OCA MAGAZINE #40

BUILDING THE LANDBRIDGE WITH EURASIA

[ UZBEKISTAN ]

DYNAMIC UZBEKISTAN: CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE REFORM & PROGRESS IN UZBEKISTAN: INTERVIEWS WITH GOVERNMENT MINISTERS & AMBASSADORS HUMAN RIGHTS IN UZBEKISTAN: ACHIEVEMENTS & TASKS FOR THE FUTURE MEETING UZBEKISTAN’S DECARBONISATION TARGETS REGENERATING TOURISM IN UZBEKISTAN

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OCA MAGAZINE

WE CREATE PURE ENERGY

UZBEKISTAN GTL IS ONE OF THE LARGEST INVESTMENT PROJECTS OF ITS KIND IN THE WHOLE CIS. ON COMPLETION THIS ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE SYNTHETIC LIQUID FUEL PLANT WILL NOT ONLY EXPAND UZBEKISTAN’S CAPACITY FOR DEEP PROCESSING OF NATURAL GAS, BUT ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE IMPORTS OF RAW HYDROCARBONS, AND STRENGTHEN THE COUNTRY’S ENERGY INDEPENDENCE.

ECG BOARD JOHN FARNDON - CHAIRMAN MARAT AKHMEDJANOV - VICE CHAIRMAN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NICK ROWAN PUBLISHER MARAT AKHMEDJANOV EDITOR ASSISTANT SABINA ABDYBACHAEVA DESIGN ALEXANDRA REY

OPEN CENTRAL ASIA MAGAZINE #40 UZBEKISTAN SPECIAL EDITION

Cover: President Mirziyoyev at the World Influencers Congress

MAGAZINE PUBLISHED FOR EURASIAN CREATIVE GUILD

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EDITORIAL TEAM GARETH STAMP ESBOL ABENOV TATIANA SHEVCHENKO ANHELINA KRASNAHIR CONTRIBUTORS GAIRAT FAZILOV, WENDY MORTON ELDOR TULYAKOV, ALISON SUTTIE NILUFAR NODIRKHONOVA AKMAL BURKHANOV ELMIRA BEKMURODOVA NANDITA PARSHAD FELIX VON SCHUBERT LUCA ANCESCHI KIYAN ZANDIYEH AKMALKHON ORTIKOV SHERZOD SHERMATOV

ADVISORY BOARD MICHAEL ANANOV (GEORGIA) ALDONA GRUPAS (UK) VICTORIA LEVIN (ISRAEL) WARREN WILLS (AUSTRALIA) ELENA BEZRUKOVA (KAZAKHSTAN) YELENA ASLANYAN (ARMENIA) ALINA MOSEYKINA (CYPRUS) AZIM AKMATOV (KYRGYZSTAN) GARETH STAMP (BULGARIA) NATALIE BAYS (UK) ELENA KORNEEVA (RUSSIA) SARIYA MAMMADOVA (AZERBAIJAN) ALBERT TAIPOV (BELARUS) MARINA PODLESNAIA (MOLDOVA) SHAVKAT ISMAILOV (KAZAKHSTAN) OKSANA JUKOVA (CRIMEA)

JAMILYA GULYAMOVA, RICHARD EVERITT, STEPHEN KING PETER BONFIELD, SOPHIE IBBOTSON ST. JOHN SIMPSON, GAYANE UMEROVA DILMURAD YUSUPOV, MICHAEL ERDMAN FRED HARRISON DISTRIBUTION ANHELINA KRASNAHIR TIMUR AKHMEDJANOV

Disclaimer : The information contained in this publication is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by OCA Magazine and while we endeavour to ensure the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability or suitability of the information, products, services, or related graphics represented for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

All authors provide their own material and any opinions contained within are solely those of the authors and do not neccessarily represent the views or opinions of OCA Magazine.We publish these views as part of our provision of a forum for discussion and readers should be aware that the views may contrast each other in the pursuit of this aim. In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of material contained within this publication.

Special gratitude for cooperation and support to: Embassy of Azerbaijan to the UK Embassy of Belarus to the UK Embassy of Kazakhstan to the UK Embassy of Kyrgyzstan to the UK Embassy of Russian Federation to the UK Embassy of Tajikistan to the UK Embassy of Turkmenistan to the UK Embassy of Uzbekistan to the UK CATBIG, TEAS

FROM THE EDITOR Such developments are by no means simple or easy and it is heart-warming to see the country implement a great many changes and provide a future of hope and opportunity for its wonderful people. It is also wonderful to see the renewed strength of the Uzbekistan-UK relationship at government and business levels – we have lots to learn from each other and there are undoubtedly plenty of new opportunities to work together on projects in a post-Brexit world.

If you have read my own book, Friendly Steppes, which recounts my travels along the Silk Road, and through historic Uzbekistan, you will know that Uzbekistan’s people and their kindness touched me deeply when I travelled there. I have been a passionate advocate for bringing their stories and ideas to the English-speaking world and I am filled with excitement at what this new chapter for Uzbekistan holds.

I have a very personal connection to Uzbekistan – Fifteen years ago, when I was first travelling the Silk Road countries in Central Asia, it was in Tashkent that I met OCA’s publisher, Marat Akhmedjanov, for the first time over a bowl of shurpa in a suburban restaurant. It was a chance meeting that was to forge a great friendship and ultimately led to the publication of this magazine and two of my own books about Central Asia.

I am forever thankful, therefore, that not only did I have the chance to visit Uzbekistan in the first place but that the warm welcome I received there from many of the people I met, and who helped me during my journey, made me fall in love with the country.

Of course, in the years since my first foray, the country has changed significantly. The Karimov era has passed and a new era of hope, advancement and international collaboration has begun under current president, His Excellency Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The narrative on democratic process, anti-corruption and education has changed dramatically and there is genuine and significant progress that can be seen and felt in the country.

I hope this issue provides a glimpse of what a future Uzbekistan, leading from the front, looks like. Contributors have come from all walks of Uzbek and British life, from government and business, tourism, NGOs, political and economic commentators, publishers, artists and authors. It should provide the widest and most comprehensive view of the country, and its relations with the UK, that we have published to date.

Enjoy the issue!

Yours, Nick Rowan Editor–in–Chief

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PARTNERING WITH THE UK TO DELIVER DEMOCRATIC REFORMS IN UZBEKISTAN the fact we have already achieved significant success on this path. We can say with full confidence that the democratic processes in Uzbekistan have become more dynamic, and they have acquired a stable and irreversible character.

30 years ago, Uzbekistan declared its independence. It was an event of exceptional significance, which made this centuries-old dream of our nation a reality. It is thanks to independence that we have become equal members of the global community, and today we are building our future with our own hands.

In a fairly short period, Uzbekistan has gone through a difficult and, at the same time, an outstanding path of independent development. Large-scale work has been done to modernise state and public administration, the judicial and legal systems, strengthen the country’s defence, and move to a market economy.

Uzbekistan has now entered a new stage of its development. Over the past five years, during President Mirziyoyev’s process of modernising the country, ensuring human rights, freedoms, and the rule of law, a new, democratic image of Uzbekistan has been formed.

All over the world, the expression “New Uzbekistan” is being used more and more. This is a recognition of

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I would like to note the active and productive foreign policy of New Uzbekistan. Our co-operation with neighbouring states and those further afield, as well as international organisations, is strengthening and expanding. Our relations with the other countries of Central Asia have reached a new level, with an increasing number of mutually beneficial ties. All this contributes to the growth of the country’s international authority and the number of our friends and partners.

I am sincerely glad to see the active development of our relationship with the United Kingdom, which we consider one of our main foreign policy partners. We highly appreciate the support of the UK in carrying out democratic reforms in Uzbekistan. We are interested in further deepening constructive political dialogue and developing multifaceted co-operation between our countries, in accordance with the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, especially in the areas of trade, investment, finance, advanced technologies, education, and culture. We are convinced that through our joint efforts, the bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation will further strengthen in the interests of our countries and nations.

Gairat Fazilov, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan

EDITORIAL

MARKING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF UZBEKISTAN’S INDEPENDENCE deliver effective policies that will make a difference for the people of Uzbekistan. The British Council has an excellent relationship with the Ministries of Public and Higher Education. There are great examples of the UK exporting its educational expertise to Uzbekistan, and we warmly welcome Uzbek students – including Chevening scholars – to the UK. Engagement on foreign policy, defence and security issues is increasing and we appreciate the role Uzbekistan has played in supporting Afghanistan, including through the Central/South Asia Connectivity Conference held in Tashkent in July.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we are building on our diplomatic links, including through the participation of the Lord Chancellor as a keynote speaker at Tashkent Law Week this April.

There are, of course, areas where we would like to do more. This year’s virtual Uzbek-British Trade and Industry Council meeting showed the level of interest in developing trade and investment relations and we will work together to realise this potential. We hope to see greater engagement between our parliaments, and further support for the President’s reform agenda.

I am honoured to congratulate Uzbekistan as it marks the 30th anniversary of its independence.The country’s progress along the path of reform has been accelerated through President Mirziyoyev’s ambitious agenda. This has opened the door for a new chapter in the UK’s relationship with Uzbekistan.

Our partnership, too, is flourishing. Both our nations have ratified our Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which demonstrates our resolve to work together across a range of issues. The UK has launched a bilateral economic development programme and we are working closely with Uzbek Ministries to design and

The UK believes that Uzbekistan has a great future.We appreciate the willingness of the Uzbek government to develop the relationship between our two countries, and the honest dialogue we enjoy on a range of issues, including on human rights where we have been encouraged by some recent advances, for instance addressing labour rights in the cotton industry. We look forward to building our relationship yet further in the years to come.

Mustaqillik bayramingiz muborak bo’lsin!

Wendy Morton MP, Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)

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STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION – 5 YEARS ON In the five years since President Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power in Uzbekistan, in September 2016, he has managed to establish a reputation at home and abroad of being a transformative reformer. He has implemented sweeping changes that have tackled many of the areas which former president, Islam Karimov, came under criticism for. Mirziyoyev has focused primarily on governance, the economy, public policy, human rights, international relations, and climate change. Uzbekistan has resumed open dialogue with its neighbouring Central Asian countries, reformed the banking sector, removed many of the administrative burdens for foreign investors and has tackled decades of ingrained corruption.The government is more open with the public, en-

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couraging dialogue, protecting journalists and discussing once taboo subjects. Such change, while already dramatic and widespread, will naturally take more time to reach Mirziyoyev’s ultimate vision of a “New Uzbekistan”, but the success and speed of implementation to date is commendable and promises a bright outlook for the country. OCA takes a look at a few areas of such reform and progress from the last five years and how they are shaping Uzbekistan for the future.

A successful implementation of reforms requires efficient public administration and its harmonious functioning together with the local authorities. Hence, one of the priorities of the Action Strategy for the five

priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2017-2021 was the improvement of the public administration in line with the concept, “From a strong state to a strong civil society.”

The reforms implemented in this field have meant strengthening the people’s power, ensuring the independence of the branches of power and strengthening the role of the parliament.

Over the past five years, the parliament has been given new powers, which have significantly increased its role in establishing effective control over the government and defining the strategies for the development of the state.

The introduction of the Concept of Administrative Reform has led to the creation of legal mechanisms for public administration reform, while the adoption of the Law “On Administrative Procedures” gave impetus to better address the needs of individuals and legal entities.

The functions of state institutions, ministries and agencies have been reconsidered, and some have been reorganised. Some powers of the Presidential Administration have been transferred to the relevant government bodies.

In 2017, the Public Service Agency (under the Ministry of Justice) and its territorial divisions were established.Today a total of 205 Public Service Centres (one or more in each district), including 100 branches in remote areas, are functioning across the country. People have access to 150 types of public services regardless of their place of residence. A sharp reduction in the paperwork and increasing digitalisation have radically improved the quality and efficiency of these public services.

A single interactive portal “business.gov.uz” has been further developed and improved. The development of the “E-qaror” system - that converts the processes of development, co-ordination and registration of decisions of the local governors into electronic form - has helped to ensure transparency and curb corruption.

DEVELOPING INTER-PARLIAMENTARY DIALOGUE

Thirty years ago, on 1 September 1991, Uzbekistan declared independence from the Soviet Union.

In the early months of that same year – 1991 – I was working as an English teacher in St Petersburg in the Soviet Union. During that time, I got to know many people from Central Asia, including from Uzbekistan, and wanted to know more about what seemed to me then to be a wonderfully exotic and far away place on the Silk Road.

Thirty years on - and as a parliamentarian in the UK House of Lords - I have had the privilege of visiting some of the wonderful Silk Road cities and to see for myself the rapid changes happening in Uzbekistan.

Over the last year I have been part of a team working with Global Partners Governance on a British Embassy funded project working with the new human rights commission in the Uzbek Parliament. It has been excellent to work on this project with Professor Saidov, who has spearheaded so much of this important human rights-based work in Uzbekistan.

Parliamentary oversight of the human rights reforms and implementing the SDGs are two positive examples of the kind of area where effective inter-parliamentary dialogue allows us to learn from each other and share best practice.

But inter-parliamentary dialogue is also about developing real and lasting friendships that lead to constructive dialogue – and sometimes allowing both sides to take on the role of critical friend. This is perhaps particularly important in the implementation and oversight of complex reforms.

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The creation of the Agency for Civil Service Development, under the President’s direction, in 2019 has helped immensely in preventing concentration of the functions of public administration and economic decision-making into too few hands, increasing the efficiency of public service. Through the “vacancy.argos.uz”

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portal, the Agency can recruit professionals for civil service in an efficient and transparent manner, without over-reliance on the human factor. Currently, 44 ministries and departments, 10 regional and 190 district governors are connected to the portal.

The President’s People’s and Virtual Receptions, civil society development institutions, NGOs, public oversight institutions and public councils under government agencies play an important role in building a free civil society.

The People’s Receptions and Virtual Receptions, which have been operating since 2017, provide direct communication with the population and prompt the resolution of local problems. In 2020 alone they received around 1.2 million applications.

The public receptions were given the authority to closely study the performance of government agencies, make recommendations to them, and make proposals for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal of officials who have violated the law. As a result, 752 officials were prosecuted for non-compliance with the requirements.

The government started to see the civil society institutions as an ally in the implementation of reforms.This is reflected in changes in legislation that create more opportunities for the free operation of NGOs. Today, more than 9,200 NGOs operate in Uzbekistan. About 200 legal acts have been adopted to support them. The dynamic growth of NGOs can be seen in the table.

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic most of the UK-Uzbek inter-parliamentary dialogue between our two parliaments has been carried out online. Although not the same as in-country visits, this online contact has allowed innovative ways of keeping in touch and I hope in the future we will continue to develop new ways of staying in touch and maintaining close contact between our two parliaments between in-country visits.

I look forward to strengthening and building on these friendships in the years ahead.

Baroness Alison Suttie Member of House of Lords of the United Kingdom

Eldor Tulyakov Executive Director of the Development Strategy Centre

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HUMAN RIGHTS IN UZBEKISTAN: ACHIEVEMENTS AND TASKS FOR THE FUTURE Ensuring human rights remains a priority of the reform policy of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Over the last few years huge steps forward have been taken in this regard.

First of all, child and forced labour has been eradicated in cotton harvesting. For many decades, this issue was a stigma on the international image of Uzbekistan. In close co-operation with international organisations (primarily with the International Labour Organisation (ILO)) and civil activists, the government has succeeded in eliminating this problem. In its 2020 report, the ILO announced the end of child and forced labour in the cotton industry of Uzbekistan.

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Second, the notorious propiska system was abolished.

It was an obstacle to citizens’ freedom of movement for many decades. Citizens from other regions of the country could not buy a house in Tashkent in their own names if they did not have a permanent residence permit in the capital. Many had to register their real estate in the name of acquaintances, and then live as tenants in their own houses.

The government has also taken decisive measures to reduce the number of stateless people. Last year alone, 50,000 people received citizenship.This year, more than 20,000 are expected to receive theirs.

Third, Uzbekistan has come a long way in ensuring the religious rights and freedoms of citizens. The reforms in the country have created favourable organisational and legal conditions to implement the constitutional right to religious freedom. The costs for the registration of religious organisations have been reduced by five times and their quarterly reporting obligations have been cancelled.The Ministry of Justice’s powers to cancel the registration of religious organisations have been transferred to the judiciary. The practice of socalled black lists has been stopped.The government removed more than 20,000 citizens suspected of having links with religious extremist organisations from the register, and abolished the practice of maintaining such lists. In 2017, for the first time in the history of independent Uzbekistan, the country was visited by the UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Conscience or Faith, Ahmad Shahid. Based on his recommendations, the parliament approved a Roadmap to ensure freedom of conscience and belief. Uzbekistan has been removed from the US Special Checklist on Religious Freedom.

Fourth, freedom of speech and the media have become the hallmark of the new Uzbekistan. The state made previously inaccessible foreign information resources available in the country. The country offered accreditation to foreign journalists (Voice of America, BBC, The Economist, and others), and citizen journalists - including bloggers - have become commonplace in the country. Journalists have begun to raise previously un-touched topics openly, with criticism and analysis appearing more often in the press. The President has repeatedly expressed his support for the media and urged journalists to cover burning issues.

Fifth, Uzbekistan has also come a long way in ensuring citizens’ rights to a fair and public trial. The number of acquittals in courts in 2017-2020 was 2,770. In 2018 alone, the courts terminated 1,881 criminal cases for insufficient evidence. The charges against 5,462 people unjustifiably brought forward during the investigation were excluded from the corpus delicti, and 3,290 people were released in the courtroom. In 2019, 859 people were acquitted and 3,080 people were released in the

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courtroom. By comparison, in 2016, the number of acquittals in the entire judicial system was just 28.

Sixth, one of the main achievements in ensuring human rights in the country has been the systematic work to eradicate torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Strict liability has been established for the use of evidence obtained as a result of illegal methods. Article 235 of the Criminal Code (torture) was brought in line with article 1 of the UN Convention against Torture. The President of Uzbekistan signed a Resolution on the closure of the notorious Jaslyk colony in Karakalpakstan. Since March 2019, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Ombudsman) has been acting as a “national preventive mechanism.”

Seventh, the reforms to ensure gender equality and women’s rights have become another important area. The Government of Uzbekistan has developed a Strategy for Achieving Gender Equality for the Period up to 2030. A particular procedure is being introduced,

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according to which all new draft laws will be analysed from a gender equality perspective. The creation of a parliamentary Commission on Gender Equality in Uzbekistan in 2019 helped to strengthen women’s position in society and their status.

The law on “guarantees of equal rights and opportunities for women and men” guarantees the provision of equal rights for women and men to be elected to representative bodies of power. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, the number of women elected accounted for 32 percent of the Legislative Chamber and 25 percent of the Senate.

The reforms in human rights have been systemic and comprehensive. The government adopted the National Human Rights Strategy on June 22, 2020. It became the first strategic document in the history of Uzbekistan, which defined a set of long-term targeted measures to ensure personal, political, economic, social, and cultural human rights.

Out of the 78 points of the Roadmap, the authorities implemented 32 in 2020. In particular, the Strategy provides for the adoption of 33 bills, including 20 new ones, of which four new laws have already been adopted:“On Education” (new edition), “On combating human trafficking” (new edition), “On employment of the population” and “On the rights of people with disabilities.”

The results are receiving international recognition. On October 13, 2020, for the first time in its history, Uzbekistan was elected a UN Human Rights Council member for a three-year term - 2021-2023. Uzbekistan received the greatest number of votes - 169 out of 193.

Ensuring human rights is not a static but a dynamic process that requires constant improvement and complete dedication. Uzbekistan will not stop at the progress achieved so far and will continue to solve the urgent tasks of protecting human rights. There is a strong political will for that. The status of member of the UN HRC will allow Uzbekistan to use international

platforms for the exchange of experience and more effective promotion of its initiatives in the international arena.

Nilufar Nodirkhonova, Head of Department Development Strategy Centre

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FIGHTING CORRUPTION WILL LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR UZBEKISTAN’S DEVELOPMENT

The fight against corruption in Uzbekistan has become one of the priorities of state policy.

This is evidenced by the recent adoption of more than 70 legal acts and regulations aimed at preventing and eliminating corruption in this or that area, thereby creating an zero-tolerance environment for corruption in society. In particular, on June 29, 2020, a presidential decree “On additional measures on improvement of the anti-corruption system in Uzbekistan” and a resolution “On the organisation of the Anti-Corruption Agency” were signed. As a consequence, the Anti-Corruption Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan was established to formulate and implement state policy on the prevention of and fight against corruption.

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The priorities of the agency today are: - systematic analysis of the state of corruption in the country; - formation of an zero-tolerance attitude to all forms of corruption in society; -co-ordination of activities of state agencies in the field of preventing and combating corruption, organisation of effective joint activities of state bodies, the media, civil society institutions and other non-governmental sectors on these issues; - improvement of legislation in the area of preventing and combating corruption; - introduction of standards of integrity and conflict of interest in the public service; - analysis of the effectiveness of an anti-corruption control system in the use of budget funds, debts of

international organizations and foreign countries and public procurement; - development of international cooperation in preventing and combating corruption.

The Anti-Corruption Agency carryies out systematic work in all these areas. In particular, internal anti-corruption (compliance control) structures have been established in 26 ministries and agencies with a high risk of corruption.

As a result, the anti-corruption compliance system has been fully implemented in about a dozen state agencies and organisations, and has secured the ISO 37001: 2016 international standard. From October 2021, this system will be introduced in all state agencies and organisations, including local governments in the republic.

What we call “corruption-free area” projects in capital construction, higher education, public procurement and healthcare and equivalent projects for regions (currently, in the Davlatabad district) are being implemented.

In order to involve the media and the public in the process of preventing and combating corruption, the agency established a Club of Journalists and Bloggers and a Public Council.

is conducted in an open, transparent and competitive manner.

For example, monitoring activities conducted by the agency have revealed violations of public procurement The agency is working in close cooperation with the and competition legislation in more than 450 tenders UN Office in Uzbekistan, UNDP, UNODC, OSCE, across the country, leading to the cancellation of these OECD, the EU Delegation, the Council of Europe and tenders and assessments of appropriate liability for the the US Department of State’s Bureau of Narcotics and perpetrators.

Law Enforcement, USAID, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation of Germany, and the Slovenian NGO “Regional As a result of these efforts, Uzbekistan has risen 12 Dialogue”. places in two years on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.

In accordance with a further presidential decree dated June 16, 2021, the agency is entrusted with the co-ordi- Currently, the agency is working with international nation and continuous monitoring of the transparency experts on the development of a National Anti-Corof state bodies and organisations in Uzbekistan. ruption Index. This index is planned to be published annually and is being designed to reflect the real state Currently it is planned to introduce the practice of of the level of corruption in the country. recruitment, public procurement, budgeting and public disclosure of the use of these funds in all state agencies at the national and local levels.

Akmal Burkhanov The agency monitors public procurement practices, to Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency ensure that the use of state budget funds, funds alloof the Republic of Uzbekistan cated by foreign and international financial institutions,

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GLOBALISATION AND EQUIDISTANCE: REVIEWING SHAVKAT MIRZIYOYEV’S FOREIGN POLICY There is much to discuss when reviewing the foreign policy implemented by Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his first term in office as president of Uzbekistan. The management of Uzbekistan’s international affairs has to be regarded as the most successful component of the ‘New Uzbekistan’ strategy put forward by the president and his associates in the last five years.

Two main agendas confluence in the new trajectory of Uzbek foreign policy designed in the Mirziyoyev years. The first directly connects with a profound rethinking of Uzbekistan’s relations with its immediate neighbourhood: post-Soviet Central Asia. In this context, we witnessed the Uzbek Ministry of 18 OCA MAGAZINE

Foreign Affairs engaging in a correct re-assessment of the advantages deriving from Uzbekistan’s geography. Being placed at the geographic centre of the region, and sharing borders with each of the other Central Asian republics, Uzbekistan found itself in a unique position to return at the centre of regional affairs. Throughout the long Karimov era, twin policies of autarchy and isolation had left Uzbekistan at the very margins of regional processes of integration, allowing Kazakhstan to rise to a position of visible, but ephemeral, leadership in Central Asian affairs. The net effect of these peculiar circumstances was the substantive dis-integration of post-Soviet Central Asia, a region that, at the onset of the Mirziyoyev era, featured non-existing

tributed to the initial, yet by no means insignificant, re-emergence of economic cooperation between Central Asia’s two key economic actors: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The reappearance of meaningful commercial exchanges at bilateral level and a relative strengthening of mutual investment activity have opened interesting development options for a wider process of economic integration happening at a regional level: Central Asia’s economic integration can only benefit from a deeper co-operation between the region’s most significant economies. A region with expanding economic co-operation is a region where the room for policy harmonisation is certainly larger: through this assessment of intra-Central Asia relations, Uzbekistan re-launched, from 2017 onwards, a series of regional fora to entrench policy debate, reviving the long-term, yet ultimately stalling, process of Central Asian regionalism. trade and infrastructural linkages and where political integration was limited to never-ending conversations between leaders who, ultimately, had no interest to deepen their actual co-operation.

The Mirziyoyev presidency reverted both trends.

The progressive reopening of the Uzbek economy increased the level of embeddedness of Uzbekistan’s production structures within regional commercial networks. Moreover, the Uzbek president embarked upon a successful policy of connectivity, which re-invigorated a significant range of infrastructure linkages—border posts, bus, rail, and air routes—subjected to arbitrary closure during the Karimov years. This policy, which also benefited from the top-down connectivity part of Chinese economic continentalism (particularly, yet not exclusively, infrastructure development inscribed in the One Belt, One Road initiative), resulted in a relative revitalisation of Central Asian commercial relations. Here, particular importance had to be at-

The second strand defining Uzbek foreign policy in the Mirziyoyev years to date relates to an entirely new understanding of Uzbekistan’s attitude towards, and role in, the politics of economic globalisation. Uzbek diplomacy engaged in a comprehensive, yet ultimately calculated, reopening of the domestic economy to international forces and processes. As part of this process, Uzbekistan returned to cooperate with international and regional financial institutions, including the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Economic reforms implemented domestically—and those concerned with monetary convertibility more in particular—facilitated enormously the achievement of this end. In an inevitable ramification of a more open international outlook, Uzbek diplomats had to review bilateral relations with significant Eurasian powers, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. In this context, we witnessed an ongoing debate—the first of such magnitude in 30 years WWW.OCAMAGAZINE.COM

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of independent statehood—on opportunities and constraints associated with Uzbekistan’s options for association in the Eurasian Economic Union.

As of the time of this publication, a compromise position seems to have been reached with Uzbekistan accessing the organisation as an observer in December 2020. So far as Sino-Uzbek relations go, a significant increase in the intensity of economic cooperation followed a relative strengthening of bilateral ties, with decision-makers in Tashkent wary of the negative ramifications associated with over-exposure to Chinese investment.

The latter point indicates that a thread of continuity does indeed connect Mirziyoyev’s foreign policy and that implemented by his predecessor, suggesting that, ultimately, specific understanding of Uzbekistan’s national interests remain at the core of foreign policy-making beyond the power transfer of 2016. Despite an entirely different 20 OCA MAGAZINE

policy posture predicated on active international engagement, Uzbekistan’s foreign policy continues to pursue equidistance from major centres of power, controlling its degree of dependency from economic, and indirectly political, influences emanating from both Moscow and Beijing. This latter agenda, which established a direct continuity with pre-2016 policies, suggests that decision-makers in Tashkent remain fully aware of the domestic implications of overly close alignments with foreign powers, opting to pursue what, in their view, is a truly independent policy course for Uzbekistan in the 2020s and beyond.

Luca Anceschi Professor of Eurasian Studies at the University of Glasgow.

He can be followed on Twitter @anceschistan

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ACHIEVING A CLOSER PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UK INTERVIEW: H.E. SAID RUSTAMOV AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED KINGDOM

In October 2019, His Excellency, Said Rustamov, left Tashkent bound for London to take up his new role as Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Rustamov joined the foreign service in 1997, after graduating from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Tashkent – a university established post-Independence exclusively to prepare specialists in foreign relations.

Rustamov’s diplomatic career began in the Foreign Ministry dealing with American Affairs, where he served as Head of the Department for the Americas and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Uzbekistan’s Embassy in Washington DC. His most recent appointment was as Ambassador in Israel where he was tasked with collaborating on projects with Israel’s technologies and innovations. He also worked with the large diaspora of immigrants from Uzbekistan to strengthen cooperation. The move to London came just before the Coronavirus Pandemic and Brexit, which changed the narrative of his mission somewhat, making his appointment all the more important and critical for the future. OCA Magazine finds out more in this exclusive interview.

OCA Magazine: What most excites you about being posted to London?

OCA:Which areas of bilateral collaboration have been most productive to date?

Said Rustamov: Like many, my introduction to Great Britain began with studying English at school. Initially, I associated the UK with Big Ben and double-deckers, William Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes, football, unpredictable weather, a centuries-old monarchy and an ancient maritime power.

SR: From the very beginning, Uzbekistan has advocated for comprehensive, multifaceted, and mutually beneficial cooperation with the UK, which it regards as being amongst its most important and promising partners. Earlier co-operation mainly embraced the traditional spheres of the industrial economy, but the large-scale reforms in Uzbekistan that began in 2017 brought new directions to Later, this perception was enriched by imag- the bilateral agenda. These include good governes of The Beatles and other British rock bands, ance, parliamentarism, government services, conhigh-quality education, conservatism in traditions, sulting, economics, finance, and education. Serious discipline and self-control, and multiculturalism, as results have already been achieved here. well as the position of the UK as one of the leading global economies and an advanced scientific British assistance to modernise these spheres and technological power. It is a dream to see this in Uzbekistan has been expanding. Several prodiverse country for myself, and the opportunity to grammes utilise British experience in strengthrepresent Uzbekistan in it is a great honour. ening the role of parliament and government acWWW.OCAMAGAZINE.COM

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INTERVIEW countability, as well as providing affordable legal services. Presidential schools, based on British standards, have been opened, a number of universities have signed co-operation agreements, and Uzbek eurobonds were placed on the London Stock Exchange. But most importantly, both sides have reached a new level of mutual understanding in the bilateral dialogue.

OCA: What is your top priority for bilateral engagement in the year ahead?

SR: Uzbekistan favours continuing dialogue in various formats and levels between governments and parliaments, primarily on the reforms in Uzbekistan and further democratisation of the country, ensuring regional and global stability and development, and jointly countering transnational threats and challenges.

We are interested in British assistance through the Effective Governance for Economic Development program and on Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO, as well as granting Uzbekistan the status of a trade beneficiary in the British GSP Enhanced framework. Along with holding presentation events, this will expand access to the British portant events in the fields of political dialogue, market for renowned Uzbek products such as tex- economy, education, and culture. tiles and fruits, and open up new opportunities for co-operation in the field of investment and finance. Of course, this is based, first of all, on the mutual political will of the governments of both countries, The humanitarian dimension will also remain a and the co-ordinated activities of two diplomatpriority: expanding inter-university co-operation ic missions. It also depends on the enthusiasm of and improving educational standards, and practical many friends and partners from business and civil interaction in the fields of healthcare, science, the society, who actively help to promote Uzbek-Britgreen and digital economies, culture, and tourism. ish co-operation.

OCA: What achievement are you most OCA: What have you learned from your host country that you would most like to proud of as ambassador? see adopted at home?

SR: My ambassadorship coincided with the period of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. But SR: I am personally impressed by the UK’s leading despite this, both sides managed to maintain and role in promoting an innovative green economy even intensify the upward trend in co-operation: and combating climate change. All this is driven by We expanded contacts and held a number of im- strong civic activism and awareness.

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Despite Uzbekistan’s robust intention to develop these relatively new spheres, to be honest, there is still a lack of experience. A similar situation is observed in the development of parliamentarism, primarily in reflecting the true interests of a diverse electorate, in close links between science and economy, as well as in private entrepreneurship and free trade.

Speaking about the British people, I cannot fail to note their commitment to law and order, courtesy, and care for nature. These qualities are striking everywhere: in negotiations, while driving, and in transport, parks, and other public places.

OCA: How can the UK and Uzbekistan further strengthen ties in the future?

SR: Uzbekistan has become the first country in Central Asia to sign the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement with post-Brexit UK, which

opened up opportunities for building up multifaceted cooperation. I think both sides have already accumulated the potential to bring relations to a new level of expanded collaboration.

Political dialogue plays an important role here, therefore Uzbekistan favours intensifying various bilateral inter-government and inter-parliament contacts. Bringing co-operation to a new stage will undoubtedly be facilitated by the intensification of interaction at the highest level, including mutual visits.

This will make it possible to achieve results in other main areas of the bilateral agenda, such as issues of regional and global stability, addressing transnational challenges, expanding co-operation in the trade, economic and humanitarian spheres.

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OPENING NEW DOORS BETWEEN UZBEKISTAN AND THE UK INTERVIEW: H.E. TIM TORLOT BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO UZBEKISTAN

Tim Torlot joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1981. His first post, following Arabic language training at the School of Oriental and African Studies, was as Third Secretary to Muscat in 1984. Thereafter his career has spanned a number of locations around the world, including New Zealand, Chile and in the UK. From 2005 to 2006, he was Deputy Head of Mission in Baghdad and shortly after he was appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen in July 2007. His appointment as British Ambassador to Uzbekistan in 2019 followed a period as Head of the European External Action Service delegation to Bolivia in 2012. OCA Magazine was able to put questions to Ambassador Torlot for this special edition to find out more about how his latest role in Uzbekistan is shaping up, despite the ongoing pandemic.

OCA Magazine: What most excited you about being posted to Uzbekistan?

OCA: What is your top priority for bilateral engagement in the year ahead?

Tim Torlot: One of the joys of a diplomat’s job is discovering new worlds. Learning about the history, culture, politics and societies of countries very different from our own. Uzbekistan was an entirely new experience for me – I’d never worked anywhere in Asia, or in the former Soviet Union. I didn’t speak Uzbek or Russian. I’d never tasted plov! But I was excited to bring my diplomatic skills and experience to guide the UK’s support for Uzbek reform. And from my childhood I remembered beautiful old black and white photos of Khiva and Samarkand in a leather-bound travel book…

TT: Am I allowed three priorities? The UK hosts the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow this November. It’s the biggest international summit we’ve ever organised. We are working hard with Uzbekistan (and 196 other parties to the Convention) to ensure ambitious national contributions to mitigate the ravages of climate change, which affect Uzbekistan more than most. We are building transformative programmes through EGED to support reforms of Uzbekistan’s labour market, governance of state-owned enterprises, government procurement, tax and customs, regional development and the green economy. And support for open societies and human rights will always be at the heart of our engagement here.

OCA: Which areas of bilateral collaboration have been most productive to date?

TT: It is impossible to say – there is so much going on in our relationship, and so much potential to do more.

The highlights of my time here have, I think, been the launch of our Effective Governance for Economic Development (EGED) programme, which we announced in May last year. The special relationship that exists between Uzbekistan and British education continues to flourish as more and more UK educational institutions are looking to develop here. Our policy relationship has expanded, with productive ministerial discussions on trade development, regional security, justice sector reform and human rights, including media freedom.

OCA: What achievement are you most proud of as ambassador?

TT: Without doubt, keeping the relationship expanding and evolving during the Covid-19 pandemic. In many ways, Covid-19 eroded the distance between our two countries, allowing encounters to take place virtually. For example, our 25th anniversary meeting of the Uzbek-British Trade and Industry Council attracted over 800 participants, and we’ve organised a number

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of focused, well-attended sector briefings to highlight reforms and opportunities. Video link-ups have enabled ministerial and other high-level discussions of key issues in our relationship – obstacles and opportunities in trade, human rights, educational collaboration, Afghanistan, and serious organised crime.The pandemic’s restrictions certainly opened new doors between our two countries.

OCA: What have you learned from your host country that you would most like to see adopted at home?

TT: Uzbekistan’s generous hospitality, warmth and respect towards foreigners who come here to travel, work or study is striking. The pride Uzbek people take in their heritage is a pride of sharing that heritage: the history, the flavours, the colours, the mountains, the crafts. And when I leave (which is not for a good while yet), I will take some of that heritage and generosity with me: some wonderful Uzbek silk and ceramics, art and woodcraft. But above all some astonishingly

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beautiful photographs and very happy memories of this extraordinary country, and its people.

OCA: How can the UK and Uzbekistan further strengthen ties?

TT: Our relationship is strong and growing in many areas – political, trade, education, justice, defence and security, human rights. But there is always scope to do more. I particularly want to try to expand business connections between our two nations, with fewer barriers to trade and more companies active in our respective markets. I’d like to see more people-to-people links.

Closer ties in defence, science, the arts and sport.

More tourists – Uzbeks visiting Britain as well as Britons getting to know your wonderful landscapes, architecture, cultural heritage, cuisine, and people. A more productive relationship between our two parliaments.

Lots to do!

DISCOVER UZBEKISTAN – THE HEART OF THE ANCIENT SILK ROAD

Uzbekistan Airways now flies twice a week direct from London Heathrow to Tashkent.

To book please contact Uzbekistan Airways 13 Cambridge Court, 210 Shepherds Bush Road.

WWW.OCAMAGAZINE.COM 29 London W6 7NJ. Telephone 02070243090

ECONOMY

TRANSFORMING THE ECONOMY OF UZBEKISTAN INTERVIEW: ODILBEK ISAKOV, DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE An Uzbekistan presidential decree supporting the celebration of the nation’s 30th anniversary as an independent nation says the country has developed “from a backward republic with a one-sided economy” to a modern and open state. Five years ago, before the election of Shavkat Mirziyoyev as president, that might have sounded almost aspirational. But much has changed in those five years. We asked Odilbek Isakov, one of the young, internationally-educated professionals brought in to help bring about President Mirziyoyev’s reforms, to bring us up to date on the changes. Mr. Isakov is Deputy Minister of Finance, having joined the ministry in 2018 after a 12-year career at HSBC, where he was Director, Debt Capital Markets, in London. He was educated in the UK, receiving an MSc in Finance at the University of Strathclyde.

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OCA Magazine: Uzbekistan’s economy grew slightly last year, despite Covid19 and quite unique both for the region and globally. There have been projections from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and elsewhere that it will grow even more robustly this year. What are your own Ministry projections?

Odilbek Isakov: It is true that Uzbekistan was one of the very few nations that avoided economic contraction last year. Our nominal GNP rose 1.7%, despite the activities of about 95,000 individual entrepreneurs being suspended for a time and 196,000 enterprises forced to reduce activity. There was modest growth in industrial and agricultural production and in services, and construction was up 9.1%.

We are expecting growth for this year in the 5.5%-6.5% range, although there is some Covid-related uncertainty in these projections. Specifically, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are expected to grow by 2.8-4.2%, industry by 7.9-8.5%, construction by 4-8%, and services by 8.5-10.0%.

OCA: Despite the GDP growth, more of the population has fallen below the poverty line.

What is being done about that?

OI: During the coronavirus pandemic, first of all, the President initiated the establishment of the National Charitable Fund (Sakhovat va ko’mak) followed by the formation of a list of families in need, the so-called “Iron Notebook”, to provide direct financial and non-financial assistance. To date, about 600,000 families (2.5 million people) were listed in the Iron Notebook.

Moreover, the coverage of benefits and financial assistance to low-income families in need of social assistance increased in 2020. In particular, the number of families receiving childcare allowances and financial assistance at the end of last year doubled from 0.6 to 1.2 million compared to the beginning of the year.

OCA:The pandemic has put pressure on the fiscal policies of nearly all nations. What has been the impact on Uzbekistan’s fiscal balance and external debt?

OI: More than 20 presidential and government resolutions were adopted, to ensure macroeconomic stability

and positive economic growth in order to protect and support entrepreneurs and the population during the pandemic. An Anti-Crisis Fund worth approximately £650 million, at current rates, was established to finance measures to combat the spread of coronavirus infection. In fact, the fund reached £900 million by the end of the year, of which about £860 million was used.

For the current year, some £200 million has been set aside for the fight against the virus and the purchase of vaccines.

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In the process, our annual borrowing limit for new external loan agreements was raised to $5.5 billion from $4 billion.A debt ceiling of 60% of GDP was introduced.

In fact, government debt was $23.3 billion, about 38.9% of GDP, in 2020, a moderate level despite the growth dynamics over the last three years. The fiscal deficit was 4.5% of GDP in 2020 despite an initial forecast of 7.5% of GDP. More generally, our priorities on fiscal and monetary policies are to keep the fiscal deficit at an acceptably low level, inflation below 10%, government borrowing below the current debt ceiling and continued stability through reforms of the banking system and stateowned enterprises.

OCA: How does the government see the role of the private sector, moving forward?

OI: There is a lot of public attention being paid to large-scale privatisation. Rightly so, of course, because many of the largest state-owned enterprises are strate-

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gically vital to the economy. But the real driver of both economic growth and poverty reduction is the small business sector.

The share of SMEs in the GDP figures rose to 57 per cent in 2016 from 31 per cent in 2000, according to Statistics Committee data. The SME share in employment increased to 78 per cent in 2017 from 50 per cent in 2000, and in investments it increased to 32 per cent from 13 per cent. The majority (over 60 percent) of these jobs are found in rural areas.

Small businesses can also represent an effective tool to address societal needs through the market and provide public goods and services. This is the case of social enterprises, which bring innovative solutions to the problems of poverty, social exclusion and unemployment, and fill gaps in service delivery.

OCA: What progress is being made on reducing the state’s presence in the economy?

OI: The Government is intending to decrease its stake in state owned enterprises and banks by 30% in 2021, 65% in 2023 and 75% 2025 respectively.

Roadmaps for the transformation of each of the large state-owned enterprises have been developed and approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. Draft budgets of enterprises for 2021 have been developed. Plans have been developed and approved for each to secure international credit ratings, and several have already done so. Efforts are under way to recruit highly qualified international experts. Leading international consultancies have been engaged to advise, currently, 18 enterprises to co-ordinate transformation processes, financial recovery, improve operational efficiency and develop medium and long-term development strategies.

In other words, we are moving quickly but carefully. I often tell people who have not visited Uzbekistan in the past five years that they will not recognise us now. But wait another five years and we will be completely transformed.

FINTECH CASE STUDY: INFRONTIER InFrontier is a UK based investment firm, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, investing in South and Central Asia growth opportunities. InFrontier seeks to generate commercial returns by investing in market leaders that have the potential to shape whole sectors of the economy. InFrontier works with management teams and founders to support growth across the region and internationally.

InFrontier successfully entered the Uzbek market by purchasing (via ICA Group Ltd) 100% shares of the Azimuth Insurance Company (AIC). ICA also operates the largest insurance company in Afghanistan and supports the regional growth of the insurance market. ICA Group and AIC are backed by A-rated re-insurance firms in London and the UAE. AIC received a licence from the Agency for Development of the Insurance Market under the Ministry of Finance of Uzbekistan to operate in general insurance industry. AIC offers a full range of voluntary insurance products for 17 classes, including property insurance, liability, business and financial risks, auto and health insurance and is expected to also provide compulsory and re-insurance in the near future.

AIC supports foreign corporates looking to invest in Uzbekistan by providing insurance capacity that is fully compliant with local regulations while working with large international reinsurance partners. AIC is also a strong partner for local companies in multiple sectors, expanding both within the country and regionally.

The highly innovative approach of AIC in Uzbekistan is reflected in its variety of technical abilities, which includes the formation of the financial lines insurance market in Uzbekistan, insurance of large and complex construction projects, health insurance with the possibility of treatment in foreign clinics, and comprehensive solutions for the oil and gas industry to name just a few.

Felix von Schubert, the Managing Director of InFrontier Ltd

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UZBEKISTAN MOVING FAST TO MEET DECARBONISATION TARGETS The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how interconnected human health is with the environment, as well as with economic and social progress. We can no longer ignore the signals that nature itself sends us.

sector, a comprehensive strategy and a transition to a green economy, as well as programmes for the development of renewable and hydrogen energy, are being implemented.

Unfortunately, climate change is on the rise. In Central Asia, the average annual temperature over the past 30 years has increased by about one degree. The decline in the flow of major rivers and biodiversity in our region is a matter of deep concern. The problems of greenhouse gases and large-scale pollution of the atmosphere have been exacerbated.

Under the Paris Agreement, Uzbekistan committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent by 2030. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in his speech at the second International Summit “Partnership for Green Growth and Global Goals - 2030” (P4G), noted: “We are the first in the region to join the Global Green Growth Institute and intend to open its office in Uzbekistan.”

There is no doubt that countries’ actions to achieve the goals of green development must be more proactive and more effective. We have no other choice. It is a message we plan to take to the important COP26 conference in Glasgow later this year.

This important work has already been started and is being implemented in Uzbekistan. Thus, in the energy

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One of the key areas for the Ministry of Energy is the desire to achieve carbon neutrality including through the development of green energy. Thus, the Ministry has begun the implementation of major projects for the construction of solar and wind power plants. The country plans to more than triple the share of renewable energy sources in the next ten years. The Minis-

sunny days each year.The state has set a goal to increase the share of renewable energy in the total volume of electricity production by 2030 to 25%. By September of this year, the Ministry will be ready to commission the country’s first solar photovoltaic power plant of an industrial nature with a capacity of 100 megawatts.

Analysis shows that Uzbekistan is actually quite capable It is being built in the Karmaninsky district of Navoi of providing itself with energy. The country is not only by Masdar (UAE). Another 100 MW solar power plant rich in gas and oil, but also has a huge potential for the de- will be commissioned soon in the Samarkand region. It velopment of environmentally friendly energy sources. is being built on the basis of Public-Private Partnership with the French company Total.

The country is not neglecting conservation. A lot of work is being done to modernise the power grids and, To develop a roadmap to create a carbon-neutral in the next five years, as the plans are implemented, the electricity generation sector in Uzbekistan by 2050, loss of electricity during transmission and distribution the Ministry in co-operation with the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade with the support of the will be significantly reduced.

EBRD and the Government of Japan, has convened a It is also planned to reduce the consumption of natu- consortium of international experts. In fact, according ral gas for energy production from 16.5 to 12.1 billion to expert opinions, the move to an energy sector with cubic meters by 2030 and to use gas produced domes- zero carbon emissions in Uzbekistan by 2050 is quite tically for conversion into polymer products (i.e. goods feasible, both technically and economically. with high added value) with a view to their further exIn 2020, a tender was announced for the construction port. of two photovoltaic plants with a capacity of at least The use of renewable energy sources is now one of our 200 MW each in the Samarkand and Jizzakh regions. priorities. In accordance with the recommendations of Applications for participation in the tender were subthe UN Convention on Climate Change, Uzbekistan mitted by 83 companies, a major increase in investor seeks to improve energy efficiency and increase the interest. share of renewable energy sources.The Ministry of Energy, together with the European Bank for Reconstruc- On May 20, 2021, according to the results of the study tion and Development (EBRD) and the international and evaluation of technical and commercial proposals consulting company Mott MacDonald, is working on a of applicants, the tender commission declared Masdar (UAE) the winner with a tariff offer of 1.79 cents per comprehensive carbon reduction strategy. kWh of electricity for the project for the construction It is clear that Uzbekistan’s current energy production of a 220 MW solar power plant in the Kattakurgan dissystem needs to be modernised, and today is heavily trict of Samarkand region. Masdar was also recognised dependent on natural gas, but gradually a well-devel- as the winner of the project for the construction of a oped strategy will help to move to low-carbon forms solar power plant in the Gallyaaral district of Jizzakh of energy production, and at the same time meet rap- region, offering a tariff of 1.82 cents per kWh for a power plant with a capacity of 220 MW. idly growing energy needs.

The Ministry, together with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank (WB), recently developed a ten-year electricity supply plan. By 2030, the implementation of this plan will lead to the creation of additional energy capacity, which will include 5 GW of solar energy, 1.9 GW of hydropower and up to 3 GW of wind energy. try is also working closely with neighbouring states in order to develop the large hydropower potential of the Central Asian region. Plans are underway for an international conference, “Green Energy for Developing Countries”, to be held next year in Uzbekistan.

The potential of renewable energy sources in Uzbekistan becomes clear from a glance out a Tashkent window. On average, the country experiences about 320

Elmira Bekmurodova, Advisor to the Minister and Press Secretary Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan

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FROM ZERO TO HERO OR 12 GW OF RENEWABLE POWER CAPACITY IN LESS THAN 10 YEARS Can it be possible for a country to go from zero to climate hero or 12 GW of solar and wind power in less than 10 years and at a very low cost?

cently conducted solar tenders secured the lowest solar tariffs for the entire EBRD region, a vast territory spanning several time zones from Mongolia to Morocco. In August 2021, Uzbekistan announced its ambition This is a daunting task for any country. But Uzbekistan, to raise this target to 12 GW – another major step whose current installed capacity is just 14 GW, most demonstrating strong commitment to the green agenof it fossil fuel-based, is taking up the challenge. Even da and setting an excellent example in the run up to if the target is ambitious, there is little doubt that it is the COP-26 summit. achievable, given the pace of change in Uzbekistan and the commitment of its leadership.

The Government of Uzbekistan has done a tremendous amount of work in a very limited period of time In May 2020, Uzbekistan announced it would aim to to make setting such a target possible, proudly supbuild 8 GW of solar and wind power generation ca- ported by the EBRD. The EBRD has already financed pacity from scratch. Since then, the country has al- the first 200MW solar PV in Uzbekistan through the ready auctioned almost 1 GW of solar capacity. Re- first two projects 100MW in Nur Navoi with Masdar

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and 100MW with Total Eren in the Samarkand region. Green electricity produced by these power plants will be enough to supply approximately 70,000 households.

FINTECH CASE STUDY: STURGEON CAPITAL

And there is more good news – auctions for 1 GW of wind power are underway supported by the EBRD. The first such auction, for 100 MW, attracted over 70 qualified investors and is also the first under Uzbekistan’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) law developed with the Bank’s assistance in 2019.

Sturgeon Capital is a London based investment firm dedicated to investing in technology companies in frontier and emerging countries. Following the progress of Uzbekistan over the past eight years, in 2020 the combination of the scale and trajectory of political reforms under President Mirzoyev and seeing the untapped potential of Uzbekistan led the company to launch a dedicated venture capital fund for the country.

This engagement in renewables is happening on the back of the EBRD’s extensive involvement in the broader energy sector reform and its work with public sector entities.

Since the introduction of currency and trade liberalisation in 2017, a number of reforms have been implemented in the country. They have been instrumental in attracting foreign investment to Uzbekistan and its power sector as well as in enabling the successful launch of renewable energy tenders. The unbundling of the sector monopoly, Uzbekenergo, setting up a new power market model, the adoption of the PPP Law and bankable power purchase agreements (all supported by the EBRD) contributed to the commercialisation of Uzbekistan’s power sector. The Bank is also financing investments by the National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan into the electricity transmission infrastructure in the Navoi region, which will help increase the penetration of intermittent renewables.

The development of renewable energy is part of Uzbekistan’s broader ambition to decarbonise its power sector.

As demonstrated by studies conducted to formulate the EBRD-supported

In particular the government’s move towards an e-government structure means that technology will prove to be the great unlocking mechanism for Uzbekistan. The country has tremendous demographics: a smart young population and an entrepreneurial flair. The success of technology companies is contingent on being able to provide products/services to the broad populous in a manner that is significantly more efficient than any alternative in turn reducing prices/inflation, creating jobs and creating a more inclusive society for all.

The past year has seen Sturgeon Capital review close to a hundred opportunities, meet investors from all around the world to attract capital to the fund and in turn Uzbekistan. The company’s media activities have reached close to 200,000 people, it has invested in nine companies and is set to deploy close to $75m over the next five years in the country.

Sturgeon Capital’s aim is to invest and help build some of the leading technology companies in the country, to generate a return for our investors which will in turn cement Uzbekistan for them as an attractive destination and importantly to truly have a lasting impact. On that front, over the past year, the companies invested in have:

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Low Carbon Pathway for Uzbekistan’s power sector, it is technically and economically feasible to achieve the Uzbek power sector carbon neutrality by 2050.

The EBRD supports the transformation of Uzbekistan and its ambitious reforms by increasing its regional presence (including a third regional office in Urgench, which opened in early 2021), supporting a broad range of reforms through technical cooperation projects and committing fresh funds to support public and private clients. The EBRD’s business model is a unique blend of sector expertise and long-term customer-tailored financing, combined with policy dialogue. To date, it has invested around € 2.4 billion in 97 projects across Uzbekistan.

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The EBRD works with long-standing partners ranging from the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade to the Ministry of Energy, the PPP Development Agency, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy.

Modern Uzbekistan is a young country, celebrating its 30th anniversary, but it is rooted in an ancient civilisation in which sciences such as algebra and astronomy flourished. Today’s fast-moving reforms in the power sector go hand in hand with Uzbekistan’s growing international profile in renewables and the decarbonisation of existing thermal power capacity. The country is responding to the global challenges and uncertainties of climate change. What is clear, though, is that the EBRD stands ready to support Uzbekistan every step of the way on this journey.

Hired over 600 people – a number expected to double every year

27% of the 600 have been female

39% of the 600 are under the age of 30

$9m in wages have been paid

Supported 4,200 organisations in Uzbekistan with the services.

Furthermore, the past year has seen Sturgeon Capital represent close to 95% of all venture capital invested in Uzbekistan, a number that should hopefully decrease over time as more investors enter the space further catalysing the venture eco-system and the creation of technology companies in the country.

Finally, it is not enough to simply create great companies, but a domestic funnel of talent in Uzbekistan needs to be created to find the best people to work in these companies. Last year Sturgeon Capital inaugurated the Sturgeon Scholarship – the idea being to fund the higher education of smart, ambitious individuals whose circumstances limit their ability to pay for their own education. In addition to funding, the company provides mentoring, opportunities to gain experience in its portfolio companies and, upon graduation, – if they wish – to also have employment in these companies.

by Nandita Parshad Managing Director, Sustainable Infrastructure Group EBRD

Kiyan Zandiyeh, Sturgeon Capital

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WAVING GOODBYE TO STATE OWNERSHIP Privatisation is a top priority for Uzbekistan. The state still controls around half the economy, but President Mirziyoyev’s reforms are accelerating change, and more than $105m of state-owned assets were sold off in the first half of 2021. Akmalkhon Ortikov, Head of Uzbekistan’s State Assets Management Agency (UzSAMA), talked to OCA Magazine.

“We are now looking at a new impetus to drive economic growth further, and we believe this new force will be delivered by the process of privatisation,” explained Ortikov. “The state is not a good manager. The high level of state involvement in the economy… prevents the creation of a competitive market.”

Ortikov came to UzSAMA after serving as First Deputy Minister for Economic Development and Poverty Reduction. His first task was to analyse the challenges facing the privatisation sphere, and to identify steps to overcome them. Less than two months later, the Feb-

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ruary presidential decree accelerating the privatisation process was issued. It approved the use of international consulting firms to help with the privatisation process, and created a shortlist of large real estate assets and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) for UzSAMA to sell. Some of Uzbekistan’s largest companies are set to be privatised, fully or partially, including Uzbekneftegaz, Navoi Mining and Metallurgy Combine (NGMK), Uzbekistan Airways, Uzbekistan Railways, and the car manufacturer Uzautosanoat.

Whilst real estate assets have dominated this year’s sales, Ortikov stressed that overall “a very wide list of assets from various economic spheres” are being sold.

“It is true that real estate doesn’t require the sort of preparation as state-owned enterprises, but we don’t limit ourselves to real estate. In parallel, we are proceeding with privatisations and also transformations of enterprises. Once an enterprise is ready, we proceed to preparation for privatisation.” In total, more than

900 state assets will be put up for sale this year. “If we attain our goals, we expect to generate up to $600mn from the privatisation process,” Ortikov said.

UzSAMA is now working with some of the Big Four accountancy firms, as well as investment banks, Rothschilds and Bluestone, and law firm Dentons. The agency also brought in advisers from Poland, including a Among the assets currently up for sale are 100% of the former Minister of Privatisation, to draw on Poland’s Fergana Oil Refinery, a controlling stake in Coca-Co- successful experience of privatisations in the early la Bottlers Uzbekistan, and 48% of insurance company 1990s. UzSAMA plans to bring in qualified personnel Kafolat. In the financial sector, UzSAMA has received to companies’ supervisory boards, as well as introduce expressions of interest for two medium-size banks, competitive selection processes for their management.

Poytakht Bank and UzAgroExport Bank.

Some companies are put up for sale by public auction One reason for the sudden success in sales of state- while others are sold to investors with the support owned assets concerns valuations.When Ortikov took of consulting companies. For the largest companies – over at UzSAMA, he identified valuations as one of the among them NGMK, Uzbekistan Airways, Uzbekneftchallenges, even though new standards for valuation of egaz, and Uztransgaz – there are plans to hold IPOs enterprises had been adopted in 2020. He believes un- in Tashkent and on a foreign stock exchange. UzSAMa realistic valuations that did not meet market expecta- is taking measures such as using public electronic auctions were the main reason that earlier privatisations tions, which reduces the risk of corruption or interfailed. ference.

“At this point we’re critically evaluating these new standards to see why they are not working, even though they were developed with the support of international financial institutions,” Ortikov said. “When our local evaluators value companies, the process doesn’t reflect market value of companies. It’s either way too expensive or undervalued.”

Uzbekistan is one of just a handful of countries which achieved positive GDP growth last year. With the first batch of assets sold off in spring 2021 and more sales in process, UzSAMA is now preparing a new shortlist of companies for sale.

by Akmalkhon Ortikov

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NEW UZBEKISTAN BEGINS AT THE SCHOOL DOORSTEP EDUCATION REFORMS ENSURE LONG TERM GROWTH OF UZBEKISTAN From the beginning of the written history of humankind, Central Asia was at the crossroads of civilisations, cultures and development. Archaeological discoveries show that the first known cities and states were present here for more than five thousand years. Magnificent monuments, temples and government buildings, with the sophisticated structures, prove that this land was full of complex scientific and educational institutions.

Even when we look within the past millennia, the inventor of algebra and algorithm – Al Kwarezmi, the father of modern medicine – Ibn Sina (Avicenna), the creator of the first globe – Ulugbek and many more renowned

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scientists, who added their instrumental value to the development of current scientific knowledge, all lived and thrived in our territory.

Since independence, the education sector was one of the most hurt sectors of the economy. Due to the lack of financing, outflow of specialists and overall changes in the mentality towards more market driven sectors, our country has experienced a dip in education. We tried, nonetheless, to keep certain indicators, such as overall literacy rates, free basic education and maintenance of existing schools.

gartens. Today their number has increased almost fourfold to more than 19,300. Over the past 4 years, 1,450 preschool educational institutions have been built and/or reconstructed with the help of the State budget.

In the area of the higher education, in 2016 there were only 60,000 first year students who represented just over 9 percent of high school graduates. Just three years later the total number of the spots in state universities reached over 170,000 and now covers 28 percent.The number of universities has doubled and many branches of international universities, as well as private universities, have opened.

The most significant reforms, however, have happened in the sphere of public education, which touches upon every single family in the country. Currently, there are 10,008 schools in the country, which employ more than 500,000 teachers with over 6.2 mln students.

Since 2017, 201 new schools were built, 1,823 were reconstructed and 2,040 were completely overhauled.

The amount of money spent on such reform, in all regions, is at least 3-4 times higher than has been spent in the last 25 years since independence.

However, the real transformational changes only started after President Mirziyoyev took office and conducted comprehensive reforms in all spheres of the social and economic life. With the strong political will of the current President, we were able to transform our education system in order to lay the foundations for a new renaissance.

In order to more accurately administer the education sector, four separate entities such as the Ministry of Pre-school Education, the Ministry of Public Education, the Ministry of Higher Education and the State Inspectorate for the Quality in Education were created.

Each of them has specific tasks and responsibilities.

Within a short period of time, we have been able to achieve significant gains and improve the landscape.

In the area of pre-school education, in 2016 the total coverage of children under the age of 7 in pre-school education was around 20 percent, today it exceeds 63 percent. In 2017, there were only 5,200 kinder-

Along with the quantity, the quality of the education processes is extremely important. Today, in the age of the internet and AI, information technologies are a fundamental part of any industry. Over 90 percent of all schools, including those in remote areas, are connected to high-speed internet. 70 percent of all schools have local area networks and we are trying to get the number to 100 percent gradually increasing WiFi in schools.

One of the most important changes is raising the status of our teachers in society and making the profession one of the most respected in the country. For this purpose, we have abolished forced labour in the country, lowered the level of bureaucracy and raised the salaries of the teachers. Additionally, we are conducting mass training of our existing teachers in their own subject matter as well as in new pedagogical and psychology skills with the partnership of the US, Great Britain, Russia, Finland, Japan and other countries with the best education systems.

Next, we have completely revised the curriculum, since the entire educational component depends on this.

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Having good school infrastructure, qualified teachers and high-speed internet is not enough to deliver a quality education. We are working with experts from the best international organisations to create new books and supplementary material, including notebooks for students, handbooks for teachers and apps for gamification of the process.

Overall, the schools have become results-oriented institutions with a clear vision and purpose. Now that educational institutions have been freed from unnecessary red tape, we have begun to demand precisely the high-quality transfer of knowledge that is required to develop our students into leaders of the future. The effectiveness of the work of the teaching staff of the school is not assessed by a beautiful building, newly-printed books or modern infrastructure, it is much more important here to see the actual success and achievements of graduates.

Summing up, I would like to quote the address of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the youth:

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“New Uzbekistan begins at the doorstep of the school,” which means that the transformation of the education system will continue, and we will make every effort to create opportunities for our nation’s children to reach their full potential and compete in the global markets.

We have to make sure that they will be able to solve today’s and tomorrow’s challenges and make the world a better place to live.

Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Public Education of Uzbekistan

CASE STUDY: UZBEKISTAN PRESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

The Uzbekistan Presidential Schools were established in 2019, with the first schools opening in Tashkent, Namangan, Khiva and Nukus. The Presidential Schools offer talented and gifted children of a variety of social and economic backgrounds the opportunity to receive an international education and then progress to study at University before returning to make strong contributions to Uzbekistan’s development in the future.

In 2021, the network of Presidential Schools will be expanded to 14, and each region of Uzbekistan will have one school, managed by the new Agency for the Development of Presidential, Specialised and Creative Schools.

The students study to sit the Cambridge International A Level examinations, which makes them eligible for University entrance worldwide. Created by subject experts, they are rooted in academic rigour and reflect the latest educational research.Alongside this, students also study subjects compulsory to the Uzbekistan national curriculum.

Entrance is via a selective admissions test developed and administered independently

by Cambridge. The assessments measure critical thinking, problem solving and English language skills. Entrance is highly competitive. In 2019 there were over 28,000 applicants for 576 places. In 2021, it is anticipated there will be over 100,000 applicants.

The Presidential Schools are weekly boarding schools, with the students staying at the school from Monday through to Friday.There is therefore a rich variety of sporting, cultural, creative and academic extracurricular activities for them, as well as quiet spaces including an expansive library for reading and study.

It is hoped that the Uzbekistan Presidential Schools will become centres of excellence for the wider education system in Uzbekistan, demonstrating best practice, acquired expertise and ethos to the state schools and teachers in their regions.

by Stephen King

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BRITISH COUNCIL: 25 YEARS IN UZBEKISTAN While relations go back over six hundred years, with an exchange of letters between King Henry IV of England and Amir Temur, the British Council has been supporting systemic education and cultural relations with the UK for the last quarter of a century, since the signing of formal bilateral agreement with Government of Uzbekistan in October 1996. Major achievements over these 25 years have included: • •

• •

•

supporting the establishment of Westminster International University in Tashkent now offering a range of programmes to 4000 students; the development of a modern national pre-service teacher training programme, now being delivered in 18 institutions with more than 4,000 graduates per year; the development of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum now used in 45 state universities; a new Quality Culture programme co-created by the London Metropolitan University and the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Education offered innovative professional development journey to 500 academic leaders annually for 6 years; a theatre development programme engaging with 75 members of academic staff, 42 theatre professionals and 170 students leading to new voice and

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•

movement modules in the curriculum at the Institute of Art and Culture and Uzbek Hamlet production by Uzbekistan arts students reaching the audience of 2350 in Uzbekistan and the UK, in collaboration with Rose Bruford; first ever UK Contemporary Art education programme and exhibition in Uzbekistan attended by 14000 visitors and engaging through education and media programmes with more than 4 million people.

This year, British Council programmes respond to the national education and culture reform objectives in Uzbekistan and engage with over 700 organisations, directly supports 115,000 individuals and reaches 27m people in Uzbekistan and UK. Through the Creative Spark higher education programme, the British Council developed 6 UK-Uzbekistan university partnerships that are mainstreaming innovation and entrepreneurial training through curriculum reform and ecosystem development. The Big Idea Challenge and Entrepreneurial University Awards schemes offer higher education students and academics, as well as young entrepreneurs, opportunities to develop and present their project ideas and get recognition for their business start-up or education reform

work in their institutions.This programme engages with 11,000 Uzbekistan students directly annually. According to the project beneficiary survey, a total of 92% said Creative Spark had improved their knowledge of the UK creative industries and business environment, and 76% of project participants felt they had already used some of the knowledge or skills gained. As part of the programme, an MoU was recently signed between the University of Central Lancashire and the Tashkent Textile and Light Industry Institute to outline key steps in long-term collaboration in the areas of fashion, design and enterprise. In addition, the first private entrepreneurial university in Uzbekistan has been established in collaboration with London South Bank University – another strategic Creative Spark partner.

The new Going Global partnership programme provides opportunities for governments, national sector bodies, universities, researchers, academics and students to collaborate and partner with the UK. Though working together in mutually beneficial partnerships, the programme aims to contribute to stronger, more inclusive and globally connected higher education systems which support economic and social growth. The programme will include Systemic Innovation Dialogues and Ministerial collaborations, Change Academy for

university teams to support their Quality Assurance and graduate-focussed projects. From the new academic year, the programme will have a strong TVET development focus with the aim of improving the quality and efficiency of education institutions and addressing the development of graduates’ soft skills, employability, and community outcomes.

To support wider state school sector reform, the British Council engages with the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan around its Public Education Development Concept 2030 to ensure that the ministry takes an active part in the global debate, including the Education World Forum. The programme includes research around public education vision and strategy, English language teaching in secondary schools and education sector responses to Covid-19 to identify key areas of focus and ensure a holistic approach in the reform.

The British Council plays a convening role as cochair with the Ministry of the English Reform Steering Group which aims to ensure a holistic approach to teacher education, and to connect the Ministry to influential ELT networks, institutions and professionals.

One such reform project, the Future English project,

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aims to help school graduates to improve their English and offer Continuing Professional Development opportunities to English teachers nationwide through the Online Teacher Community platform. In 2021-22, 2000 English teachers in Uzbekistan will benefit from brand new professional development courses focusing on English for English teachers and Teaching Skills.

In 2021 the British Council worked with the Ministry around a national English Curriculum strategy and offered consultancy to develop the strategy and its team.

The English Curriculum strategy document will inform all future decisions and plans and the core group of national curriculum writers trained through the project will act as a driving force for all English curriculum reform work nationally.

One of most important aspects of the British Council’s work in the country is giving access to thousands of people to a high-quality international test – IELTS. To respond to national reform in foreign language teaching the Council developed a new Assessment Matters programme that engages with policy makers, teachers and

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students around this important aspect of reform and initiated IELTS partnership programmes with major universities and education agencies all over Uzbekistan to support exam candidates. There is now a successful partnership project with the State Testing Centre which is offering the Aptis for Teachers test that has been used worldwide to assess English language teachers’ English proficiency and to certify teachers at a national level.

This year is the year of Opportunities for Young People in Uzbekistan and the British Council is set to play a key role, along with its partners and networks in the UK and Uzbekistan to create new exciting opportunities for young people to realise their potential and to shape the future.

by Jamilya Gulyamova and Richard Everitt

CASE STUDY: BRINGING WESTMINSTER TO TASHKENT Twenty years ago, the University of Westminster, in conjunction with the ‘Umid’ Foundation of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan supported the creation of Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT). The move established the first international university in Uzbekistan to provide UK degrees and a sustainable example of a British-Uzbek partnership that is making a difference to the development of Uzbekistan through the provision of world-class British education.

Over 4600 students now study programmes at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level in a range of disciplines including business, economics/finance; computing and law. Programmes at WIUT have strong links with local and international employers and WIUT now has over 2000 alumni, many of them working in key aspects of Uzbek society.

The last few years have also seen a strengthening of joint research links between our two institutions, which in turn has led to the recent establishment of the ‘Forum for Uzbek and Silk Road Studies’. The Forum’s aim is to build, and foster, research links across the region, with a particular focus on supporting early career researchers. Westminster University has also been able to regularly welcome colleagues from across WIUT to the University to meet and work jointly with Westminster colleagues. As the third decade of partnership approaches, further strengthening of the partnership with WIUT continues with the development of new programmes and research activities alongside new activities such as the development of CPD and executive short courses.

Peter Bonfield, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Westminster

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CELEBRATING UZBEKISTAN’S CULTURE Uzbekistan is a crucible of culture, famed not only for its UNESCO World Heritage Sites but also for its intangible cultural heritage. As the country celebrates 30 years of independence, it looks back on thousands of years of cultural achievements, but also forward to a Third Renaissance. Here, our contributors will be exploring some of the important international partnerships which are building capacity in Uzbekistan’s cultural institutions, enriching research, and widening audiences; and also examining the growing interest in the contemporary arts – domestically and on a global stage – and initiatives to improve inclusivity, making culture accessible to all.

Sophie Ibbotson

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BRITISH MUSEUM SIGNS UZBEKISTAN MEMORANDUM The British Museum has announced that it is working closely with colleagues in the Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) under the Ministry of Culture, and the staff of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in London. On 30th September 2020 the Museum signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ACDF and agreed to explore possibilities of developing joint education initiatives, training professionals in arts and culture, discussing exhibition projects, advising on stolen or trafficked items of Uzbek origin, and other matters as appropriate.

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The issue of trafficking is a particularly serious and sensitive matter, and the British Museum is the lead organisation in the UK for advising UK law enforcement agencies if they have concerns over any items.

The Museum has successfully intervened twice in the case of Uzbekistan, once in the case of a beautiful monumental calligraphic glazed tile illegally removed from a 13th century monument at Vobkent, near Bukhara, which was a memorial to the prophet Job and known as the Chashma Ayub. The tile was identified in a wellknown London gallery but the owner immediately

brought it to the Museum once its provenance was established. It was officially handed over at a small ceremony held at the Museum in July 2017 and returned soon after to Tashkent, where it is being held at the State Art Museum of Uzbekistan until it can be restored to the monument from which it was taken.

In January 2020 a group of further calligraphic tiles was stopped and seized by a Border Force officer from a passenger entering London Heathrow airport and identified by a large panel of international and Uzbek experts contacted by the Museum. Some of these tiles are very similar in style to examples known from the famous Shah-i Zinda near Samarkand and they date to the late 13th or early 14th centuries. They were exhibited at the British Museum with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and are now being returned to Tashkent with the generous assistance of the Embassy in London. This was a good opportunity to share knowledge and experience across the different organisations involved, including law enforcement and experts, and the media attention and display of such items at the British Museum send a strong signal to the world, as well as its many UK and international visitors, about the strength of collaboration by all the parties concerned.

Finally, the Museum announced its contributions to an album highlighting its Uzbek collection, which will be published shortly in a series entitled “The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections”.

by Dr St John Simpson Archaeologist and Curator, British Musem

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UZBEKISTAN’S GROWING INTERNATIONAL CULTURE & ARTS SCENE International art lovers attending the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale were in for a treat. For the very first time in the history of this prestigious festival, Uzbekistan had a national pavilion, situated within the Arsenale. Titled “Mahalla: Urban Rural Living”, this 1:1 scale model of a house in a traditional Uzbek mahalla (neighbourhood) was curated by Emanuel Christ and Christoph Gantenbein, Professors at the Swiss Technical School in Zurich and the founders of renowned Christ & Gantenbein architecture practice. Their structures blended with photography by the Dutch artist Bas Princen, and an original soundscape by sound producer Carlos Casas, who recreated the noises of the mahalla. “Mahalla is a social, cultural and urban phenomenon,” explained Christ, “[and it’s an] indication to where a global contemporary society could find a vision, information, inspiration.”

Uzbekistan’s presence in Venice is indicative of the country’s growing interest and investment in the contemporary arts. The pavilion is one of a number of activities led by the Arts and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) under the Ministry of Culture, which is exploring new areas of art and cultural development, forging ties with international institutions, and promoting the culture of Uzbekistan on the world stage. Uzbekistan has always been a fertile ground for

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creativity, but now artists of all kinds are being supported to push their work to new levels, and to find the audiences they deserve.

One of ACDF’s strengths is in its ability to build relationships with high profile international partners.ACDF has formed a new partnership with Scala, the UK-based arts and heritage publishers, whose meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated books highlight the art and artefacts of the world’s greatest artists, museums, and galleries. Five Scala publishing projects for Uzbekistan are now underway, including The Lands of Central Asia by Professor Edvard Vasilievich Rtveladze, the chief archaeologist at Alexandria on the Oxus (formerly known as Kampir Tepe); and Savitsky Karakalpakstan State Museum of Art, a lavish coffee table book dedicated to Uzbekistan’s most important modern art collection, authored by the museum’s director, Tigran Mkrtychev.

The renovation and modernisation of Uzbekistan’s national collections is a high priority for ACDF. Some of the most exciting developments include the creation of a Centre for Contemporary Arts in Tashkent, which opened in 2019 with an exhibition called Qo‘rg‘on Chiroq, featuring the work of Uzbek video artist Saodat Ismailova; the expansion of the State Children’s Library

to a design by Russia’s Ludi Architects Bureau; and the renovation of the Residence of Prince Romanov, which will become a branch of the State Museum of Art. What art and architecture aficionados are most impatient for, however, is the reopening of the State Museum of Art. The original building – a striking example of Brutalist architecture – was built in 1974, but is now doubling in size to become the pre-eminent art museum in Central Asia.The Pritzker Prize winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando has envisaged an extraordinary complex which incorporates more than 7,000 square metres of exhibition space, storage for 100,000 exhibits, and a new city park. Together, this will be a cultural focal point for the city, revitalising urban life in this part of the capital. Construction work is underway, and it is hoped that the museum and its surrounding facilities will reopen to the public in 2022.

Gayane Umerova Secretary General of the National Commission of Uzbekistan on UNESCO Affairs Executive Director / Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan

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ACHIEVING SOCIAL INCLUSION THROUGH ARTS AND CULTURE IN UZBEKISTAN: WHY ACCESSIBILITY IS SO IMPORTANT “I really want our society to be inclusive. I think we should start with culture because music and arts do not require interpretation. If we make culture inclusive and accessible, everything else will go by itself, God willing,” said Mirsaid Mukhotorov, a blind student of international law at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy. The Arts and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) under the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan has recently hired him as a consultant on inclusive programmes thus setting up a good example of how cultural institutions should be inclusive and accessible for persons with disabilities in Uzbekistan.

schools of music and arts, 2 music lyceums, 207 parks and 3 zoos functioning under the Ministry of Culture.

Introduction to culture is an effective means of socialisation and inclusion of children and adults with various forms of disabilities into society. Studying arts develops people spiritually and intellectually and brings aesthetic pleasure. However, can every citizen of Uzbekistan enjoy going to the theatre, museum, or a park? How many people with disabilities are hired by cultural institutions? Do they meet the 3% obligatory employment quota provided by the Law “On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”?

Today, there are 102 museums, 39 theatres, 826 cultural centres, 4 universities, 25 colleges of culture, 322

Improving inclusivity and accessibility in the field of culture and arts is essential for many reasons. Firstly, it is

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the right of everyone, including people with disabilities, to participate in cultural life on an equal basis with others. This year this long-awaited change happened in Uzbekistan – the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities was finally ratified and came into effect on 28 July. Article 30 of the Convention guarantees equal rights of children and adults with disabilities to participate in cultural life, recreation, leisure, and sport. To provide this opportunity cultural materials, TV programmes, films, theatre, and other cultural activities should be in accessible formats for people with sensory impairments and cultural institutions should be physically accessible for visitors with reduced mobility.

Secondly, children and adults with disabilities possess unique traits including creativity, artistic and intellectual potential that could be used not only for their socialisation but for the enrichment of the Uzbek cultural endowment. Diversity and inclusion will inevitably make our culture rich with talents that we would otherwise leave behind. Inclusive cultural performances themselves could become a means of achieving social inclusion in Uzbekistan. A bright example is the Ilkhom Theatre of Mark Weil in Tashkent which initiated an “Inclusive Theatre” project by establishing a creative laboratory for children and young artists with disabilities.

Inclusive theatre and arts can also change negative stereotypes and prejudices surrounding children and adults with disabilities in Uzbekistan as the main problem is not in disability but in discriminatory societal attitudes and environmental barriers. Lack of accessibility at cultural institutions negatively affects not only citizens, but also guests arriving in Uzbekistan. According to the data of the State Committee for Tourism of Uzbekistan in 2019, a fifth of the tourists coming to the country were over 55 years old. For example, most of the Japanese tourists are people over the age of 60. According to the World Health Organization, 15% of the world’s population, or 1 billion people, have some form of disability while in the European Union alone, there are about 120 million people with disabilities.

ACDF has been at the forefront in promoting inclusion at cultural institutions of Uzbekistan since 2019 when it initiated the Samarkand Half Marathon – Uzbekistan’s first international charity run now held annually in Samarkand. The event had a great impact by drawing

public attention to the problems of accessibility and inclusiveness of cultural and arts objects. The funds raised during the marathon were first used to produce theatrical performances accessible for blind and visually impaired people by introducing for the first time an audio descriptive commentary service. The second time the funds were directed to supporting children with autism and creating a children’s art studio.

However, there is still a lot to accomplish to make cultural life accessible for children and adults with disabilities. Uzbekistan can learn from the UK experience of making cultural institutions accessible. For instance, each cultural institution can make access guides for visitors with disabilities and reduced mobilities and put such information on their websites. In England almost every public organisation has access and mobility information on the availability of ramps, lifts, visual aids, induction loops for users of hearing aids and other types of reasonable accommodations made. Creating accessibility guides and involving people with disabilities at cultural institutions will have a positive impact and serve as a good example of inclusion for other public institutions in Uzbekistan to ensure they leave no talent behind.

by Dilmurad Yusupov

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A SPRING OF KNOWLEDGE AND BEAUTY: UZBEK AND CHAGATAI COLLECTIONS AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY Since its creation in 1753, the British Library – formerly the Library of the British Museum – has amassed more than 170 million collection items. A small portion of these are in Uzbek or Chagatai, or related to the territory of the contemporary Republic of Uzbekistan.

Despite their small number, the 50-odd Turkic manuscripts from Central Asia and 1,650 or so Uzbek and Chagatai publications form an invaluable resource for those seeking to discover the rich cultural, political, and economic legacies of Uzbekistan. More than a few of these works are world-class treasures, and are shared with visitors and researchers alike.

Among the earliest, and most noteworthy, manuscripts from the region is the Nuṣratnāmah, also known as the Tavārīkh-i Guzīdah. This exquisite item, copied in 970 AH (1563 AD1), is a history of Genghis Khan and his descendants down to the Shaybanid Dynasty. The work is complemented by 16 large illustrations narrating scenes that incorporate some of the most notable rulers from this lineage. Apart from the beauty of the compositions, these paintings are invaluable for the information they provide us about the lives, costumes, and customs of the rulers of Central Asia. When combined with the content of the Nuṣratnāmah, they shed considerable light on the history of statehood and governance in the lands that would become Uzbekistan.

The British Library’s holdings, however, are more than just sources of knowledge about the history and politics of the region. With more than 40 manuscripts of his poetry and prose, the Library’s collection of Navoiy works is unparalleled in the United Kingdom. Widely recognized as a paragon of Chagatai literary production, Alisher Navoiy’s creations were and continue to be admired and emulated across the Turkic World, and beyond. Although not all of the manuscripts in the Library’s care originate from the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan, they all speak to the power of Navoiy’s words to inspire and delight. Some also foreground the consideration and adoration with which his oeuvre was regarded. A small volume from Herat, for example, contains wonderful examples of decoupage in a dizzying array of bright colours, alongside breathtaking calligraphy and a lonesome line drawing of a seated man. Similarly, an incomplete volume of his Gharā’ib al-

ṣighār, produced in Istanbul in 1520 AD, complements Navoiy’s immortal verses with delicate and detailed paintings from the Golden Age of the Ottoman Empire.

Manuscripts, of course, are not the sole component of the Library’s Uzbek and Chagatai holdings. The collections include works from contemporary Uzbekistan that go back to the last two decades of the 19th century. Some are quite rare, including a lithographed copy of the Dīvān-i Mashrab, and a late 19th-century Russian-Sart phrasebook. The British Museum and British Library’s excellent relations with Soviet and Uzbek institutions ensured that these holdings continued to grow throughout the 20th century. From Arabic- and Latin-script magazines produced in the 1920s, to literature and social science research from the post-World War II era, the Library’s holdings of Uzbek materials are now the largest and most comprehensive in Great Britain.

They form a crucial component of scholarly endeavours to understand better the history and culture of the Uzbek nation.

Today, the British Library continues to build its Uzbek and Chagatai holdings in concert with partners in Uzbekistan and around the world. In this way, we play a small but important part in strengthening the bonds between our two countries.

Endnotes: A.D. stands for Anno Domini, which means “In the year of our Lord.” The Hijri Calendar has years marked by A.H., which stands for Anno Hegirae, “In the Year of the Hijra.” The hegira took place in A.H. 1. The Hijri Calendar is the official calendar in many predominantly Muslim countries.

text by Dr. Michael Erdman, Curator, British Library

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REGENERATING TOURISM IN UZBEKISTAN Heading into the autumn of 2021, the revival of international tourism still looks some way off. But as flights resume, travel restrictions are lifted, and tourists regain confidence, we will start to see the sector’s recovery. Uzbekistan has been using this downtime to build upon the foundations it laid pre-COVID and prepare to realise its potential as the preeminent tourism destination on the Silk Road.

Tourism has to deliver jobs and economic growth, but it must do so with due respect for the environment and for the communities who call the destination home.

“Sustainability” has long been a hot topic in tourism: prior to the pandemic, the UNWTO launched the Tourism for SDGs platform to help countries work towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. But seeing the devastation wrought

by COVID-19, policy makers and businesses alike have grasped that sustainability can’t just be a buzzword. It has to translate into actions, because there is no point in building back the tourism industry unless we build it back better than before. Sustainable tourism consultant and travel writer Megan Eaves puts it clearly:

“Sustainability has been a central plank of our philosophy since we set up the business. It always made sense for us that we do all we can to ensure that the special places we bring our clients to are properly looked after and that local communities benefit from our tours.

And it quickly also became an important differentiator for our clients, many of whom had been travelling for many years and had grown increasingly concerned about the potential pitfalls of badly managed tourism and over-tourism in general.”

“Our whole economic system is built on the idea of unmitigated growth, but you simply can’t have unmitigated growth on a planet with finite natural resources.

So, we need to find new economic systems that incorporate health, quality of life, and sustainable practices instead of [only] cash.”

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This message is rippling across the tourism sector, and international tour operators and their customers are a driving force for change. David McGuinness, co-founder and director of the UK’s Travel the Unknown, explains:

As an emerging tourism destination, Uzbekistan is perfectly placed to take advantage of the COVID-19-enforced reset to implement holistic tourism practices across the sector. In fact, Eaves believes Uzbekistan is capable of far, far more: “Uzbekistan can become a global leader and set an example for the world. What Uzbekistan should be look-

ing to implement is regenerative tourism – a concept that goes beyond ‘carbon zero’ and asks the traveller to participate in the active regeneration of the destination through volunteering, educational programmes, wholly green accommodation and transport methods, and community investment/local spending.”

With this in mind, Uzbekistan is working closely with its international partners to envisage what sustainable tourism means in practice, and to implement policies and investments which will have a tangible impact.

There is a focus on both urban areas – including the UNESCO World Heritage Sites for which Uzbekistan is famed – and rural areas where tourism has to date been underdeveloped.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is collaborating with the World Bank Group to explore how Uzbekistan can strengthen the protection and resilience of its tangible and intangible cultural heritage. This includes everything from disaster risk management (DRM) for monuments, in particular those vulnerable to earthquakes and climate change; to considering the importance of integrating cultural sites, public spaces, and essential infrastructure in urban planning. Coordination here is key. In order to be sustainable, tourism cannot be the remit of a single ministry. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports can set the direction and oversee activities, but there needs to be buy-in and active participation from a wide range of government institutions – from the Ministry of Culture to the Ministry of Construction, and regional Hokimats to educational bodies – as well as international agencies and the private sector.

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TOURISM

The European Union’s Switch Asia project Model for Sustainable Tourism in Central Asia (MOST) takes a regional view of sustainable tourism, reminding us that sustainability is a global goal, not one which stops or starts at an international border. The Association of Private Tourism Agencies of Uzbekistan (APTA) is a key partner. Since the programme’s launch in Tashkent in February 2020, 105 participants from Uzbekistan have already received online training in topics such as the criteria for sustainable tourism, quality standards and certification methods, green procurement, environmental certification processes, and relevant tools for assisting data collection and management. Annual

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round-table dialogues are strengthening the dialogue between business organisers, experts, and government authorities; and working groups are exchanging international experiences, legislative frameworks, and good practices from each country.

Investment in sustainable tourism can drive development, and the Aral Sea region is a case in point. It is a place “abundant with historical, archaeological, and ecological sites” according to Olimjon Saidmamatov and colleagues at Urgench State University, and itineraries have already been developed incorporating the Lower Amudarya State Biosphere Reserve, the Sultan

Uvays Mountains, the Ustyurt Plateau, Sudoche and Saigachia, and the Aral Sea. The government has committed to establishing a new national park which, combined with the South Ustyurt National Park created in 2020, will be a major draw for eco tourists, in particular those interested in wildlife, hiking, and dark sky tourism. The availability of camel rides, jeep tours, and yurt stays complements these activities, adding value. There is a prime opportunity here to develop educational and volunteering programmes, too, so that tourists learn the perils of excessive exploitation of natural resources and can contribute actively to the region’s regeneration. Three million hectares of the former sea bed can

be planted with saxaul trees, fixing soils and in doing so preventing dust storms. Participating in foresting the Aral Sea bed, bringing new life to an environmentally devastated zone, is the epitome of regenerative tourism, and exemplifies how Uzbekistan can lead.

by Sophie Ibbotson World Bank consultant and writer specialising in Central Asia. She is Uzbekistan’s Ambassador for Tourism, author of Bradt Guides’ Uzbekistan, and a trustee of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs.

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UZBEK AUTHORS

HERTFORDSHIRE PRESS CATALOGUE

KASHMIR SONG

by Sharaf Rashidov (2017) ENGLISH ISBN: 978-0-9930444-2-7 HARD BACK RRP: £24.95

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME S.S. NAZAROVA (2017) ENGLISH ISBN: 978-1-910886-60-1 HARD BACK RRP:£17.50

COLORFUL TEARS

by Khosiyat Rustam (2021) ISBN: 978-1-913356-12-5 RRP: £12.95

BIRDS OF UZBEKSITAN

by Nedosekov (2012) FIRST AND ONLY PHOTOALBUM OF UZBEKISTAN BIRDS! ISBN: 978-0-955754913 HARDBACK RRP: £25.00

64 OCA MAGAZINE

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65

TRAVELOGUES

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THE SILK ROAD REVISITED

by Nick Rowan (2020) Take a trip along this remarkable historic trading route that once ran from Venice, through the Mediterranean, across Turkey and Iran, through the Caucasus and Caspian Sea, onwards via Central Asia and finally to China.

HARDBACK RRP: £34.99 ISBN: 978-1-913356-07-1

D

endly Steppes: k Road Journey

A Silk Road Journey chronicles an extraordinary d intrepid traveller Nick Rowan to some of the redible and hidden places: from Venice through still recovering from brutal warfare; on to Turkey, ia, and much-misunderstood Iran; across the exotic l Asia, emerging from Soviet domination; and finally eveloping yet still mysterious China. Intertwined of 2000 years of Silk Road history, Friendly Steppes the author’s travels, but also the remarkable impact ute has had on modern culture.

GUIDES

rful stories and characters, wrapped in the local s told by the people who live along the route today, tertaining travelogue and inspiring introduction to ld that has largely remained hidden from Western s of years but is on the verge of retaking its central ational stage.

on the region, Nick Rowan says: “My first visit to the he Silk Road left me with very deep impressions of pecial history has made the country’s people what he countries of Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and ample, are not faraway places filled with madmen ther places of great culture and hospitality that are e Western world.The world is full of natural beauty, o than its people.”

uthor

ay into Central Asia in 2006 during his Silk Road wan has developed an insatiable appetite for all things Oxford University graduate, now working in the ndon, Nick spends much of his spare time exploring the Silk Road countries, having now travelled to all numerous occasions. He is Editor-in-Chief of Open azine and provides expert opinion and analysis on n not at home with his wife in Buckinghamshire, ves, his favourite evenings are those spent on the Asia sitting in the warmth of a homely yurt, laughing owners over a good bowl of laghman accompanied epioshka

RRP: £ 5.95

ISBN 978-0-9927873-0-1 15/01/2013 14:44:02

9 780992 787301

USBEKISTAN Reiseführer

h the rapidly expanding cities of China and the Central Asia and Iran, Friendly Steppes will have great who want to travel to the Silk Road countries and gion’s heart rather than simply visit its religious and tourists. It is essential reading for those interested re of the region and its remarkable people before ealizes what it potentially has to offer and changes r worse.

Reiseführer

USBEKISTAN

An der Seidenstrasse - entlang Oasen im Herzen Zentralasien

21/02/2015 11:48:46

DISCOVERY UZBEKISTAN travel guide

by Andrea Leuenberger ENG, DE, FR, RUS, JAP ISBN: 9780957480704 RRP: £5.95

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DISCOVERY KARAKALPAKISTAN travel guide

by Andrea Leuenberger ENG ISBN: 9780957480704 RRP: £5.95

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ART

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IGOR SAVITSKY: ARTIST, COLLECTOR, MUSEUM FOUNDER

by Marinika Babanazarova (2011-2021) LANGUAGE: FR, GERM, RUS, ENG ISBN: 978-0955754999 RRP: £10.00

SAVITSKY COLLECTION SELECTED MASTERPIECES. Poster set of 8 posters (2014) ISBN: 9780992787387 RRP: £25.00

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69

CHILDRENS

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ELISH AND THE WICKER TALE

by Timur Akhmedjanov ISBN: 9781913356194 Paperback ENG | 2020 RRP: £9.99

POOL OF STARS

by Olesya Petrova (2007) PAPERBACK ENG / RUS ISBN: 978-0955754906 RRP: £4.95

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MENIK THE MAMMOUTH

by OGDO (2017) PAPERBACK ENG ISBN: 978-1-910886-62-5 RRP: £12.50

ОСТРОВ СТИХОВ Раим Фархади стихи ISBN: 978-1-910886-56-4 RRP: £14.50

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RECCOMENTADIONS

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The festival of 2013 took place from 5th to 9th November in London and Cambridge, providing an opportunity to the British public to get a better idea of the work of Central Asian artists.

In 2014, 38 events were held in the framework of the “Open Eurasia and Central Asia Book Forum & Literature Festival”. The festival was visited by 2,500 people. Reports and presentations were made by more than 65 writers from 10 countries: Australia, Great Britain, Poland, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Turkey, the Netherlands.

— Maxim Korsakov, writer, Canada.

Undoubtedly, the author is a patriot of the Crimean Tatar Republic, which bore the pain and tears of their ancestors and parents in her heart.

— Arstanbekova Bubaysha, Poet, member of the National Union of Writers of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Finalist of literary contest “OCA Book Forum & Literature Festival- 2014”. Kyrgyztan The verses by Lenifer Mambetova encourage us to live through the folk tragedy of the Crimean Tatars, to be imbued with a sense of self-awareness as an inseparable part of the space of the natural landscape and the people’s soul, who stoically survived the tragic loss of their motherland followed by the feeling of finding it again, which is a piercing sensation.

— Zhangozha Rustem, Doctor of Philosophy & Professor.

Member of the World Association of Writers PEN-club The whole book is permeated with love for a newfound homeland, full of warmth but also of the sadness of the author being unable to spend so many years in this native land. The poetess brings all her poetic talent under one roof: to make up for love and help people to understand each other, regardless their nationality.

— Georgi Pryakhin, Academic of the Academy of Russian Literature.

Secretary of the Writers’ Union of Russia.

Edited by David Parry

Lenifer Mambetova (Memetova) is a poe Crimean Tatar. In 2014, she won the best f work category in the Open Central Asia Forum and Literature Festival, held in A Kazakhstan.

My Homeland, Oh My Crimea

The festivals have been marked by the presence of stars from world literature, such as Janusz Leon Wiśniewski from Poland, Hamid Ismailov from the UK, Elchin Safarli from Azerbaijan and others. www.ocabookforum.com

HERTFORDSHIRE PRESS

OPEN CENTRAL ASIA & EURASIA LITERATURE FESTIVAL AND BOOK FORUM

Heirs to the Great Sinner Sheikh San’on Erkin A’zam (2016) ISBN: 978-1910886328 RRP: £14.95

The Gods of the Middle World Galina Dolgaya (2013) ISBN: 978-0-9574807-9-7 RRP: £14.95

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LENIFER MAMBETOVA

LENIFER MAMBETOVA

Last year the festival was held from 14th to 17th November in Almaty, Kazakhstan. OECABF 2014 was organized by the Publishing House “Hertfordshire Press” in conjunction with the National State Book Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan, “Helen Bezrukova Center, Training and Consulting” and with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Kazakhstan, Administration of Almaty city and the Kazakh Academy of Sports and Tourism.

In each stanza of these wonderful poems, I hear the voice of a wise people who talk about their homeland of Crimea and the inhuman trials and tribulations of its people.

My Homeland, Oh My Crimea

OPEN CENTRAL ASIA & EURASIA LITERATURE FESTIVAL AND BOOK FORUM

The first Central Asian OECABF literary contest was held on 24th – 25th November 2012 in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), gathering 1300 guests and becoming the first such event since the declaration of independence of the Kyrgyz Republic. The festival was opened by the former president of Kyrgyzstan, Roza Otunbayeva, and has been praised by both experts and the public.

Mambetova’s delightful poems, exploring the hopes and fates of Crimean Tatars, are a timely and evocative reminder of how deep a people’s roots can be, but also how adaptable and embracing foreigners can be of their adopted country, its people and its traditions.

— Nick Rowan Editor - in - Chief, Open Central Asia Magazine

RRP: £17.50

The Marziya Zakiryanova Award for the best female work at Open Central Asia Literature Festival - 2014

My Homeland, Oh My Crimea

by Lenifer Mambetova (2015) ENG / RUS HARDBACK ISBN: 978-1-910886-04-5 RRP: £17.50

ALPHABET GAME

by Paul Wilson (2014) PAPREBACK ENG ISBN: 978-0-992787325

RRP: £14.50

David William Parry is a published play author, dramaturge, Fellow of the Royal S of Arts, active Libertarian and Wiccan. He founder and chair of Theo-Humanist Arts.

By profession, Parry taught English literatur ma, language and semantics. He has given ings as a poet and practising Pagan, del lectures, offered sermons and performed rituals across the United Kingdom since 19

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73

CONTENTS 5

EDITORIAL WORD

36

FROM ZERO TO HERO (OR 12 GW OF RENEWABLE POWER CAPACITY IN LESS THAN 10 YEARS)

6

PARTNERING WITH THE UK TO DELIVER DEMOCRATIC REFORMS IN UZBEKISTAN

37

FINTECH CASE STUDY: STURGEON CAPITAL

7

MARKING 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF UZBEKISTAN’S INDEPENDENCE

40

WAVING GOODBYE TO STATE OWNERSHIP

42

8

STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION – 5 YEARS ON

NEW UZBEKISTAN BEGINS AT THE SCHOOL DOORSTEP. EDUCATION REFORMS ENSURE LONG TERM GROWTH OF UZBEKISTAN

45

CASE STUDY: UZBEKISTAN PRESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

9

DEVELOPING INTER-PARLIAMENTARY DIALOGUE

46

BRITISH COUNCIL: 25 YEARS IN UZBEKISTAN

12

HUMAN RIGHTS IN UZBEKISTAN: ACHIEVEMENTS AND TASKS FOR THE FUTURE

49

BRINGING WESTMINSTER TO TASHKENT

16

FIGHTING CORRUPTION WILL LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR UZBEKISTAN’S DEVELOPMENT

52

BRITISH MUSEUM SIGNS UZBEKISTAN MEMORANDUM

54

18

GLOBALISATION AND EQUIDISTANCE: REVIEWING SHAVKAT MIRZIYOYEV’S FOREIGN POLICY

UZBEKISTAN’S GROWING INTERNATIONAL CULTURE & ARTS SCENE

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22

ACHIEVING A CLOSER PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UK

ACHIEVING SOCIAL INCLUSION THROUGH ARTS AND CULTURE IN UZBEKISTAN: WHY ACCESSIBILITY IS SO IMPORTANT?

27

OPENING NEW DOORS BETWEEN UZBEKISTAN AND THE UK

58

A SPRING OF KNOWLEDGE AND BEAUTY: UZBEK AND CHAGATAI COLLECTIONS AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY

30

TRANSFORMING THE ECONOMY OF UZBEKISTAN

60

REGENERATING TOURISM IN UZBEKISTAN

33

FINTECH CASE STUDY: INFRONTIER

34

UZBEKISTAN MOVING FAST TO MEET DECARBONISATION TARGETS

64-73 HERTFORDSHIRE PRESS CATALOGUE

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