Social reforms in Uzbekistan in the focus of European media

The European information and analytical platform "EU Reporter" published an article entitled "The Multidimensional Poverty Index will serve as a barometer of changes within Uzbekistan," reports a correspondent for the "Dunyo" information agency.

It notes that on September 20, 2023, a high-level conference was held at UN headquarters in New York within the framework of the UN General Assembly on the topic "Effective use of the multidimensional poverty index to achieve interrelated SDGs," organized by the Multidimensional Poverty Partnership Network and the Oxford initiative for poverty alleviation and human development.

At the event, the director of the Center for Economic Research and Reforms of Uzbekistan (CERR), Obid Khakimov, made a presentation.

In his speech, he noted that in recent years the government has made significant progress in solving the problem of poverty within the country. Uzbekistan is a lower-middle-income country with a population of over 36 million people. In 2022, approximately 14% of the population, approximately 5.4 million people, lived in poverty.

He emphasized that the Uzbekistan 2030 Strategy aims to reduce poverty by 7% by 2030. In addition, the approved Social Protection Strategy sets out plans to create a system that provides a minimum level of social protection for all citizens.

"This will be achieved by expanding the coverage and improving the targeting of social assistance. Today, all social protection mechanisms are united within the framework of the recently created National Social Protection Agency in accordance with the guidelines of UNDP and UNICEF," the expert noted.

In addition, to accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 1, which aims to eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere, the Government of Uzbekistan has recognized the problem of multidimensional poverty and has made the development of this indicator a high priority. Thus, the national poverty line is based on minimum consumer spending.

During the speech, it was noted that currently, in partnership with UNDP, UNICEF, Innocenti UNICEF and the Oxford Poverty Reduction and Human Development Initiative, Uzbekistan has initiated a pilot project to measure the multidimensional poverty index - MPI. This work is aimed at a comprehensive analysis of the scale and depth of poverty, including child poverty, in the context of Uzbekistan.

The director of CERR told the event participants that the study included two stages: the first survey was conducted in 2022 among 1,500 households, where a definition of multidimensional poverty was developed.

In 2023, data was collected from 4,515 households, focusing on various socio-economic factors affecting the well-being of the people.

During the speech, it was noted that the Strategy emphasizes the social obligations associated with the further development of the education system, including expanding coverage of preschool education and a minimum 50 percent level of youth enrollment in higher education institutions.

In addition, the development of the healthcare sector by doubling healthcare funding and achieving 100% digitalization of healthcare facilities is a priority.

In conclusion, it is emphasized that the Strategy aims to ensure full social protection coverage for those in need and reduce the unemployment rate to 7% by ensuring stable and effective employment opportunities for everyone, including youth and persons with disabilities.

Thus, the MPI will serve as a barometer of real changes within the country over the next 7 years.
BRUSSELS, September 27. /IA "Dunyo"/.