Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 5 December 2020, a joint UN program to strengthen social protection in Uzbekistan, in close cooperation with the Senate and the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, held a round table dedicated to the further improvement of the social protection system for the population of Uzbekistan, with the participation of representatives of civil society institutions.

The Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis Tanzila Narbaeva took part in the work of the "round table" and made a speech.

The event was also attended by members of two chambers of the Oliy Majlis, representatives of the Association of Persons with Disabilities of Uzbekistan, the National Movement "Yuksalish", the Center for Development Strategy, national research institutes and UN agencies.

Participants discussed the strengths of the social protection system as well as the challenges it faces.

As the head of the upper house of parliament T. Narbaeva noted, the country pays special attention to ensuring social protection of the population, which is one of the important goals of sustainable development. At the same time, particular importance is attached to ensuring employment of the population, especially women and youth. The UN Joint Program to Support the Social Protection System in Uzbekistan will continue to contribute to the effectiveness of joint efforts to achieve these goals.

It was noted that in the context of a pandemic, social support of the population was identified as one of the priority areas of state policy. Assistance in obtaining the appropriate social protection from the Government for these citizens will allow every member of society, including children, mothers, people with disabilities, employed people, the elderly, migrants, and others to realize their rights.

As the First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis A. Saidov noted, the joint program supported by the Global Fund for Sustainable Development uses the experience of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the process of assisting the Government in developing a National Strategy for Social Protection; developing effective, legislative, institutional and monitoring mechanisms for the coordination and delivery of services; and improving social protection of persons with disabilities, thus improving progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking at the event acting UN Coordinator in Uzbekistan, UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan Munir Mammadzadeh noted that the coronavirus pandemic once again stressed the need to expand coverage of social protection for the most vulnerable segments of the population. The organization welcomes Uzbekistan’s commitment to strengthening the social protection system, and striving to improve coordination and build a long-term strategy for the system. UNICEF, ILO and UNDP, with the support of the Joint SDG Fund, and in collaboration with the World Bank, continue to support the Government in addressing the eligibility and coverage issues of programs such as cash assistance, social services, insurance, pensions and employment programs, thus respecting the principle leave no one behind.

Participants also discussed a social approach to disability assessment as a key element of an effective social protection system. This approach removes the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in society, getting a job and living independently. During the event, it was emphasized that attitudes towards persons with disabilities can create additional barriers to inclusion, which encourages people to take active steps to remove such barriers.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines disability as an evolving concept that results from interactions between people with disabilities when faced with certain barriers to their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

The adoption of the Law "On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities", which enshrines the rights and guarantees of people with disabilities to housing, including subsidized housing, education and employment was positively assessed by the participants.

Chairman of the Association of Persons with Disabilities of Uzbekistan Oybek Isakov spoke about the need to develop specific mechanisms for the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities to protect against discrimination, which is noted in the recently adopted Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Further productive cooperation in this direction was also noted.

The forum participants highly appreciated the efforts of Uzbekistan to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which will serve to implement comprehensive measures to further improve the system of support for persons with disabilities and strengthen guarantees for the protection of their rights and freedoms.

During the discussions, the importance of combining efforts to strengthen the social protection system in Uzbekistan was noted. The UN Joint Program on Strengthening Social Protection in Uzbekistan and the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan have come to an agreement to strengthen joint actions in this area.