INFORMATION DIGEST OF PRESS OF UZBEKISTAN # 4

January 5, 2017

EXPORT
Uzagroeksport has signed contract with the Belarusian Startfruit for the supply of peanuts

SOCIETY
The Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan has carried out much work in 2016 on the improvement of the ecological legislation, fulfillment of the State programs and decisions on the protection of the environment and the health of the population, rational use of natural resources, improvement of the system of environmental training and education, and in further involvement of the population into the nature protection activities

EDUCATION
Implementation gets started of the State program to further improve the activity of children’s music and art schools in 2016 - 2020

EXPORT

Uzagroeksport has signed contract with the Belarusian Startfruit for the supply of peanuts
The first deliveries of Uzbek peanuts to Belarus will start in January. In the future, the parties intend to expand the range and increase the volume of fruit and vegetables supplies.
Prior to signing the contract, the sides scrupulously elaborated on product price and quality specifications. Representatives of the Belarusian company visited the regions of Uzbekistan to assess the quality of locally produced peanuts, got acquainted with potential suppliers. In particular, they visited farms and distribution centers in Surkhandarya, Kashkadarya and Namangan regions.
Following the visit, the Belarusian side expressed the willingness to cooperate in the long term with peanut producers from Uzbekistan.
Most of the Uzbek products will be delivered to the Startfruit factory for roasting nuts and seeds. To date, it is capable of processing from 2 to 5 million tons of peanuts per year.
In ten months of 2016, Uzbekistan exported almost 700,000 tons of agricultural products. The indicator is expected to reach the estimated one million tons by the end of the current year.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

SOCIETY

The Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan has carried out much work in 2016 on the improvement of the ecological legislation, fulfillment of the State programs and decisions on the protection of the environment and the health of the population, rational use of natural resources, improvement of the system of environmental training and education, and in further involvement of the population into the nature protection activities
About 1,5 thousand different events have been carried out, in particular, with the participation of more than 111 thousand activists and experts.
This was noted at the plenary session of the Central Council of the Ecological Movement, at which were summed up the results of its activities and outlined its future tasks.
Deputies of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis, elected from the Ecological Movement, pay special attention to law-making process and parliamentary control of implementation of legislation in this sphere. The parliament members worked this year on the drafts of 8 legal acts and on the approval of new editions of the Laws “On the protection and use of flora” and “On the protection and use of fauna”.
“Protection of the environment and rational use of resources, and the study of the effectiveness of law enforcement in this field are the most important criteria of our activities,” noted deputy speaker of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis, head of the Ecological Movement Boriy Alikhonov. “Parliamentary hearings and such other events on the ground have been conducted with this aim in view. More than 3 thousand specialists had taken part at the seminars devoted to execution of the Law “On ecological control”. Those undertakings promote the process of bringing up the efficiency of ecological legislation.”
The Ecological Movement has a permanently operating “hot-line”. About 600 citizens’ appeals had been received via it, and 70% of them were resolved in a positive way. Environmental raids were organized and carried out jointly with the bodies of citizens’ self-government, officials of other agencies, and representatives of mass media based on those complaints.
The proclamation of the year 2017 “The Year of Dialogue with the People and Human Interests” initiated by the President of the country, requires further expansion of activities conducted in this direction and implementation of environmental projects aimed at improving the well-being of the people.
The Ecomovement has established strong contacts with foreign and international organizations on the issues of conducting various international conferences and forums, environmental events, conducting public environmental control, rational and effective use of water resources, and in raising the awareness of the population on the issues of protecting the environment.
Special attention deserves the organization of a roundtable discussion on the topic “Legislation and practices of supporting the development of renewable sources of energy: national and foreign experience” held early June at the initiative of the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan jointly with the UNDP, the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan and other international organizations.
The plenum participants noted some shortcomings in the activities of the Ecological Movement. In particular, some territorial divisions do not use the potential of members of the territorial Kengashes to the full extent; they do not cooperate with the NGOs at the proper level, and do not pay sufficient attention to dissemination of information about themselves through the local and national mass media.
Tasks were outlined on the improvement of the Ecomovement and its regional structures’ activities, as well as on the role of MPs in the solution of problems linked with the wastes, preservation of the Aral Sea area genetic fund, organization of environmental control by public inspectors, improvement of the continuous ecologic education and solution of other pressing environmental issues.
The Ecomovement and its deputies’ group drew up special attention to the realization of the tasks and priority directions outlines by the President of the country in his report at the gala meeting, devoted to the 24th anniversary of the Constitution, and in his speech at the joint session of the chambers of Oliy Majlis.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

EDUCATION

Implementation gets started of the State program to further improve the activity of children’s music and art schools in 2016 - 2020
Within the implementation of the State program for strengthening material and technical base and further improving the activity of children’s music and art schools in 2009 - 2014, 278 children’s music and art schools were put into operation in the regions, equipped with modern training equipment and musical instruments. As a result, their capacity compared with 2008 increased by 1.2 times, the teaching staff – 1.3 times, the number of students – 1.5 times. During this period, young talented musicians and performers won 441 medals in the prestigious international competitions.
With the adoption of the new program, the emphasis has shifted from the construction and equipment to improve the quality of the educational process. Large-scale work gets started on enriching the activity of children’ music and art schools with qualitatively new content, forming them as an integral part of the whole system of general secondary education and spiritual and moral education of children. The most important task, along with the mastery of playing a certain musical instrument, is in-depth study of the world of classical music, creativity of the world famous composers and artists, raising the musical awareness and general culture of the students.
(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

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