Saida Mirziyoyeva Names Water, Education, and the Judiciary as Key Reform Priorities

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan has only just begun its path of large-scale reforms and is far from reaching a plateau, said Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Presidential Administration, in an interview with the Alter Ego project. Responding to a question about whether the country had reached the peak of its transformations, she rejected the very notion.

“Not at all. There will never be a plateau, in my view. We have only just started,” she said, emphasizing that the first results are already being felt. According to her, conditions for doing business have become easier, but this does not mean that problems have disappeared.

Saida Mirziyoyeva noted that challenges are especially acute in the regions. “I travel to the regions, and I see that there are many serious difficulties. Yes, there are many problems, but the state’s capacities are limited. You have to understand, we are a country with limited possibilities,” she said. She identified geographic location, financial resources, and infrastructure as key constraints.

According to her, much of Uzbekistan’s infrastructure remains a legacy of the Soviet era. “Infrastructure from the Soviet period—the ’70s, ’60s, ’50s. Reforming all of this requires large amounts of money. But we are proceeding gradually,” she noted, adding that such challenges are characteristic of the entire post-Soviet space.

Speaking about strategic priorities, Saida Mirziyoyeva said that the Presidential Administration has identified five key areas, with water being the foremost. She noted that this issue will become a serious challenge for the country in the near future, even though it is not frequently discussed publicly. In addition to water resources, she named education, healthcare, business development, and the judicial system as priorities, emphasizing that sustainable reforms are impossible without transparent and fair justice.

Answering questions about resistance to reforms and the quality of information coming from “the field,” Saida Mirziyoyeva stressed that receiving an accurate picture of reality is critically important to her. “I’m not here for appearances or pretty words. I’m here for the real picture,” she said, noting that she relies on a system of cross-checking data and always strives to get to the core of issues.

She views situations requiring personal intervention as part of her work process. Each individual case, she said, represents an opportunity to fine-tune the system and make it more effective. At the same time, she emphasized that problems in different sectors are closely interconnected and require a comprehensive approach.

Speaking about her personal interests, Saida Mirziyoyeva admitted that international diplomacy holds a special place in her work. “I’ve dreamed of being a diplomat my whole life, since childhood. Communicating with people and building connections is what I do best,” she said. According to her, professional growth is impossible without constantly stepping out of one’s comfort zone.

She defined her life and management principle as a proactive approach—the ability to see opportunities, not obstacles, in problems. “Proactivity is when you see a problem and see in it not a problem, but an opportunity,” emphasized the Head of the Presidential Administration.