“Civil Society Week” has started in Tashkent

At the Youth Creativity Palace, the “Civil Society Week” has begun — a dialogue platform for analyzing the work carried out in the field of civil society institutions, as well as for preparing proposals for the further development of this sector, reports the Dunyo News Agency.

It should be noted that Presidential Decree No. 124 of 26 August 2024, “On Measures to Further Improve the System of State Support for Civil Society Institutions,” established the annual Civil Society Week to be held in the first week of December. The events are attended by representatives of Parliament, government bodies, civil society institutions, and international experts. Initially, meetings were organized in all regions of the country with the participation of more than 1,500 representatives of civil society institutions. Based on the selected proposals and initiatives, the program was launched in the capital.

In recent years, a new stage of development has begun for civil society institutions in the country. The new edition of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, adopted in 2023, for the first time includes a separate chapter dedicated to civil society institutions. It establishes that the foundation of civil society consists of public associations, other non-governmental non-profit organizations, citizens’ self-governance bodies, and the mass media.

This year, around twenty regulatory legal documents related to this sector have been adopted. The Law “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan,” dated 21 August 2025, introduced amendments and additions to ten laws regulating the activities of civil society institutions. The Uzbekistan–2030 Strategy, the Civil Society Development Concept for 2021–2025, and the decree of 26 August 2024 serve the implementation of dynamic reforms aimed at building a free and strong civil society in the New Uzbekistan.

A new system for supporting initiatives and projects of civil society institutions has been established, based on the principles of transparency and fair competition. The Public Fund for Support of Civil Society Institutions under the Oliy Majlis has been reorganized. A Parliamentary Commission for managing the Fund’s resources has begun its work, consisting of eight members of the Senate and eight deputies of the Legislative Chamber.

Starting this year, members of the Parliamentary Commission, together with deputies of local Kengashes, hold meetings with the population, study issues in the social sphere and mahallas, after which they announce competitions for state grants and social orders aimed at addressing these issues. Only this year, 1 trillion 200 billion soums have been allocated to support civil society institutions.

Civil society institutions participate in monitoring and implementing strategic documents and state programs, as well as carrying out projects aimed at solving social problems in the regions. Improving the effectiveness of their work largely depends on human capacity. Between 2021 and 2025, 750 employees of non-governmental non-profit organizations completed advanced training at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

A special nomination dedicated to covering the activities of civil society institutions has been introduced in the international competition for the national “Oltin Qalam” (Golden Pen) Award. A system has been established aimed at strengthening the role of these institutions in the development of the country, as well as expanding their cooperation with public authorities.

As part of the Week, a national forum of non-governmental non-profit organizations, a fair of products made by persons with disabilities, meetings and dialogues with the leadership of the chambers of the Oliy Majlis and the Ministry of Justice, an international conference, various campaigns, as well as an award ceremony presenting the badge “For Contribution to the Development of Civil Society,” the national award “Civil Initiative,” and the prize “Best State Body Contributing to the Development of Civil Society” will be held.

In addition, the “Targeted Projects” campaign is being implemented to finance important initiatives of non-governmental non-profit organizations and to exchange views on expanding the implementation of socially significant projects.

According to participants, the Week, which will continue until 5 December, plays an important role as a platform for forming effective mechanisms of interaction between government bodies and civil society institutions, assessing the needs of non-governmental non-profit organizations, and discussing promising initiatives aimed at the further development of the state and society.