August 18, 2008
Politics:
Uzbekistan Sends Humanitarian Cargo to War-Suffered Civilians in South Osetia
Uzbekistan, Japan sign investment agreement
Economics:
"EXPO.UZ 08" to demonstrate achievements of Uzbek economy
IFC and Uzbekistan Government partner to improve the business environment and assess impact of regulations
Uzbekistan Airways carries 1 million passengers in 1Í 2008
Society:
Ombudsman’s Tandem with Other Bodies on HR Discussed
Andijan Hosts Forum on Heritage of Babur & His Dynasty
Samarkand Hosts Job Fair, Job-Seekers Get Jobs – Paper
Audio-Books System for Eye-Handicapped Set up in Ferghana
POLICY
UZBEKISTAN SENDS HUMANITARIAN CARGO TO WAR-SUFFERED CIVILIANS IN SOUTH OSETIA
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov instructed the Government of the republic to allocate 250 thousand US dollars for rendering humanitarian aid to civilian population who has suffered as a result of military conflict in South Osetia.
The Ministry for Extraordinary Situations of the Republic of Uzbekistan shall be instructed to accomplish the delivery of humanitarian cargo of various types of construction materials, including cement, as well as foodstuff, medicines, blankets, bedclothes and other essential goods.
UZBEKISTAN, JAPAN SIGN INVESTMENT AGREEMENT
Foreign Affairs Minister of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Uzbekistan Sutomi Hiraoka signed an agreement on liberalization, encouragement and protection of investments between Uzbekistan and Japan on August 15, Uzreport Business Information Portal reported.
The agreement includes full and detailed regulations on liberalization, encouragement and protection of investments. The document became another step in strengthening and boosting investment relations between two states. It is expected that it will contribute to strengthening of economic cooperation between the countries.
The signing of the document is another evidence for friendly relations between Uzbekistan and Japan, as well as new step in development of intergovernmental relations.
It should be noted that the agreement was signed in the period of high interest of Japanese businesses to open new enterprises in Uzbekistan. The broadening and deepening of business contacts in private entrepreneurship, increasing of investments to this direction of economy will be another step in strengthening of economic partnership and positive development of Uzbek-Japanese relations.
ECONOMY
"EXPO.UZ 08" TO DEMONSTRATE ACHIEVEMENTS OF UZBEK ECONOMY
UzExpoCenter will host traditional exhibition of goods and services of the Uzbek producers "EXPO.UZ 08" (earlier known as "Made in Uzbekistan"), which will open autumn exhibition season, on August 26-29.
This year, the name of the exhibition was changed and it reflects new concept of the exhibition. It is expected that the exhibition will be more saturated, bright and festive. The exhibitors will present new developments, products and services, quality of which meet international standards and highly demanded in foreign markets, according to the Uzreport Business Information Portal.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment and Trade of Uzbekistan, the exhibition will be demonstration of creative processes in Uzbekistan. It added that the strengthening of export potential and competitiveness of national economy helps to produce high-quality and demanded products.
As a proof to the statement, the ministry said that the export of Uzbekistan grew by 48.2% year-on-year to US$6.12 billion in the first half of Uzbekistan. Current trade balance surplus made up US$2.4 billion.
The exhibition will present newly produced goods and services of Uzbekistan in various spheres of the economy, including machinery and aircraft production, agriculture machinery, industrial and electricity goods, consumer goods and others.
The peculiarity of this year exhibition is the increased number of small, medium and private businesses. It is expected that the exhibition will help these businesses to conclude contracts with foreign partners to export their products.
Local fruit and vegetable producers will also present their products at the exhibition. It is planned that the flowers exhibition will take place at the exposition.
GM Uzbekistan, an Uzbek car maker, will demonstrate all it cars, including Lacetti, Nexia and Nexia-2, Matiz, Damas, Captiva, Epica, Tacuma. The visitors will have an opportunity to drive these cars.
Enterprises like SamAvto, Roison, Sino, Tashkent Aircraft Production Plant named after Chkalov, Uzcabel, Andijancable, Alutex, Muruvat–tex and other will demonstrate their new products.
IFC AND UZBEKISTAN GOVERNMENT PARTNER TO IMPROVE THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESS IMPACT OF REGULATIONS
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, will work with the government of Uzbekistan to establish a new system for assessing the impact of regulations on the business environment.
Lars Thunell, IFC Executive Vice President and CEO, and Rustam Azimov, Uzbekistan's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, today signed a cooperation agreement to introduce a screening mechanism for policy proposals in Uzbekistan during the 2008-2010 period. This will help the government build its capacity to review regulations and incorporate regulatory review into its daily operations.
"We look forward to helping the government introduce a system to assess the impact of regulations affecting businesses," Thunell said. "We will build on IFC's extensive experience in implementing business environment reforms in the region to improve the quality of regulation and ensure the sustainability of reforms in Uzbekistan."
Since 1994, IFC has invested US$55 million in 14 projects in Uzbekistan's food processing, construction materials, banking, and leasing industries. IFC's current investment portfolio is worth about US$6 million, most of which is invested in Asaka Bank, ABN AMRO Bank NB Uzbekistan, Hamkor Bank, Parvina Bank, and Uzbek Leasing International.
UZBEKISTAN AIRWAYS CARRIES 1 MILLION PASSENGERS IN 1Í 2008
Uzbekistan Airways, the national air company, transported about 1 million passengers and almost 12,000 tons of cargo in the first half of 2008, UzA reported.
The company director general Valery Tyan told journalists in Tashkent that Uzbekistan Airways was implementing a special complex development plan, designed until 2010. It includes a wide range of offers and services aimed at increasing the comfort of passengers and safety of flight.
Currently the airline offers routes to all large cities of Uzbekistan and to more than 45 international destinations. Representative offices of Uzbekistan Airways operate in more than 40 cities of Europe, Asia, America and the CIS.
During 2008-2009, the national airline of Uzbekistan should join the international alliance Sky Team, which unites the world’s largest airlines and controls 35% of the passenger and cargo transportation market.
The cooperation with the alliance will open new opportunities for further integration of the Uzbekistan Airways in the international air transport system.
SOCIETY
OMBUDSMAN’S TANDEM WITH OTHER BODIES ON HR DISCUSSED
The Authorized of Oliy Majlis on Human Rights and Coordinator of OSCE Projects in Uzbekistan organized the seminar “Interaction of Ombudsman with judicial and law-enforcement bodies in the sphere of human rights protection” in Tashkent, Jahon Information Agency quoting the Pravda Vostoka newspaper.
Representatives of Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan, ministries of justice, internal affairs, Office of Prosecutor General, association of judges and attorneys of Uzbekistan as well as mass media took part at the seminar, according to the newspaper.
During the two-day discussions the delegates to the seminar spoke on goals and tasks of reforms now underway in the country in legal sphere, joint work of Ombudsman with law-enforcement and judicial bodies, as well as the issues related to using international standards of human rights at work of courts. They also considered the problems surfacing in law-enforcement practice and set ways to address them.
Senior adviser to the Coordinator of OSCE Projects in Uzbekistan B.Ruo said that for over the short period of time many civil society institutions matured in the country and in this respect Uzbekistan has been paying attention to ensuring human rights at the top state level.
At the seminar the participants also discussed other related issues and held business game-plays. As a part of the event, the presentation of the book “Ombudsmen of the world” was held, according to the newspaper.
ANDIJAN HOSTS FORUM ON HERITAGE OF BABUR & HIS DYNASTY
On August 15 this year an international scientific conference “The role of Babur and Babur’s dynasty in the history of world culture” was held in Andijan, according to the Uzbekistan National News Agency.
The world-known scholars who study Babur’s life arrived from such countries as Japan, Egypt, Germany and Afghanistan to participate at the forum along with Uzbek scholars.
Since early days of independence the Uzbek Leadership has being paying a profound attention to reviving national values and studying the heritage of great scholars and thinkers of the Uzbek people. For over the past period the new facets of works by Zakhiriddin Muhammad Babur have been revealed. This year the 525th anniversary of Babur was broadly celebrated in Uzbekistan.
The International Fund named after Babur leads a considerable work to deeply study the life and works of the great thinker. In particular, the efforts led by the Fund to learn the invaluable heritage of Babur and Babur’s dynasty, their manuscripts and works published all around the world are noteworthy. Such efforts pursue a noble goal that is to make the Uzbek people aware of research work now held in various countries around the world and published works dedicated to the history and culture of Babur’s dynasty.
Thanks to over ten scientific expeditions to foreign states the Fund collected about 300 unique manuscript works at its Museum of “Babur and world culture”.
For over the last years a big work in terms of studies of Babur’s dynasty has been accomplished abroad. Thus, the book “Boburnoma” (memoirs of Babur) has been issued in the Chinese and Turkish languages. During the conference in Tashkent the participants appraised the research being undertaken in this direction.
The foreign scholars who have participated at the scientific international conference also shared their views and comments on such occasion.
Eigi Mano, the Honorable Professor at the Kioto University in Japan:
“First of all I want to note the high level of organization of the conference. I have always dreamt of walking along the places related to the name of Babur. One may speak a lot about enormous contribution which Babur and his dynasty made to the development of world culture. It is extremely important to deeply research their rich material and spiritual heritage and bring to forthcoming generations. Thanks to the conference I have witnessed once again the high level of culture of the Uzbek people, their sincerity and hospitality. Their wonderful qualities such as friendship and solidarity, kindness and mercy, unique customs and traditions are worth of good envy. ”
Halim Yorkin, scholar of studies Babur’s dynasty from Afghanistan:
“The Uzbek people may be proud of their great ancestors who were born on this sacred soil and made enormous contribution to world civilization. The Afghan people are also reading Babur’s works with a great love. Several events described in “Boburnoma” are known to have taken place in Kabul and its vicinity. Therefore, recently this work was published in two pieces named as “Vokeoti Kobul” (‘The Kabul events’) in Afghanistan. For all of us it is a great honor to visit the place where Babur was born.”
SAMARKAND HOSTS JOB FAIR, JOB-SEEKERS GET JOBS – PAPER
The municipality of Samarkand Province and the Main Administration of Labor and Social Protection of Population organized the fair of job vacancies in the city of Samarkand. Over 380 enterprises, organizations and professional colleges offered 7.400 vacancies based on quotas and home-labor, Jahon Information Agency quoting the Narodnoye slovo newspaper.
More than six thousand people participated at the fair. As they learned about the conditions and opportunities created at companies and organizations they expressed wish to seek an employment with them.
“For a long time I could not find any appropriate job,” Farida Khakimova of Samarkand said. “Learning about at the fair with the operations of Open Joint-Stock Company Nafis that produces the chinaware I decided to work for this company.”
During the fair over 5.100 people were employed, 66 young men and women were sent to obtain training for craftsmanship, 160 people were attracted to paid public work.
AUDIO-BOOKS SYSTEM FOR EYE-HANDICAPPED SET UP IN FERGHANA
In line with the Year of Youth State Program big work is now underway to support the handicapped people in Ferghana Province, Jahon Information Agency reported.
The regional Information and Library Center is reported to have set up the system named as “Talking books” for the eye-handicapped people. The audio versions of 35 works of modern Uzbek and foreign writers were collected at the library.
“The main goal of the project is to meet the spiritual needs of the Uzbek disabled fellow countrymen, help to enrich their worldview, acquaint this category of readers with new books and samples of national and world literature,” the employee at the Center Shoira Karabaeva said. “At the moment, children from special Boarding School No.86, kindergartens, as well as students at the professional college in Ferghana city and representatives of other establishments use the services of the system.”
There are over one thousand copies of books at stocks of the system. Thanks to innovation the Center attracted new amateurs of reading.