Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Social protection is an integral part of human development and creates conditions for the population to receive guaranteed income and services, and increases opportunities for using economic opportunities. By raising household incomes and expanding access to social assistance, social protection policies are laying the foundation for increasing domestic demand, supporting structural change, ensuring political stability and decent job creation, and guaranteeing inclusive development.

In addition, the message of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Oliy Majlis sets tasks to further strengthen social protection, including providing support to low-income groups of the population.

In order to accomplish these tasks, as well as to further implement the Action Strategy for five priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021, on 17 February 2021, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed order R-5634, aimed at improving the system of social protection of the population of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2021 –2030 years. 

This Order approved the Concept of the National Strategy for Social Protection of the Population for 2021-2030, as well as the "Road Map" for the development of the Strategy, and also created the Republican Working Group to develop the strategy. Within the Concept:

the National Strategy for Social Protection of the Population will be developed, which will determine the basic guarantees of social security of the population, taking into account the leading practices of the world, the issues of including maternity protection and temporary disability benefits in the social insurance system, as well as the creation of the Social Insurance Fund will be considered;

in order to ensure social benefits and protection of all low-income families, it is planned to simplify the process of determining the need of families of applicants for social benefits, as well as to accelerate the process of assigning and paying these social benefits;

to improve the effectiveness of measures to ensure employment of unemployed persons, it is envisaged to introduce a system of state subsidies through a social contract. In addition, measures for the provision of social services to vulnerable groups of the population through the preparation of an individual program of social adaptation will be considered.

According to this Order, by 1 November 2021, a team of experts consisting of leading specialists from ministries and departments, scientific institutions, the International Labor Organization, UNICEF, the United Nations Development Program and the World Bank will develop a draft National Strategy for Social Protection of the Population until 2030 (NSSP) , including a three-year plan for its implementation. The calculation of the costs for the implementation of the measures provided for in the Strategy will be carried out jointly with international partners.

The measures in the regulation will help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) on poverty alleviation, expanding social protection coverage, and full and productive employment and decent work for women and men, including young people. and people with disabilities.