28 April, 2006

Politics
Culture ministers of SCO meet in Uzbek capital

Economics
Uzbek leader signs resolution to improve State Property Committee's activity
Role of Commerce Chamber in development of businesses to be discussed
ACCCIM exploring investment opportunities in Uzbekistan
Conference on protection of timber resources in Tashkent

Society
Gender training course ends in Uzbekistan
Russian Government sponsors Uzbek students studying in Russia

POLITICS

CULTURE MINISTERS OF SCO MEET IN UZBEK CAPITAL

The culture ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states was held in Uzbek capital. The issues on the agenda of the Tashkent meeting of the culture ministers of the SCO member states are about the development of cultural relations among these countries.

The meeting discussed the preparations for the second art festival of the member states of this prestigious organization, which will be held in June in China. It also looked at the current state of cultural relations and proposals to develop cooperation.

Bakhtiyor Sayfullayev, Uzbek first deputy minister of culture and sports, said: "We are now making big preparations for the festival. These issues were also discussed at the meeting. We are making a solid decision that every country will display its art while preserving traditions and customs."

Meng Xiaosi, Chinese vice minister of culture, said the SCO's prestige is growing year by year. Only a nation that can preserve its traditions can find a way to discover unique aspects of other cultures. In cooperation with creative-thinking people from member states, we would like to reflect these aspects at the opening ceremony of the festival. The organization's secretariat presented a report on the implementation of a plan of multilateral cultural cooperation between the member states to the meeting participants. The meeting approved the 2007-2008 plan in this area. An exchange of views took place on the work of a working group of experts. The meeting participants focused on measures to improve coverage of social and cultural cooperation on the organization's website.

Dmitriy Amunts, Russian deputy minister of culture and mass said: "In our opinion, such a method will further expand the scope of dialogue. Particularly, it plays an important role in young people's learning about national traditions of various countries. One can see a harmony between the Eastern and Western cultures in events carried out in Russia within the framework of the SCO. And this serves to form respect in every country's citizens towards other people's traditions."

ECONOMICS

UZBEK LEADER SIGNS RESOLUTION TO IMPROVE STATE PROPERTY COMMITTEE'S ACTIVITY

President of Uzbekistan has issued a resolution requiring the measures to be taken to improve the activity of the State Property Committee.

A special feature of the privatization process that has been taking place in Uzbekistan during the past several years is the sale of state assets and shareholdings at zero redemption value. There has been a cardinal turn towards the expansion of private sector, and intensified development of small businesses, farms and enterprise.

Meanwhile, the document states, the activity of the State Property Committee and its subdivisions requires improvement.

SPC and its territorial subdivisions do not show the due initiative in the top priority strategic directions of the privatization, focusing on small secondary issues. They do not take due measures on expansion of the stock market and activation of the securities market development, particularly secondary market, the Resolution says.

In view of this, the Presidential Resolution requires the activation of the privatization processes, improvement of the efficiency of state property management, as well as cardinal advancement in the organisation of the activity of central apparatus and territorial branches.

In particular the resolution finds the work of the administration of the SPC on fulfillment of the set tasks as unsatisfactory, and requires the confirmation of the measures to be taken to eliminate the shortcomings in the work of the SPC, provision of intensification of the privatization processes, and strengthening of the system of corporate management, securities market development according to the Annex No. 1.

Within one-month period State Property Committee is to analyse the activity of the supervisory councils in businesses with state ownership shares, their fulfillment of the business plans for 2005, and check the availability of the approved business plans for 2006.

If the business plans are not presented, the state attorneys or company managers in these businesses are to be replaced, and initiatives are to be taken to discharge executive directors.

The Cabinet of Ministers is to regularly check the reports of the chairmen of the supervisory councils and managers of large companies with the state owned shares on the activity and development of the companies and assess their work accordingly, applying administrative measures and dismissing officials not performing their duties.

In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers is to approve the new Regulation on the Order of Denationalisation and Privatisation of the State Property Objects within one-month period.

The Resolution approves the new organizational structure of the State Property Committee its central apparatus, the SPC of Karakalpakstan and territorial departments.

The document accepts the suggestion of the State Property Committee on liquidation of the state investment firm "Davincom" with the transfer of its functions to the structural subdivisions of the central apparatus of the SPC and its territorial departments, responsible for the issues concerning the sale of state assets at exchange and off-exchange trades; on reformation of the Scientific-Research Institute for Intensification of Market Reforms under the SPC into the Research Center for Privatisation, Corporate management, and Securities Market under the SPC; and on reformation of Mulkdor newspaper into Birja (Exchange) newspaper.

According to the document, the State Property Committee is to develop and approve the model Regulation on territorial management of the committee, paying special attention to clear establishment of responsibilities and personal liability of the offers and specialists of the territorial departments for timely implementation of territorial privatization programmes, provision for efficient management of state property, and fulfillment of investment obligations by investors.

The Ministry of Justice of Uzbekistan together with the ministries and departments are to submit recommendations to the Cabinet of Ministers on the changes and additions to be introduced to the legislation resulting from the resolution within one month. Control over implementation of the resolution was laid upon the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Rustam Azimov.

ROLE OF COMMERCE CHAMBER IN DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESSES TO BE DISCUSSED

Conference on the "Role of chambers of commerce and industry in creation of favourable business environment and enterprise development" will be held on 5 May at Dedeman Silk Road Hotel in Tashkent.

The conference is organised by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Uzbekistan, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, with the assistance of the German Embassy in Uzbekistan, and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Germany in the framework of the joint cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The conference participants will discuss the results of the measures taken by the government last year intended to support enterprise. They will also consider the issues of joint cooperation between the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Uzbekistan and organisations interested in supporting small business and private enterprise in Uzbekistan and abroad.

Heads of ministries and departments that are already cooperating with the Chamber, as well as representatives of the parties concerned capable of contributing to the development of non-governmental sector of the economy are invited to participated.

ACCCIM EXPLORING INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN UZBEKISTAN

Malaysian Chinese businessmen are exploring business opportunities in Uzbekistan to expand into new markets and leverage on the lower cost of production in that country.

Secretary General of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (ACCCIM), Tan Sri Soong Siew Hoong said a 11-member trade delegation comprising officials from local governments and private companies from Navoi, Uzbekistan was currently in Malaysia talking to ACCCIM members for prospects of joint business ventures.

The ACCCIM through its 17 constituent chambers, has direct and indirect membership of about 90,000, Bernama reported.

More than 90% of these members are in the small and medium size enterprises (SME) category.

"It is a growing trend among ACCCIM members to re-locate their manufacturing sites from Malaysia to other countries to strategise on their production cost and competitiveness," Soong said after a business meeting here Friday with the delegation from Uzbekistan.

He said ACCCIM made a trade visit to Uzbekistan last year and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with its Chamber of Commerce.

Uzbekistan, previously a country from the Soviet Union bloc is now an open economy. Wholesale and retail trade, beer production and food-related industries are among some of the sectors being represented in the delegation from Uzbekistan.

CONFERENCE ON PROTECTION OF TIMBER RESOURCES IN TASHKENT

International conference dedicated to the issues of the protection of timber resources, and expansion of forests for provision of stable development of Central and Eastern Europe and CIS countries is being held in Tashkent.

The organizers of the conference are the Head Department of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management, UNDP Project for Food Products and Agriculture, and UN Economic Commission for Europe. Scientists and specialists from around thirty countries of the world, as well as representatives of international organisations participated in the event.

Participants of the conference stressed that forests were equally important both in sustaining the ecological stability and purity of the environment, and achieving economic development. Areas covered by forests around the world currently total almost 4 billion hectares, which means that on average there is 0.62 hectares of forests per person. Naturally this is too little to provide for the purity of the nature and protect human health. In view of this, special attention is given to the protection of forests and their expansion.

In Uzbekistan projects on expansion of forest areas, and adoption of new types of plants to local climate conditions are being carried out.

"The conference looks at the forestry projects that are related to the countries' economic development," said the representative of the UN organisation for food products and agriculture Folker Sakke. "Several such projects are planned in Uzbekistan. They will serve the creation and improvement of certain aspects of the development of forestry in different regions of Uzbekistan.

Participants of the conference will deliver reports on the key directions in the development of the activity of forestry organisations, achievements and experience in the field, practical application of scientific achievements, legal framework for the protection of flora, economical use of scarce natural resource and preservation of bio-diversity. They will also share opinions on the issues concerning the improvement of specialists' qualifications in the area, and will visit Samarkand and Bukhara regions.

The event will last until 29 April.

SOCIETY

GENDER TRAINING COURSE ENDS IN UZBEKISTAN

A five-day gender training course for participants from Uzbekistan's Ombudsman institution, the Women's Committee and other Uzbek women's organizations ended today in Tashkent.

The course, which was organized with the support of the OSCE Centre in Tashkent, aimed at preparing the trainers to help improving domestic capacity to promote gender equality in accordance with international standards and make it a sustainable activity by training national experts on gender issues.

The 23 participants covered topics such as trainers' skills, methodological training preparations, legislative gender expertise and the development of a gender strategy.

The initiative forms part of a joint project by the Ombudsman's office, the Women's Committee and the non-governmental organization, Civil Initiatives Support Centre.

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT SPONSORS UZBEK STUDENTS STUDYING IN RUSSIA

Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan has announced a contest for studying in the state universities and institutes of Russian Federation for 2006/2007 academic years.

The list of Russian universities and institutes, professions provided to the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan for organisation of the competition among the citizens of Uzbekistan includes 23 specific higher educational facilities, as well as fields "Medical schools", "Culture and Art schools", "Agricultural schools" that will accept one student each. The specifically named schools included Astrahan State University, Volgograd State Architectural-Construction University, State Pedagogical University, State Technical University, State Institute of Russian Language named after Alexander Pushkin, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk State Technical University, Kazan State Pedagogical University, Kazan Technological University, Kazan State University, Kazan State Energy University, Maykop State Technological University, Moscow Automobile-Road Institute, Moscow State Textile University named after Kosygin, Moscow State Technological University "Stankin", Moscow State University of Applied Bio-Technologies, Omsk State University, Omsk State Technical University, Orenburg State University, Rostov State Construction University, Samara State Aerocosmic Universit, Twer State Technical University, and Ural State Technical University –UPI (Ekaterinburg).

The students are offered to study for more than 50 professions. Candidates for complete course of study should have finished secondary, secondary specialized, professional education or be the 2006 graduates of secondary, secondary specialized, professional educational facilities, as well as have excellent and good grades on the characteristic subjects. Candidates for post-graduate studies should have higher education or a master's degree.

Candidates must be healthy. They have to go through a medical check-up and not have medical contra-indications for studying in the universities and institutes of the Russian Federation. The scholarships of the Russian Government will cover the tuition fee, in-campus housing, and an additional stipend.

Besides, the finalists have to purchase medical insurance that would include out-patient and in-patient medical service that costs US$150 a year. The students have to cover they travel expenses to and from the place of study.

The deadline for submission of documents for the contest is 13 May 2006.

Although, according to the statement of the Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Education of the Russian Federation Alexander Kazenov, the quotas for the education of students from Uzbekistan will be eliminated in the new year, today's maximum number of students accepted to study in Russian through the sponsorship of Russian Government constitutes 121.