May 29, 2008
Politics:
Parl. Committees Meet As Lawmakers to See Constituencies
Seminar to discuss issues of counteracting human trafficking in Uzbekistan
Economics:
Uzbek-UAE economic cooperation commission holds first session
GM Uzbekistan increases car production by 23% in January-April 2008
IShONCh, Ipoteka-Bank ink cooperation agreement
UzbekInvest signs cooperation agreement with Ipoteka Bank
Society:
Healthcare Reforms Prove Effective and Successul
Student Youth Festival Takes Off in Samarkand
Challenger Ends in Ferghana, Reveals Best of the Best
POLICY
PARL. COMMITTEES MEET AS LAWMAKERS TO SEE CONSTITUENCIES
On the eve of their travels around provinces in the nation the lawmakers of the lower chamber of national parliament held their committee meetings to discuss issues of public importance, Jahon Information Agency quoting national the newspapers.
The Minister of Higher and Secondary Special Education of Uzbekistan R.Kasymov spoke before the Information and Communication Technologies Committee on implementation of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On informatization” in the system of ministry. The lawmakers spoke about the subordinate legislation adopted in a bid to provide for implementation of the said law.
Such legislation envisages the establishment of single information system of the ministry, conditions of higher educational institutions access to world information networks, establishment of information resources for the ZiyoNET educational network, and other.
The ministry’s work in the area was to establish the national information system whilst taking into consideration the world tendencies. The outcomes of research in the sphere have shown that the more educational institutions nationwide have been equipped with information and communication technologies. Thus, more students have access to computer and other computer technologies now. If in 2005 the universities and institutes in Uzbekistan had 17 781 computers then by April 1 this year this number rose up to 23 420.
In 2006 the special educational institutions (colleges, academic lyceums, and other) had 22 554 computers but in 2007 that number rose up to 30 683 computers. At the same time, number of students and teaching faculty using Internet is on the rise. Compare to last year’s figures, they have doubled and made up over 63 000. Such figure in colleges and lyceums accounts for more than 52 000 students and teachers. In their committee meeting in the parliament the lawmakers have said that by now all universities and institutes nationwide have access to Internet.
International Affairs and Parliamentary Relations Committee held the seminar “Urgent issues of implementation of Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Uzbekistan”, the newspapers further wrote.
The participants of the workshop are reported to have dwelled on such issues as improvement of law enforcement practice in the sphere of protection of rights, monitoring over realization of rights and freedoms of person in lawmaking, importance of reforming the institute of defense lawyers, as well as upgrading the efficiency of legal protection of citizens.
At the seminar the UNDP Deputy Permanent Representative to Uzbekistan K.Postill spoke about major international standards in human rights protection and foreign expertise in law enforcement practice.
The event has also touched on the need to hold an active awareness campaign at the local levels in a bid to raise the legal literacy of the people, as well as involving to this work of the lawmakers of local Kengashs (Councils) of people’s deputies, NGOs, as much as the citizen self-government bodies, according to the newspapers.
The roundtable held by the Labor and Social Issues Committee has comprehensively studied the people’s social protection, and particularly, the work on assigning and paying the allowances for women on their leave for care after child until two years of age.
The speakers at the roundtable have said that in 2007 over 703 000 mothers with children until two years of age received from the State budget allowances worth UZS 238.5 billion. This year, within the budget parameters, Uzbekistan plans to pay for such purposes UZS 282.8 billion.
SEMINAR TO DISCUSS ISSUES OF COUNTERACTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN UZBEKISTAN
Seminar "Counteracting human trafficking in the Republic of Uzbekistan" will be held on May 30-31 in Tashkent. The event has been organized by regional representative office of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Central Asia with support of the Uzbek government.
The seminar is directed on further improvement of national legislation, strengthening interaction of state structures and non-governmental organizations in Uzbekistan in the field of fight human trafficking, and studying international experience in this sphere, according to the information of the UNODC Office in Central Asia, Uzreport Business Information Portal reported.
It is expected that among participants of the seminar will be representatives of the Ministry of Internal Relations, National Security Service, Office of Public Prosecutor, Supreme Court, Ministry of Justice, Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis, National Human Rights Center of Uzbekistan and local NGOs.
Representatives of Interior Ministry of Belarus, International Organization for Migration (Mission in Kazakhstan), UNODC headquarters and department of fighting human trafficking (Vienna) and other international organizations accredited in Uzbekistan have been invited for participation in the seminar.
The seminar will discuss issues concerning establishment of the opportunities of stable mechanism of interaction of state structures, law enforcement bodies and non-governmental organizations in the field of counteraction against human trafficking, and prospective ways of forces coordination.
Special attention will be paid to acquaintance and study of participants with international experience, existing legal instruments of the UN and working out recommendations for strengthening national legal basis for effective fight against human trafficking.
UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime was signed by Uzbekistan on 13 December 2000 and ratified on 9 December 2003. Protocol on prevention of human trafficking, especially women and children and its punishment supplementing this Convention, was signed by Uzbekistan on 28 June 2001. The Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On counteracting human trafficking" was adopted on 21 April 2008.
The seminar will be held in the framework of UNODC Project "Improvement of criminal justice system in the field of fighting illegal human trafficking in Uzbekistan" which was approved by the Uzbek government in 2007 and being realized nowadays.
ECONOMY
UZBEK-UAE ECONOMIC COOPERATION COMMISSION HOLDS FIRST SESSION
Uzbekistan-UAE intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation held its first session in Tashkent on May 28. Representatives of government bodies and companies working in the trade, fuel, energy, finance, agriculture, customs, car building, pharmaceutics, food, light industry, transport communications, tourism, culture, environment and other spheres participated in the event.
First vice prime minister of Uzbekistan, commission co-chairman Rustam Azimov said Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates were expanding relations in all spheres of cooperation. The official visit of the President Islam Karimov to the UAE in March 2008 gave a new impulse to the relations. It was then that the agreement on creating the Uzbek-UAE economic cooperation commission was reached, UzA reported.
Minister of foreign trade of UAE, commission co-chairman Lubna bint Haled al-Kasemi also noted that the cooperation between the two states was developing steadily in political, economic, scientific and social spheres.
“Favorable investment climate in Uzbekistan is attracting the businessmen from the UAE,” she said. “We are interested in expanding mutually beneficial contacts in oil and gas, energy, agriculture, textile and food industry, banking, finance and tourism.”
Bilateral commodity turnover between Uzbekistan and UAE made up USD 93.1 million in 2007. About 70 joint ventures have been set up in Uzbekistan with UAE capital, and more than 20 companies from this state run their representative offices in Uzbekistan.
GM UZBEKISTAN INCREASES CAR PRODUCTION BY 23% IN JANUARY-APRIL 2008
GM Uzbekistan joint venture (former UzDaewoo Auto joint-stock company, Andijan region) in January-April 2008 increased its car production volume by 23.3% to 61,018 units compared with the same period of 2007.
There also were produced automobiles: 29,561 units of Nexia (growth by 20.9%), 22,406 Matiz (25.4%), 7,970 Damas (46.1%), 495 Captiva, 574 Epica and 9 Tacuma, Interfax reported quoting the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan.
As reported earlier, UzDaewoo Auto increased automobile output by 22.7% in 2007 in comparison with 2006 to 171,809 cars.
UzDaewoo Auto joint-stock company was established on a par by the government of Uzbekistan and Korean Daewoo Motor. In 1996 the company put into operation plant in Andijan region with production capacity of 200,000 automobiles per year.
In October 2005 Uzbekistan redeemed 50% of Daewoo Motor stock for UzDaewoo Auto JV. The shareholder of 100% UzDaewoo Auto stock was Uzavtoprom open joint-stock company.
In October 2007 Uzavtoprom and General Motors signed agreement on establishment of GM Uzbekistan JV on the basis of UzDaewoo Auto on production and realization of Chevrolet cars. GM holds 25% of the JV stock.
GM Uzbekistan productive capacity of which is 250,000 cars per year outputs three Chevrolet models: Captiva, Epica and Tacuma produced by technology of large component assembly with prospective to full-scale production in following three years.
ISHONCH, IPOTEKA-BANK INK COOPERATION AGREEMENT
IShONCh Interbank Insurance Company steadily follows its policy in the field of interaction with commercial banks and continues work on close cooperation with use of new market instruments.
Today IShONCh has sufficiently branchy and dynamically developing network of partnership relations with commercial banks, evidence of which is a number of concluded general agreements with Asaka State Joint-stock Commercial Bank, Samarkand Private Closed-type Joint-stock Commercial Bank, Turonbank Joint-stock Commercial Bank, Uzpromstroybank Joint-Stock Commercial Bank and others.
Conclusion of general agreement on cooperation between IShONCh and Ipoteka-Bank Joint-stock Commercial Mortgage Bank in May this year brought to the increase of the company's bank partners.
Mutually beneficial cooperation with banks is directed on the achievement of mutual business goals and strengthening of development basis of insurance types such as mortgage insurance, car insurance, bank and banking activity insurance, leasing operations insurance etc.
Current consolidation tendency of insurance and bank business is intended into active interaction of two essentially important segments of financial market and accordingly renewal of contractual conditions necessary for satisfaction of joint dynamic level of development in market relations.
The "bank-insurer" business tandem enables to modify bank products into more flexibility concerning the risk level undertaken by bank, establishing new types of insurance oriented on risk insurance, creating factors defining demand for bank products and insurance services.
During joint activity of banks and insurance companies client receives maximum convenient, complete and relatively inexpensive service package that may include insurance and bank services supplementing each other that productiveness of service will significantly rise.
UZBEKINVEST SIGNS COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH IPOTEKA BANK
UzbekInvest National Export and Import Insurance Company and Ipoteka Bank State Joint-Stock Commercial Mortgage Bank have signed the general cooperation agreement.
A source at UzbekInvest said the agreement was signed with the purpose of further developing the financial sector of the Republic of Uzbekistan within the frame of the creation of an effective mechanism of protecting the interests of the bank against the possible risks of its activity, particularly mortgage crediting, Uzreport Business Information Portal reported.
The agreement envisages complex insurance protection of the Ipoteka Bank's interests, the interests of its branches, staff and clients, the insurance of the property pledged as a collateral for mortgage loans, the insurance of the risk of loan non-return, the insurance of the buildings, structures and other property accepted by the Ipoteka Bank as a pledge, and the insurance of facilities, buildings and other property of the Ipoteka Bank.
This programme of complex insurance includes the insurance of various aspects of the bank's activity, which allows it to reduce its operational risks.
At the same time, the agreement is aimed at developing the entrepreneurial activity, developing and strengthening the spirit and cult of entrepreneurship. It does not exclude the possibility of other insurance companies' participation in the insurance compliant with the parameters and requirements of the Ipoteka Bank.
SOCIETY
HEALTHCARE REFORMS PROVE EFFECTIVE AND SUCCESSUL
For over the years of reforms the primary link of healthcare went through, it could be said, the global changes, Jahon Information Agency reported.
Applying the latest methods and approaches for over the last ten years Uzbekistan has established a principally new system of rendering the primary medical aid both in towns and villages.
As a result of implementation of the first stage of the State program of reforming the healthcare initiated by President, in particular, of the primary link of healthcare, the new treatment facilities such as the rural medical stations and family polyclinics have emerged in the country. They have replaced the old-fashioned village first-aid and obstetric posts, rural outpatient’s clinics as well as municipal children’s and adult’s clinics, the newspaper wrote.
At the moment, there are more than 3.100 rural medical stations nationwide. Thanks to implementation of Health-1 project, those stations have been supplied with the cutting-edge medical technology. The rural medical stations as much as the family polyclinics are employing the skilled the so-called ‘new-generation’ specialists, and particularly, the general practicing doctors. The times have proved the efficiency of the new system.
Speaking about the successes of domestic healthcare secured during the years of reforms President Islam Karimov has said that for over the last ten years the quality of medical servicing had considerably grown with medical facilities to have expanded in numbers. As a consequence, the indicator of general mortality decreased by 20 percent in the nation. The life expectancy of the Uzbek citizens rose from 62 years of age up to 72.5 years of age.
The Uzbek medicare personnel have achieved tangible results in protecting motherhood and childhood. This direction, according to the newspaper, has been pinpointed by state as the most important in domestic medical sphere. It is difficult to overestimate the role and significance of a diversified network of screening centers which were established for over the years of reforms. Such centers undertake permanent control over the child health yet from the time till his birth. And here are the results: for over the last year alone the level of child mortality decreased by 11 percent.
“Certainly, during the years of reforms the capabilities of a primary link of healthcare have incredibly expanded,” the head doctor of the family polyclinic No.14 of Shaikhontokhur District in Tashkent Dilfuza Ibragimova has been quoted as to have said.
According to her, the family polyclinic No.14, as much as many other medical facilities throughout Tashkent and nationwide, is being supplied with the latest equipment. The facility already applies the X-ray, ultrasonic scanning and electrocardiogram machines. The skilled doctors can diagnose diseases at the site and render the first and quick medical aid to patients.
“As among the urgent directions of further developing the Uzbek medicine the President has touched on the need to constantly enhance the qualification level as much as professionalism of medical workers, as a whole, and general practicing doctors, in particular,” the head doctor Ibragimova has further said.
All of the aforesaid measures as much as other efforts which are envisaged by the Program for implementing the second stage of cardinal reforming the healthcare will serve for improvement of medical servicing. This, in its turn, will further raise the quality and increase the life expectancy of the Uzbek people – the first and foremost goal of medical reforms now underway in Uzbekistan, according to the newspaper.
STUDENT YOUTH FESTIVAL TAKES OFF IN SAMARKAND
The youth festival of students that attend the higher educational institutions of Uzbekistan “Talabalar bahori -2008” (‘The student spring - 2008’) took off in Samarkand, Jahon Information Agency quoting UzA.
The attention to and care about the youth, creation of conditions for them to reveal their talents and creative potential, as well as upbringing in the spirit of devotion to Homeland make up the backbone of reforms now underway in Uzbekistan in social, political, cultural and educational spheres. The scope of such undertakings in the Year of Youth in the country in 2008 is expanding in this direction, the report has said.
Yet another goal of the youth festival in Samarkand is to increase the social activeness of young men and women, establish conditions so that they uncover their talents and abilities, as much as put in place the mutual exchange with their contemporaries nationwide, in line with the report.
The Central Council of Public Youth Movement Kamolot, ministries of higher and secondary special education, of culture and sports, the Kelajak Ovozi Center for Youth Intiatives, the Republican Council of Labor Unions Federation and Samarkand Regional Municipality are reported to have organized the festival with participation of over 200 students in it.
“We have undertaken massive preparation to the festival which is organized in line with the Year of Youth State program,” Deputy Chairman of the Central Council of Public Youth Movement Kamolot Kakhramon Kuranboev has been quoted to have said.
According to him, the events that make up the festival agenda in Samarkand are aimed to unveiling the talented youth in the sphere of arts, culture, science and sports. The young researchers are expected to speak at the scientific-practical conferences “The role of youth in establishing the civil society” and “Participation of youth in globalization”.
Also, the festival will host the marathon under the slogan “Sports is an envoy of peace and friendship” as well as contest “The joyous and witted”.
“I have participated at many youth contests and sports tournaments, but it came out that the student festival is much of another spirit and look,” Kobil Goipov of the Andijan Engineering and Economics Institute has said. “We are enjoying the opportunity to exchange views with other students and learn about their new ideas and initiatives”.
The festive opening ceremony of the Youth Festival “Talabalar bahori -2008” took place at the Mujiza amphitheater in the city of Samarkand. The dance shows by young performers, the appearances of young athletes, as well as songs and melodies that glorify youth and love for Homeland have added much joy and entertaining mood to the event, according to the report.
Students to Face One Another at Subject Olympiad in Tashkent
The final stage of subject Olympiad among the students of schools, academic lyceums and professional colleges of Uzbekistan started in Tashkent, the newspapers wrote.
Ministries of Public Education, of Higher and Secondary Special Education alongside with the Center of secondary special, professional education and State testing center at the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan organized the event.
Minister of Public Education Ghairat Shoumarov and Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Kasymov spoke at the opening ceremony of the Olympiad’s final stage in Tashkent, according to the newspapers.
Before the launch of the Olympiad the students, teachers and parents laid flowers to the monument of Independence and Humanism at the Mustakillik Square at the downtown Tashkent.
This year about two million young men and women took part at the first stage of the Republican subject Olympiad. 300 of them reached the final stage. In this contest the number of test questions for each subject has been increased, the newspapers further wrote.
During the Olympiad which will last until May 30 the students will not only face one another in the battles for the best knower of subject but also are expected to participate at the cultural and enlightenment events and attend the places of worth in Tashkent.
CHALLENGER ENDS IN FERGHANA, REVEALS BEST OF THE BEST
The traditional International Tennis Tournament Challenger ended in Istiklol Complex in the city of Ferghana, the news agencies reported.
Apart from professionals of Uzbekistan the strongest tennis players from 24 countries, including Russia, the U.S., Switzerland and Czech Republic took part at the contest.
The Challenger which is a part of international tennis contests and the one that impacts the rating standings of tennis players was held in Ferghana Province for 14 times.
At the qualifiers Sarvar Ikramov and Vaja Uzakov of Uzbekistan showed their top skills. But Pavel Czinobel of the Czech Republic secured the top place of the contest and won the Challenger, according to the repots.