British diplomat visits Jizzakh and Samarkand

In Jizzakh Ms Murrell examined the activities of the “One-Stop-Shop” centre (OSS) under the khokimiyat of Jizzakh city, where all the essential conditions for providing public services to business entities were created.

It is necessary to note that a significant amount of work aimed at improving the process of providing public services to business entities through OSS and increasing transparency of local public authorities has been carried out within the framework of the project on improving access to public services and public information in Jizzakh, Namangan and Tashkent regions financed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and implemented by UNDP in cooperation with local khokimiyats and other concerned authorities.

This included publishing a handbook on activities of OSS, supporting the development of “Open data” portals of local khokimiyats and regional Councils of peoples’ deputies, as well as organising training workshops on open data for representatives of government organisations and mass media.

Moreover, in order to provide uninterrupted public services to small businesses and private entrepreneurs, 20 OSS centres in Jizzakh, Namangan and Tashkent region were supplied with fuel generators. Whereas the OSS under Mingbulak district hokimiyat in Namangan region was equipped with solar panels, with 5.5 kilowatt/per hour capacity.

It is also remarkable that for convenience of citizens information booths, where everyone can obtain information and watch videos, were installed at entrances of hokimiyats of the above mentioned regions.

In Samarkand Ms Murrel visited SABR centre and Local Development Centre under the Pedagogical College of Samarkand city, where, also with FCO support, professional skills trainings are regularly conducted for local population. The guests received short information about the history of SABR NGO’s creation and its cooperation with a British NGO Haven-Wolverhampton during the last 19 years.

At the Local Development Centre (LDC), located in the building of Samarkand Pedagogical College’s student residence, the guests visited all classrooms, equipped through the support of this project (confectionary, sewing, hairdressing, manicure and pedicure, computer literacy, training room etc.). They also looked through study modules oriented at developing professional skill, as well as conducting interactive trainings on financial literacy and business planning, resolving family conflicts, legal awareness, etc.

Desk Officer for Uzbekistan of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK Ms Sarah Murrell expressed her appreciation of the work both organisations in Jizzakh and Samarkand carry out with support of the FCO and British Embassy Tashkent.