtimoiy Fikr Center, as it identified life priorities in present young people. Its main idea comes to the fact that the absolute majority of young men and women see themselves as patriots of Uzbekistan. Selfless service to the Motherland and readiness to defend it, promotion of people’s fame and value of national traditions, study of the heritage of our great ancestors, history of the native land and works of the state leader are highly relevant among the youth.

The study revealed high optimism in young people, clear plans for the future, which are associated with the desire to become good specialists and serve to the fatherland, as well as with the creation of a family.

The people who have grown the younger generation with such qualities can look with confidence to the future.

(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)