August 07, 2009

Politics:
Newly Appointed Envoys Grant Credentials to President
Vehicles to border guards in Uzbekistan
Economics:
Seminar considers conducting fruit and vegetable production, sale business
World Bank approves Bukhara and Samarkand sewerage project
Seminar discusses conducting business in meat and milk production, sale
Society:
341,900 people applied to labor agencies for employment in 1H 2009
Tashkent transport workers pass training on disability understanding
Uzbek Athletes Earn First Medals at the Bangkok Asian Games

POLICY

NEWLY APPOINTED ENVOYS GRANT CREDENTIALS TO PRESIDENT

On August 5 this year the newly appointed ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Georgia Georgiy Kublashvili and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Rupert Joy to Uzbekistan granted credentials to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, Jahon Information Agency quoting the national newspapers.

President, as he has accepted the credentials of mission, had congratulated the diplomats on appointment to such honorable and responsible post. The Uzbek Leader wished them successes in their tenures in Uzbekistan. He has also noted the development of relations of Uzbekistan with those two countries.

In particular, the Uzbek-Georgian relations have been developing in the spirit of Friendship and cooperation treaty signed in 1995. The relations between the two states are predicated on the principles of mutual interest and friendship, the newspapers wrote.

The ties in the sphere of trade and transport communications play an important role in the sphere of economy. The Intergovernmental commission on bilateral cooperation considers the opportunities to extend the nomenclature of commodity circulation, while not being limited to just traditionally traded goods between Uzbekistan and Georgia.

In particular, the Georgian side believes that it could import from Uzbekistan not only cotton or transit goods, but also grain.

Ambassador Kublashvili said that Uzbekistan and Georgia have traditionally enjoyed the friendly ties. He has believed his main task during the tenure in Tashkent would be the maximum expansion of scales of cooperation with taking into account the available opportunities.

Uzbekistan also well cooperates with the Great Britain. The two states are increasing the scope of cooperation in economic and humanitarian spheres.

The UK highly assesses the initiatives of Uzbekistan in terms of consolidating the regional and international security, and proceeding from that, it highly values the engagement with Uzbekistan in political sphere.

The Great Britain is one of the large trade and economic partners of Uzbekistan in Europe. At the moment, 195 joint ventures, established along with cooperation with British entrepreneurs, are operating in Uzbekistan. Apart from that, 55 British firms and companies have opened up their offices in the country.

Uzbekistan and the UK also enjoy a good level of cooperation in humanitarian sphere. The Tashkent-based International Westminster University serves as a fine example of the aforesaid.

Also, several institutions of higher learning of two countries signed documents of cooperation. The academics undertake joint research in various areas of science, the newspapers also wrote.

“The relations between Uzbekistan and the Great Britain are ever developing,” – Ambassador Joy said, while speaking to journalists prior to attending the official ceremony of granting credentials, “we intend to enhance the trade and economic relations, as much as the immediate contacts between businesses and ever expand the scope of cooperation in the sphere of education.”

VEHICLES TO BORDER GUARDS IN UZBEKISTAN

The EU-UNDP Border Management in Central Asia (BOMCA) assistance programme has handed over a car (Niva-Chevrolet) to the Border Guards Committee of the National Security Service of Uzbekistan.

The event was attended by representatives of the Border Guards Committee and BOMCA staff. The vehicle will be used by BOMCA beneficiary representatives in their daily operations, Uzreport Information Portal reported.

At present, the BOMCA Programme in Uzbekistan cooperates with ten beneficiary entities, including five controlling bodies involved in border management, Border Guards Committee, Customs Committee, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture.

The Government of Uzbekistan is keen to promote development of trade and transit in the Ferghana Valley. Two Border Crossing Points (BCPs), Vuadil and Madaniyat, were improved by BOMCA in 2007. In the Fergana Valley, BOMCA delivered equipment to the Karasu BCP.

A Training Centre for Border Guards in the city of Termez was constructed and equipped.

Within the BOMCA Programme, beneficiaries receive training for Dog Handlers at the regional level. The comprehensive training programme for Dog Handlers improves their knowledge of dog handling techniques in searching for drugs and explosives.

To search for drugs and explosives, apprehend suspected drug traffickers and collate and analyse information on illegal drug trafficking, Drug Profiling Units (DPUs) have been established in all the countries in the Central Asian region.

In Uzbekistan, two Drug Profiling Units (DPU) offices at the Tashkent International Airport and Keles railway station were opened. For these, BOMCA refurbished the relevant facilities and equipped them with the necessary specialists and office equipment. With the involvement of international experts, a number of training sessions have been carried out for the staff of DPUs.

Within the framework of the EU-UNDP BOMCA assistance programme, the European Union provides training opportunities in Central Asia and improves the infrastructure along the trade and transit corridors in Central Asia.

The EU-UNDP BOMCA assistance programme is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP.

ECONOMY

SEMINAR CONSIDERS CONDUCTING FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTION, SALE BUSINESS

A seminar on important issues of doing business in the sphere of production, processing and sale of fruits and vegetables was held in Bukhara in late July.

Fruit and vegetable production and closely related fields are one of the most important spheres in the economy of the Bukhara region. The Bukhara region is considered to be one of the country's highly productive regions in producing fruits and vegetables.

According to the statistics, in 2008 the productivity of potatoes was 233.3 centners per hectare and fruit and berries was 136.0 centners per hectare. However, the level of production and processing of fruits and vegetables in the Bukhara region still remains low.

The level of fruit and vegetable production, potatoes, water melons and grapes in the region in 2008 was equal to 648 thousand tons and is forecast to reach 704.5 thousand tons in 2009. Only about 5-19% of fruit and vegetables are processed in Bukhara.

The reason for this is that the available conditions and possibilities of developing fruit and vegetable production are not used to the fullest capacity. Besides, there is a number of important issues that producers of fruit and vegetables have to tackle.

Such issues as financing the activities of the private business in the sphere of fruit and vegetable production and processing, importing technological fruit and vegetable processing equipment, providing raw materials, taxation and customs procedures during exporting of fruit and vegetable products need to be discussed by the government and the private sector in order to be solved.

The practical seminar, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan, hokimiyat of Bukhara region and UNDP project "Business Forum of Uzbekistan", was dedicated to the issues of developing the fruit and vegetable production sphere in the region towards finding solutions for important issues in the sphere of production, processing and sale of agricultural products.

The aim of the event was also to increase the knowledge of the private sector representatives regarding the activities of the government and commercial structures, which are aimed at assisting the private sector.

Managers of enterprises, organizations and farmers of the Bukhara region, representatives of government organizations and the local administration and other interested agencies in this sphere participated in this event.

Moreover, in order to ensure effective dialogue between stakeholders, specialists in the spheres of enterprise development, attracting financial resources, taxation and customs also attended the seminar.

The event was held in an interactive mode and such methods as brain storming, analyzing particular situations, working in small groups were used. That helped to ensure active participation of entrepreneurs in finding effective solutions to important problems in the field.

The distinctive feature of this seminar was that the participants had an opportunity to formulate and present their own solutions about specific important issues.

During the seminar the representatives of the "Business Forum Project" made presentations on the topics "Business Facilitation Centers"and "Growing Sustainable Business", that are new initiatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan aimed at providing practical assistance to the private sector.

The organizers hope that this seminar will help find solutions to the important issues of conducting entrepreneurial activities, improving legislation in the sphere of production and processing of fruit and vegetable products and also to give practical recommendations for further developing the field.

WORLD BANK APPROVES BUKHARA AND SAMARKAND SEWERAGE PROJECT

The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors on 4 August approved the "Bukhara and Samarkand Sewerage Project" for Uzbekistan.

The loan of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), a division of the World Bank Group, is equivalent to US$55 million. The maturity of the project is 35 years with grace period of 10 years.

The objectives of the Bukhara and Samarkand Sewerage Project for Uzbekistan are to mitigate the environmental impact from wastewater pollution, and improve the efficiency and sustainability of wastewater management in Bukhara and Samarkand.

There are four components to the project, the first component being physical investments. This component will finance the rehabilitation and limited expansion of sewerage systems in Bukhara and Samarkand.

The second component is the institutional strengthening and capacity building. This component will finance capacity building for both Bukhara and Samarkand vodokanals. It will help develop communication strategies and run public awareness-raising campaigns; train staff in managing utilities, emphasizing a consumer orientation, and establish a pilot Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and database.

The third component is the feasibility studies for future investments. This component will finance consultant studies for future Government priority investments in the water supply and sanitation sectors. It will be managed by the central government.

Finally, the fourth component is the project management. This component will finance the strengthening of Project Coordination Unit (PCU), including its branches in Bukhara and Samarkand.

SEMINAR DISCUSSES CONDUCTING BUSINESS IN MEAT AND MILK PRODUCTION, SALE

A seminar on the important issues of doing business in the sphere of production, processing and sale of meat and milk products was held in Karshi in late July this year.

The development of the production and processing of meat and milk products plays an important role in supplying domestic consumer market with the needed products, creating work places and supporting the development of accompanying fields. Kashkadarya region is considered to be one of the country's biggest producers of meat and milk products.

According to the information of the State Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in 2008 more than 158,7 thousand tons of meat and 575,1 thousand tons of milk was produced in the Kakshkadarya region, the main part of which is produced by small enterprises and microfirms.

The past experience shows that existing opportunities of development are not used to their fullest capacity. This is especially true in the sphere of processing meat and milk products, demand to which is increasing due to increase in consumption of domestic market and income of the population.

The development of this sector depends on finding the solutions to a number of issues in particularly related to financing and tax, the purchasing of raw materials, gaining permissions, passing different technical procedures etc.

It was identified that the main cause of these problems was that businesses do not have enough information regarding the changes in rules and regulations, and measures implemented by the government and services provided by commercial organizations in assisting private sector.

The event was organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry the Republic of Uzbekistan, hokimiat of Kashkadarya region, UNDP project "Business Forum of Uzbekistan", as well as German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

The aim of the activity was to find the ways of resolving the important issues of conducting business in the sphere of production, processing and realization of agricultural products. Managers of enterprises, organizations and farmers of the Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions, representatives of government organizations and the local administration and other interested bodies in this sphere participated at the event.

Moreover, in order to ensure effective dialogue between stakeholders, specialists in the spheres of enterprise development, attracting financial resources, taxation and customs were also invited to the seminar.

The seminar took place in an interactive mode with the help of using such methods as brain storming, analyzing particular situations, working in small groups. This helped to ensure an active participation of entrepreneurs in finding effective solutions to important problems in the field.

The distinctive feature of this seminar was the fact that the participants had an opportunity to formulate and present their own solutions about specific issues.

SOCIETY

341,900 PEOPLE APPLIED TO LABOR AGENCIES FOR EMPLOYMENT IN 1H 2009

341,900 persons applied to labor agencies for employment in January-June of the current year, which was 5.1% more than in January-June 2008, according to the official data of the State Statistics Committee.

Out of the total number of citizens registered as those who are looking for a job 76.2 % are rural citizens, 0.7% - persons at the age of 16-18 years old, 50.8% - persons at the age of 18-30 years old, 46.7% - persons at the age of 30-50 years old.

In January-June of the current year 293,300 persons were placed in a job with the assistance of labor agencies (85.8% of all persons applied to labor agencies), which was 1.3% less than in January-June 2008.

From the total number of citizens who were placed in a job 51.7% fall upon youth (persons at the age of 16-30 years old), 46.6% – upon persons at the age of 30-50 years old, the main part of persons who were placed in a job (76.7%) falls upon the rural area.

As of the end of June 2009 the number of citizens registered through labor agencies as those who are looking for a job was 30,900 versus 30,500 as of the end of June 2008.

The greatest number of citizens registered through labor agencies as those who are looking for a job was marked in the city of Tashkent – 5,400 (17.6% of the total number of persons registered in labor agencies), Khorezm region – 3,200 (10.4%), Namangan region – 2,900 (9.3%), Kashkadarya region – 2,700 (8.8%).

The realization of adopted target complex programs on development of services, animal husbandry and hired labor as well as measures adopted in the framework of antirecessionary program ensured the creation of 534,600 new workplaces in January-June 2009, according to the data of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population.

The greatest number of workplaces was created in Kashkadarya region (10.9% of total newly created workplaces), Samarkand region (10%), Ferghana region (8.9%), Tashkent region (8.2%) and the city of Tashkent (8.9%).

Out of the total number of newly created workplaces 61.3% (327,500 workplaces) fall upon the rural area.

TASHKENT TRANSPORT WORKERS PASS TRAINING ON DISABILITY UNDERSTANDING

Training on "Disability understanding and providing accessibility for people with disabilities (PwD)" was conducted by ACCESS project on 6-7 August in Tashkent for specialists from Tashshahartranshizmat that provides public transportation services for the capital.

People with disabilities, especially those with physical or visual disability, appreciate accessibility of transportation as nobody else.

The training aims at raising awareness of drivers of buses, trams, trolleybuses and metro, engineers, technicians as well as managers of public transportation agencies on providing accessibility and learning about obstacles in transportation accessibility that restrict possibilities of PWD to equally participate in social life.

The training organizers believe that participants will further apply the knowledge and skills acquired during teh training sessions. That is to result in providing more accessible means of transportation and services including voicing and writing the names of the bus stations, providing easy access to all types of public transportation by applying low-floor buses or platforms, as well as making effective decisions that will ensure accessibility for all.

The project ACCESS (Accessibility Civic Consciousness Employment Social Support) is aimed at expanding the opportunities of social integration and employment for PWDs through raising public awareness and forming a positive public opinion on the issues of disability; improving the coordination and the building capacity of state and non-state actors in the promotion of implementation of legislation towards PWD; promoting accessibility to social infrastructure; creating a system of social support and the employment of PWDs.

UZBEK ATHLETES EARN FIRST MEDALS AT THE BANGKOK ASIAN GAMES

The First Asian Martial Arts Games being held in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, have begun successfully for the Uzbek sportsmen. They have earned two silver and three bronze medals in Taekwondo (WTF) and Judo wrestling contests.
The Asian Games that began on August 1 this year are seeing the participation of about 2500 athletes from different countries of the world.

The Uzbek national team - made of 43 athletes – contends for top prizes in different kinds of sports included to the program of the competition, according to the report by the Uzbekistan National News Agency.

The champion of Uzbekistan on Taekwondo (WTF), the winner of the 15th Summer Asian Games-2006 in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, Yevgeniya Karimova won the first place in her weight category.

The Taekwondo fighter Rustam Pulatov of Uzbekistan beat Tse Wang of Bhutan with a score of 6 to nothing. Now, he is going to fight Tufan Kumar of India to earn the right to move to a semifinal.

Another Judo fighter Iroda Abdurakhmanova won a silver medal and the members of the Uzbekistan national team Khurshid Nabiev, Utkir Salomov, Maria Shekerova won bronze medals in their weight categories.

The Muay Thai competition has also begun successfully for the Uzbek athletes. Sherzod Sharipov beat Sajad Allami and moved on to semifinal. Firdavs Kholmurodov and Azizbek Nazarov got to a quarter final of the competition.

The kick-boxer Dilshod Sodikov of Uzbekistan will compete against Wongsavat Zhangtaransu of the host country in the quarter final.