Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 27-28 April, the 1st Volunteer Festival of Uzbekistan will be held at the Hilton-Tashkent Hotel. The main organizers of the festival are the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The festival is held in accordance with the Concept for the Development of Civil Society for 2021-2025, approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan from 4 March 2021 and the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers dated April 12, 2022 “On measures to further support volunteer activities”.

The festival is expected to be attended by international experts, activists of volunteer movements, ministries and government agencies in the field of social protection. On 2 December 2019, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the law “On volunteering” and for the first time in the history of Uzbekistan, the status of a volunteer was approved.

The goals of volunteering are to provide assistance to individuals and legal entities, to society as a whole, to protect the environment, to participate in socially significant events with the consent of their organizers, to form a civic position, self-organization, a sense of social responsibility, solidarity, mutual assistance and mercy in society.

Volunteer activities, according to the document, can be carried out by individuals who have reached the age of 18. Persons from 16 to 18 years of age are allowed to engage in volunteer activities, provided that it does not harm their health and moral development and does not interfere with the learning process.