President calls for stronger anti-corruption measures, orders major staff overhaul

During an expanded meeting of the National Council for Combating Corruption, chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, achievements in the fight against corruption in recent years were recognized.

In particular, a law on public procurement was adopted, and tenders and competitions were digitalized, fostering healthy competition and resulting in 14 trillion UZS in budget savings last year.

Previously, people had to overcome numerous obstacles to obtain loans. Today, all banks issue consumer loans of up to 100 million UZS online within five minutes, without human intervention. As a result, thousands of bankers who previously processed loans manually are now engaging with communities, offering projects and credit options to expand their customer base.

People also faced difficulties enrolling their children in schools or kindergartens, often resorting to “alternative means” to resolve the issue. Over the years, more than 10 types of services in preschool and school education have been fully digitalized, reducing complaints in this sector by 2.5 times.

Seven or eight years ago, university admissions were plagued by nepotism and favoritism. Now, the sector has been digitalized, with entrance exams broadcast online. A system was introduced allowing students to select a university after receiving their test scores. Additionally, 35 types of documents can now be obtained without human intervention, reducing complaints in higher education by 2.2 times.

Traffic safety inspectors now use body cameras, vehicle license plates are sold through auctions, and the use of handheld speed radars and paper-based protocols has been eliminated, significantly reducing corruption in the sector.

The principle of "a state in service of the people" has been introduced to enhance services for citizens and businesses. Notably, the requirement to submit 120 types of documents and obtain over 160 licenses and permits has been abolished. As a result, nearly 200,000 new entrepreneurs have entered the market, and the number of foreign-invested enterprises has increased almost fivefold, reaching nearly 23,000. The number of electronic government services has grown 15-fold to 721, with more than 11 million users.

"These concepts were foreign to us for the past 25 years—they were simply ignored. None of these achievements happened on their own; we attained them through hard work.

Most importantly, these changes have strengthened the trust of our citizens, entrepreneurs, foreign partners, international organizations, and investors in our reforms.

Over the past seven years, more than 120 billion USD in investments have flowed into the country, and our economy has doubled, reaching 115 billion USD last year. Isn’t this clear evidence?" the president said.

However, he noted that the biggest shortcoming remains the lack of dedication among personnel and the absence of unity in combating corruption.

"We all understand that the fight against corruption can never be confined to a fixed timeframe. The state alone cannot achieve the desired results — this is a task for our entire society," the president stated.

It was also noted that society lacks sufficient practices to instill values such as appreciating peace and stability, understanding the differences between the past and present, avoiding excessive expenditures on weddings and celebrations, and promoting honesty and gratitude in daily life.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined the most urgent tasks in this area.

Law enforcement agencies primarily focus on detecting and punishing corruption rather than addressing its root causes through preventive measures.

To prevent corruption and tackle its underlying causes, 1,285 employees work in internal anti-corruption control units across 117 ministries and agencies. However, their role and responsibility in eliminating corruption factors remain negligible.

Each year, numerous decrees are issued to improve the business environment, attract investments, and eliminate bureaucratic barriers.

For example, entrepreneurs must assess compliance for 6,500 types of goods in production and import. Of these, 3,700 product types require separate certificates for each batch.

Similar requirements exist in sanitary, quarantine, and veterinary agencies, while customs authorities handle all these lists.

Despite these regulations creating difficulties for entrepreneurs and fostering corruption risks, compliance officers in these agencies have failed to propose any solutions.

The Prime Minister was instructed to dismiss the heads of internal anti-corruption control units in 117 ministries and agencies and replace them with honest, dedicated, and professional personnel. Clear objectives will be set for their roles.

It was also decided that regional compliance officers in ministries will be appointed directly by the minister, who will assume political responsibility and be personally accountable for corruption within their system.

The working methods of the Anti-Corruption Agency will undergo a complete transformation. As a trial, compliance oversight for five institutions — the Ministries of Health, Construction, and Water Resources, as well as Uzbekneftegaz and Uzsuvtaminot — will be transferred to the agency.

By the end of the year, these ministries will report to the National Council on how many corruption factors they have eliminated and the benefits citizens have received as a result.

Additionally, the agency, together with ministers and regional governors, will conduct in-depth studies of at least three corruption-prone sectors at the district level each quarter. Based on these analyses, they will develop targeted measures for digitalization and the elimination of bureaucratic procedures.

Within two months, an action plan will be developed based on recommendations from international rating organizations, outlining specific tasks for each ministry and agency. Proposals will also be made to hold accountable any officials who fail to take action.