Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions f Uzbekistan K. Rafikov met with a delegation of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

The meeting was attended by the Director of the ILO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, Heinz Koller, Director of the ILO Moscow Office Olga Kulaeva, National Coordinator of the ILO in Uzbekistan Azizkhon Khanhodzhaev, Senior Technical Advisor to the ILO project “Promoting the implementation of the Decent Work Country Program (DWCP) in Uzbekistan” Anastasia Dubova, leadership and senior officials of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan.

At the meeting, the chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan K. Rafikov informed the members of the ILO delegation that on 24 January, in his Address to the Parliament, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined a number of fundamentally new tasks in the further socio-economic development of Uzbekistan. In particular, a poverty reduction program will be adopted, and the state order for the production of grain and raw cotton will be canceled, which will allow farmers themselves to choose crops for sowing. The task was also set to reform secondary education and increase the coverage of higher education, to assist youth and women. Based on the tasks outlined in the Address, the trade unions began a pioneering project in the Syrdarya region.

Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan K. Rafikov also provided information on the activities of the Federation of Trade Unions in meeting international labor standards in cooperation with the ILO in the framework of the Decent Work Country Program (DWCP). In particular, it was noted that between Uzbekistan and the International Labor Organization, close cooperation was established on the promotion of decent work, which received a new impetus due to the visit of the ILO delegation to the country in December 2018, headed by Director General Guy Ryder.

Uzbekistan systematically adopts national action plans for the implementation of ILO conventions. In order to further develop the trade union movement, the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Trade Unions" was adopted, in the development of which international legal standards and the experience of developed countries were taken into account.

The ILO delegation was also informed that a General Agreement was signed between the Government, the Federation of Trade Unions and the Confederation of Employers for 2020-2022, and that for the first time in history, the Prime Minister himself signed this agreement on behalf of the Government.

As was noted during the meeting, taking into account the specifics of the demographic situation in Uzbekistan and the high population growth of 680 thousand people each year, the creation of new jobs is of particular relevance for the country. A set of measures is being implemented in this direction.

In April of this year, the Federation of Trade Unions is planning to hold, together with the ILO, with the support of the International Confederation of Trade Unions, an International Forum on the topic: "Trade Unions and Sustainable Development Goals: International Practice and Experience of Uzbekistan." An ILO delegation led by the Director-General is invited to the Forum.

During the conversation, some issues raised by the Uzbek side during the visit of Mr. Guy Ryder to Uzbekistan were also touched upon. The first request was to consider including our representatives in the staff of both the Geneva and Moscow ILO offices. The second request was for exploring the possibility of establishing an ILO International Training Center in Uzbekistan for countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

In his response, the Director of the ILO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, Heinz Koller, thanked the Uzbek side for the warm welcome and noted the unprecedented level of interaction and trust between Uzbekistan and the ILO. He emphasized that one of the goals of his visit to Uzbekistan was to prepare a new Decent Work Agenda in the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2021-2024, in which it was necessary to take into account the proposals of the trade unions. An important place should be occupied by the creation of new jobs, youth and women’s employment, gender equality, vocational training, and the development of the non-cotton agricultural sector.

In conclusion, the parties expressed confidence in further deepening mutual cooperation in all aspects of the world of work.