Christos Marazopoulos, First Counsellor and Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan, stated that “EU is proud to support the ‘Further Improvement of Public Services Delivery in Uzbekistan’ project which is aimed to strengthens public services, advances digital transformation, and promotes inclusive, citizen-centered governance, particularly for rural and remote communities. It reflects the EU’s broader partnership with Uzbekistan and Central Asia, including recent milestones such as the EU-Central Asia Summit and signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The EU remains committed to supporting modern, efficient, and people-focused public administration that delivers tangible benefits to all citizens.”

Anas Fayyad Qarman, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Uzbekistan, emphasized the project’s strategic role in national reform efforts: “This project reflects our shared vision for more effective, inclusive, and citizen-focused governance.”

Azamat Salaev, UNDP Project Manager, presented key achievements of the project, emphasizing advancements in legal reforms, institutional capacity, digital transformation, and people-centered local governance.

The project further supported digital, user-centric transformation by reviewing three priority services for optimization, completing two analytical studies on digitalizing court-registry interactions, developing a nationwide Data Governance Recommendation report, hosting a national data governance workshop with 37 participants, and conducting assessments of My.gov.uz services and PSC conditions in seven pilot regions. Efforts to strengthen people-centered local governance included the review of licensing and apostille services covering over 40,000 cases, master plan analyses for Nurabad (200 ha) and Kuvasoy (100 ha), assessments in three districts for establishing Public Advisory Councils, recruitment of seven Women’s Advisory Group members, and training of 30 WAG and PSC directors during an Autumn School on gender-responsive public service delivery.

Background: 

“Further Improvement of Public Service Delivery in Uzbekistan” project funded by the EU and implemented by UNDP with total budget of EUR 4,900,000 and implementation duration of 2024-2029 is aimed to address key challenges, such as limited access to public services in rural areas, low digital penetration, and outdated institutional frameworks. It will do so through four strategic pillars:

1. Transform institutional, legal, and regulatory frameworks underpinning the back office of the national public services delivery system.

2. Enhance capacity of the back-office institutions in public service delivery to ensure their effective operation at the national, regional and local levels.

3. Conduct digital and user-centric transformation of the back-office institutions to improve availability and quality of public services.

4. Transform the system of local governance to ensure responsiveness, accountability and better operation of regional and local institutions functioning as back offices.

The Project supports Uzbekistan’s reform agenda and contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 16 on strong institutions and SDG 9 on innovation and infrastructure. By 2029, the initiative seeks to conduct functional reviews of 11 back-office institutions, train 1,000 civil servants on inclusive and user-centric service delivery, digitally transform at least 35 public services, and establish 34 new public service zones in makhallas across the country. These comprehensive reforms will significantly enhance citizen access to efficient, transparent, and inclusive government services nationwide.