Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- International experience in improving laws, including the Constitution, depending on the requirements of the time, intensity, dynamism of reforms and the needs of people, was discussed during the international conference "Modern constitutionalism: national and foreign experience."

The conference was organized on 14 December 2021 by the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights, the Center for Sustainable Development, the Institute of State and Law with the support of the Delegation of the European Union in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The event was attended by representatives of the Oliy Majlis, government agencies, civil society institutions, political parties, the academic community of Uzbekistan, foreign scientists and experts, as well as representatives of international organizations and the diplomatic corps.

The purpose of the conference is to identify current trends in the implementation of constitutional reforms in various countries of the world, to comparatively study the advanced national and international experience in this area.

The participants exchanged views on the issues of harmonizing the Basic Law of the country with the modern realities of the development of society and the state, in order to create a solid legal foundation for the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan.

It was noted that any democratic reforms will be sustainable and effective only if they have a solid constitutional and legal basis.

As international experience shows, the process of modernization in the country can be impeded by the imbalance of reforms in the political, social, economic, legal and other spheres, as well as the inconsistency of the existing constitutional and legal framework and the level of development of civil society with the intensity of democratic reforms.

In this regard, the Constitution and laws are constantly being improved depending on the requirements of the very time in which we live, as well as the intensity, dynamism of reforms and the needs of people. Currently, there are practically no constitutions left in the world in the original wording. In the 21st century alone, about 90 countries of the world have successfully implemented constitutional reforms, 57 have adopted new constitutions.

The conference participants emphasized that the constitutional changes in all countries are united by the fact that they act as a response to external and internal challenges for the state. More modern constitutions cover more topics, including new agendas that were not relevant a century ago, such as the environment, gender equality, protection of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of a person, especially persons with disabilities, of the younger generation, as well as the formation of an information society. security of digital data, scientific, technological and innovative development, the introduction of elements of direct e-democracy and people’s legislative initiative, etc.

In our country, in recent years, radical interdependent democratic, political, economic, legal reforms have been carried out aimed at building a New Uzbekistan. Within the framework of the Action Strategy, 32 amendments and additions to 21 articles of the Constitution were introduced 9 times.

At the same time, the era of globalization, digitalization, climate change and rapidly changing life pose new challenges for the further modernization of the country, which is reflected in the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan. In accordance with this, it is envisaged to adopt more than 50 codes, laws, strategies, concepts and programs, more than 100 other initiatives have been put forward in seven directions of the country’s modernization.

Taking into account the opinion of society, the process of constitutional and legal reform continues, in particular, the reform of the Basic Law in 9 directions, designated by the President of the country.

This, first of all, concerns the full implementation of the priority principle "In the name of human honor and dignity", which implies ensuring a peaceful and safe life, fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens, creating decent living conditions and modern infrastructure, qualified medical care, quality education, social protection and a healthy ecological environment for every citizen of the country.

The Development Strategy pays special attention to the issues of consolidating the constitutional norm on the implementation of the principle "New Uzbekistan - a welfare state", that is, a state that guarantees its citizens a certain minimum of welfare, in a tough market economy, various pandemics and epidemics.

The conference discussed a number of issues that should be given priority attention in the process of constitutional reform, in particular, the implementation of the principles of inviolability and protection of private property, including land and minerals. As noted, by most constitutions in the world, private property rights are enshrined as one of the constitutional human rights.

The experience of countries that have introduced special environmental sections in their constitutions was also discussed. So in Russia, France and a number of other European countries, environmental charters have been adopted as constituent parts of the Constitution.

The experience of strengthening the constitutional and legal foundations of state support for the use of information technologies and “institutions of digital constitutionalism” is also important for Uzbekistan. This is important in order to ensure the competitiveness of Uzbekistan in an environment where many countries are entering the fourth industrial revolution, as well as for the development of institutions of the information society.