A Year of Economic Reforms with President Mirziyoyev

The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has concluded the year with a historic first address to the parliament.

On December 22, in a four-hour speech broadcast live across Uzbekistan, Mirziyoyev spoke about the outcomes of government policies implemented in 2017.

The full text of the speech is available here

In 2017, Mirziyoyev instituted direct “dialogue” with the people, opening an online platform for dealing with individuals’ appeals that has reportedly been used by more than 1.5 million citizens.

The president also reported on the launch of 161 large industrial projects, as well as the opening of 12 free economic zones and 45 industrial zones. (The opening of an additional 50 industrial zones is planned for the near future.) He indicated that over 336,000 new jobs were created in 2017 thanks to these new industrial development measures and support for small businesses.

Mirziyoyev said that the economy grew at a rate of 5.5 percent, while Uzbekistan’s export volume increased by 15 percent. The positive balance in foreign trade (the amount by which exports exceed imports) has increased, and now stands at USD$854 million. The president added that the authorities are committed to improving statistics reporting and making it transparent, trustworthy and accessible.

We counted more than 40 initiatives undertaken by President Mirziyoyev in 2017, or approximately 3.5 initiatives per month. Of these, 16 were measures to improve the business climate, 5 belonged to the realm of taxation, and 5 were customs-related reforms.

Here is the list of reforms: