Mirziyoyev Orders Reform of People's Reception Offices

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a videoconference meeting was held to discuss improvements to the system of People's Reception Offices, which handle citizen appeals and complaints.

Uzbekistan’s population has surpassed 38 million, with more than 20 million of working age. Over the past nine years, household incomes have doubled. To facilitate public services and address local concerns, officials—including ministers and regional governors (hokims)—are tasked with working directly in neighborhoods (mahallas). This year, 56 trillion soums have been allocated to improve living conditions at the community level.

Mirziyoyev emphasized that officials must ask themselves whether citizen problems are being resolved in a timely manner. Established nine years ago to bring government closer to the people, the People's Reception Offices now require modernization to meet contemporary demands. The guiding principle for ministers and hokims is now: “I must know the problem of every person and every family and provide assistance promptly.”

Statistics show that, on average, each 10,000 residents submit 319 complaints nationwide. In Tashkent, this figure reaches 535; in Navoi region, 462; in Syrdarya and Surkhandarya regions, 452; and in Jizzakh, 430. Certain districts, such as Dehkanabad and Mirabad, and cities including Navoi, Akhangaran, and Yangier, receive double the average number of complaints.

While overall complaints decreased by 16% nationwide, some districts—including Korovulbazar, Nurata, Kanimekh, and Tuprokkalin—and the city of Namangan saw a rise of up to 50% compared to last year. Some hokims have been criticized for limiting outreach to formal meetings with just four to five residents while claiming broader engagement.

Regions where hokims personally oversee reception offices—including Karakalpakstan, Andijan, Kashkadarya, Khorezm, and Syrdarya—show a 25–30% reduction in complaints, with 60–70% of issues resolved. In other regions and for some ministers, progress remains limited. In Tashkent alone, over half of 170,000 appeals remain unresolved, while Tashkent region sees similar challenges. Repeat complaints have increased in Surkhandarya, Samarkand, and Tashkent.

Examples of neglect include a case where a schoolchild fell into the “Junaryk” canal in Sergeli and a broken bridge remained unrepaired for two months despite citizen reporting—action was taken only after the incident circulated on social media.

The majority of appeals concern law enforcement (148,000), the Bureau of Forced Enforcement (134,000), energy (88,000), employment (60,000), and healthcare (56,000). Last year, 70,000 appeals related to alimony enforcement were submitted. While the Bureau ensures collection when possible, about 30% remain unresolved due to payers’ lack of official income. Hokims have been instructed to analyze employment and training needs to better address these issues.

Officials also reviewed restrictions on citizens with alimony obligations in accessing organized labor migration programs abroad, noting that unresolved obligations can prevent overseas employment. Additionally, 448 complaints were received regarding bureaucratic issues in obtaining birth certificates for children.

President Mirziyoyev called for comprehensive reforms to enhance accountability, improve response times, and ensure the People’s Reception Offices fulfill their role in serving citizens effectively.

“Those are the people who were compelled to submit requests because a birth certificate is required for enrolling a child in a kindergarten or school. But how many more have not yet applied?” — the head of state asked.

The Ministry of Justice has been tasked with developing a simple solution to this issue.

Last year, more than 148,000 inquiries related to the competence of law enforcement agencies were received, with a significant number of complaints concerning the rude behavior of personnel and the quality of investigative procedures.

Responsible officials were instructed to visit the Denov and Urgut districts, as well as the cities of Samarkand, Karshi, Namangan, Jizzakh, Ferghana, and Chirchik — areas with the highest number of inquiries per thousand residents — to hear citizens’ concerns and organize training for preventive inspectors and investigators to improve their professional skills and communication culture.

In 2025, inquiries concerning energy, road, and water infrastructure exceeded 109,000. The largest increases were observed in the Asaka, Shakhrikhan, Izbaskan, Pastdargom, Shurchi, Denov, G‘uzar, Kamashi, Dehkanabad, and Sharaf-Rashidov districts, as well as in the cities of Samarkand, Namangan, Termez, Karshi, and Andijan.

This year, 20 trillion soums have been allocated to address these issues. It was emphasized that if hokims direct these funds primarily to the mahallas from which the most complaints originate, public satisfaction will rise, and the number of inquiries will decrease. The “Initiative Budget” program has already shown significant results in improving living conditions at the mahalla level.

At the same time, it was noted that around two thousand mahallas, which submitted 25,000 infrastructure-related inquiries, have never submitted projects under the “Initiative Budget” program. Officials were urged to analyze the inquiries received at People’s Reception Offices and assist these mahallas in preparing projects, which would allow many problems to be solved locally.

It was also highlighted that the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation responds formally to 64% of inquiries, the Construction and Housing Inspection to 61%, and the Ministry of Transport to 58%, rather than providing real solutions. Such practices are observed in almost all ministries.

In the early years after the opening of People’s Reception Offices, 90–95% of inquiries were complaints; today, that figure has dropped to 60–65%.

“People’s mindset is changing: instead of focusing solely on personal issues, they increasingly submit proposals to improve conditions in their mahalla. However, citizens whose problems remain unresolved request a meeting with officials through the President. This system will now change. Hokims should not limit themselves to resolving the issue raised in an inquiry. On the contrary, they must address the root causes of the problem,” the head of state stated.

A new system will be introduced in this area, under which People’s Reception Offices will become not only bodies that receive inquiries but also centers for diagnosing local problems.

The President illustrated the mechanism of the new system using the city of Karshi as an example. An analysis was conducted of 11,000 inquiries submitted to the People’s Reception Office by residents of Karshi last year.

For instance, when examining reasons for 255 residents’ failure to pay alimony, it was found that 193 of them are skilled but unemployed, while 62 underreport their actual income.

Under the new system, the hokimiyat, banks, hokim’s assistants, city employment departments, and the Bureau of Compulsory Enforcement will work together. Citizens will be engaged in entrepreneurial activities, and the unemployed will be placed in vacant positions at industrial and service enterprises in the region. For alimony payers who wish to work abroad, tripartite agreements will be concluded, after which they will receive language and professional training and be directed to high-paying jobs overseas.

In turn, the city tax inspectorate, together with the department under the Office of the Prosecutor General, will work to bring the activities of individuals concealing their income out of the “shadow economy.”

It was emphasized that implementing these measures will improve the financial situation for nearly 700 children dependent on alimony payers.

It was also noted that 146 inquiries from Karshi residents were related to delays in salary payments. The First Deputy Hokim will analyze the financial condition of organizations that delay wages and, together with the Deputy Hokim for Investments and banks, will address issues related to the provision of raw materials, working capital, infrastructure, and market access. In cases where wages are withheld without justification, funds will be recovered according to established procedures.

Currently, Karshi has 930 apartment buildings comprising around 35,000 units, managed by 40 service companies. Complaints have been submitted regarding 111 of these management entities. The Deputy Hokim for Construction has been instructed to visit the mahallas of Chulkuvar, Nuriston, and Oydin, which received the highest number of inquiries, and hold meetings with residents and management companies. If management companies face a shortage of funds, they will be assisted in securing working capital.

Where problems relate to electricity, road, water, or sewage infrastructure, these issues will be referred to the reform headquarters for inclusion in investment programs. In addition, the Bureau of Compulsory Enforcement will assist in collecting receivables from management companies.

Regarding housing, 124 inquiries were submitted by Karshi residents. This year, construction is planned for apartment buildings totaling 3,700 units. The Deputy Hokims, together with banks and development companies, will hold individual meetings with residents seeking housing. They will be offered apartments in new buildings, and matters related to loans and subsidies will be addressed promptly.

Over 1,500 employees work in the city’s public institutions, generating 794 complaints, including 281 related to the conduct of law enforcement officers and the quality of investigative actions. The Deputy Heads of the Regional Department of Internal Affairs for Human Resources and Public Safety will dedicate one day per week to training young investigators, preventive inspectors, and traffic and patrol officers, with a focus on improving communication culture.

It was emphasized that leaders of the Bureau of Compulsory Enforcement, tax authorities, utility services, healthcare, and education institutions receiving a high number of complaints must organize their work in a similar manner.

The People’s Reception Office in Karshi received 877 inquiries concerning benefit allocations. It was noted that issues raised by women in these cases should be considered not only in terms of benefit provision but also comprehensively, taking into account other challenges they face.

The city’s Deputy Hokim for Social Affairs was instructed, together with the Department of Preschool and School Education, to ensure that 309 children of these women are enrolled in kindergartens. In collaboration with the hokim’s assistants and women’s affairs activists, 82 unemployed women will be trained in professions and provided with opportunities for employment within their mahallas.

Assistance will be provided to 159 single mothers to obtain concessional loans: 90 for starting new businesses and 69 for expanding existing businesses. In cooperation with the “Inson” Social Services Center, services will be provided to 34 people with disabilities.

The Hokim of Karshi has been tasked with analyzing each statement and complaint, distributing responsibilities among officials, and transforming the city into a model region for citizen service in the first half of the year. Full support will be provided by the regional hokim, his deputies, and heads of regional organizations.

Across the country, all regional leaders and hokims of 208 districts and cities have been assigned to establish effective operations under this system, following Karshi’s example, to streamline problem-solving for citizens. Monthly work plans will be approved at local Kengash sessions and communicated to residents.

Similarly, all ministers must adopt “roadmaps” to reduce inquiries and complaints in their sectors, hold briefings, and make plans publicly available.

The President also outlined measures to further strengthen the work of People’s Reception Offices. The Presidential Administration, in cooperation with hokims, is tasked with forming teams of modern specialists capable of deeply understanding the core of issues, as well as establishing a dedicated control group to systematically analyze incoming inquiries.

The Communications Department of the Presidential Administration will conduct a monthly analysis and summary of all inquiries submitted to the People’s Reception Offices, report the results to ministers and hokims, and monitor their implementation. Reports from department heads will also be reviewed on issues affecting public sentiment, and proposals on the most pressing matters will be submitted to the Government.

An operational task force will be established within the Government, composed of senior officials from ministries and agencies. Issues raised will be addressed directly on-site, with field visits to regions and by sector.

The People’s Reception Offices will be empowered to issue mandatory instructions to state bodies in cases where the established procedures for handling citizens’ appeals are violated.

The Communications Department has been tasked with creating a rating system for government bodies based on the effectiveness of their response to citizen inquiries, with results to be published every six months.

The Deputy Prosecutor General for Compliance is responsible for ensuring strict oversight of all tasks assigned in this area. Accountability will be strengthened for the so-called “mahalla seven” involved in handling citizen appeals.

In the Presidential Virtual Reception, a separate office will be opened for each mahalla. The youth leader and the mahalla chairman will be responsible for its management. They will study the reasons for incoming inquiries and provide daily reports to the hokims.

Responsible officials are required to fully integrate the “Digital Mahalla” system with the Presidential Virtual Reception.

Additionally, strict measures will be applied to the heads of organizations who unjustifiably forward inquiries to lower-level structures. Greater accountability will also be enforced for violations of legislation governing the procedure for handling citizen appeals.

Today, the President emphasized that the results of socio-sociological research should guide the main directions of state policy and reforms. As part of this effort, the discipline of sociology has been revitalized, and universities have established programs to train professional sociologists.

In continuation of these initiatives, the scale and quality of socio-sociological research will be expanded. Monitoring and analysis will now be continuous, aimed at determining where public trust is growing, where it is weakening, which decisions are fair and beneficial to citizens, and which are not.

The Presidential Administration, the Communications Department, and the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies have been tasked with developing a methodology for ranking regional and sectoral leaders, generating these ratings based on analysis, and regularly presenting them to the President.

Matters of executive discipline were also addressed. Daily oversight of the actual execution of each directive has been introduced, and for officials showing negligence or inaction, critical, transparent, and objective information will be provided.

Reports from responsible officials were reviewed during the meeting.