The wide-ranging reforms carried out during the years of independence have laid a solid foundation for national statehood and sovereignty, ensuring security and law and order, inviolability of state borders, the rule of law, human rights and freedoms, interethnic harmony, and religious tolerance in society, while creating decent living conditions for the population and enabling the realization of the creative potential of citizens.

The abandonment of administrative-command management of the economy, the phased implementation of market reforms, and a balanced monetary policy have contributed to ensuring macroeconomic stability, high rates of economic growth, keeping inflation within forecasted limits, and creating wide opportunities and favorable conditions for the development of small business, private entrepreneurship, and the farmers’ movement.

At the same time, a comprehensive analysis of the stage of development the country has passed through, the changing global economic environment under globalization, and increasing competition necessitate the development and implementation of fundamentally new ideas and principles for the further sustainable and ahead-of-schedule development of the country.

In order to fundamentally increase the effectiveness of the ongoing reforms, to create conditions for the comprehensive and accelerated development of the state and society, and to implement the priority directions for the modernization of the country and the liberalization of all spheres of life:

To approve the Action Strategy developed as a result of a comprehensive study of the pressing issues concerning the population and entrepreneurs, an analysis of existing legislation, law enforcement practices, and advanced foreign experience, as well as wide public discussion, on five priority directions of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2017–2021 (hereinafter referred to as the Action Strategy) in accordance with Appendix No. 1, providing for:

• the improvement of state and public construction aimed at further strengthening the role of the parliament and political parties in deepening democratic reforms and modernizing the country, reforming the public administration system, developing the organizational and legal foundations of public service, improving the “Electronic Government” system, enhancing the quality and efficiency of public services, implementing mechanisms of public control, and strengthening the role of civil society institutions and the media;

• ensuring the rule of law and further reforming the judicial and legal system aimed at strengthening the genuine independence of the judiciary and guaranteeing reliable protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, improving administrative, criminal, civil, and economic legislation, enhancing the efficiency of the crime prevention and crime control systems, fully implementing the principle of adversarial proceedings in court, and improving the system of legal aid and legal services;

• developing and liberalizing the economy aimed at further strengthening macroeconomic stability and maintaining high economic growth rates, enhancing its competitiveness, modernizing and intensively developing agriculture, continuing institutional and structural reforms to reduce the state’s presence in the economy, further strengthening the protection of the rights and priority role of private property, promoting the development of small business and private entrepreneurship, comprehensive and balanced socio-economic development of regions, districts, and cities, and actively attracting foreign investment into sectors of the economy and regions of the country by improving the investment climate;

• developing the social sphere aimed at steadily increasing employment and real incomes of the population, improving the social protection and healthcare systems, enhancing the socio-political activity of women, implementing targeted programs for the construction of affordable housing, developing and modernizing transport, engineering, and communication infrastructure, and promoting the development of education, culture, science, literature, art, and sports, and improving state youth policy;

• ensuring security, interethnic harmony, and religious tolerance, and implementing a balanced, mutually beneficial, and constructive foreign policy aimed at strengthening the independence and sovereignty of the state, creating a belt of security, stability, and good-neighborliness around Uzbekistan, and strengthening the country’s international image.

To establish:

• a National Commission for the implementation of the Action Strategy on five priority directions of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2017–2021 in accordance with Appendix No. 2;

• commissions for the implementation of priority directions of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan as provided for in the Action Strategy, in accordance with Appendices No. 3–7.

It is established that:

• the timely and effective implementation of the Action Strategy is the top priority task and the main priority direction for all bodies of state power and management and their officials;

• the Action Strategy will be implemented in five stages, each providing for the approval of a separate annual State Program for its implementation, in accordance with the announced title of the year.

It is noted that the year 2017 has been declared the “Year of Dialogue with the People and Human Interests” in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

To approve the State Program for the implementation of the Action Strategy on five priority directions of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2017–2021 in the “Year of Dialogue with the People and Human Interests” (hereinafter — the State Program) in accordance with Appendix No. 8*.

• Appendix No. 8 is provided in the Uzbek language.

The commissions for the implementation of priority directions of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as provided for in the Action Strategy, are tasked with organizing the activities included in the State Program and controlling their complete, timely, and high-quality implementation, as well as preparing projects for the corresponding annual state programs for the implementation of the Action Strategy in 2018–2021.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, together with the commissions for the implementation of priority directions of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as provided for in the Action Strategy, is responsible for coordinating the activities of bodies of state and economic management, local authorities, and non-governmental non-profit organizations in implementing the activities provided for in the State Program, as well as conducting systematic monitoring of its implementation on the ground.

It is established that summary information on the implementation of the State Program will be submitted by the commissions for the implementation of priority directions of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as provided for in the Action Strategy, to the office of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on a quarterly basis.

State bodies and organizations responsible for the implementation of activities provided for in the State Program are directed to pay special attention to:

• fundamentally improving the system of handling appeals from individuals and legal entities, introducing new effective mechanisms and methods for establishing open dialogue with the population, introducing a reporting system for officials to the public, and strengthening the people’s trust in state power on this basis;

• avoiding the creation of bureaucratic obstacles and hindrances when considering appeals from individuals and legal entities, and preventing the process of dialogue with the population from becoming a mere formality;

• ensuring the openness of activities carried out within the framework of the State Program, with the broad participation of citizens, deputies of representative bodies of all levels, representatives of non-governmental non-profit organizations, citizens’ self-governing bodies, senior citizens, women, youth, and creative and scientific institutions.

The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan is tasked with monitoring the high-quality and timely preparation, coordination, and submission of draft legal acts provided for in the State Program, and informing the office of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Cabinet of Ministers on a quarterly basis about the results of this monitoring.

The National Information Agency of Uzbekistan, the National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan, the Uzbek Agency for Press and Information, with the involvement of the media and in cooperation with the Public Fund for Support and Development of Independent Print Media and News Agencies of Uzbekistan, the National Association of Electronic Mass Media, and the National Association of Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organizations of Uzbekistan, are tasked with ensuring:

• broad explanation of the goals and objectives of this Decree in the media, including the Internet, aimed at deepening democratic reforms, forming a strong civil society, and promoting the development of an open direct dialogue between state bodies and the population, in order to ensure the protection of human rights and freedoms, the well-being of the people, the satisfaction of the pressing needs and interests of citizens, and the affirmation of the rule of law, legality, and justice in society, as well as peace, interethnic and civil harmony in the country;

• promptly providing the population with objective, comprehensive information about the course and results of the activities carried out within the framework of the State Program.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan is instructed to assist the commissions for the implementation of priority directions of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as provided for in the Action Strategy, in organizing the study of the experience of advanced foreign countries in the field of socio-political and socio-economic development, with the involvement, if necessary, of representatives of international, foreign governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, A. N. Aripov, and the State Advisors to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan are responsible for monitoring the implementation of this Decree.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Sh. MIRZIYOEV