Uzbek Lawmakers Address NGO’s Role In Civil Society

The round table – “From strong state to a strong society: the role and significance of the non-government and non-profit organizations” was held at the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The Committee o­n democratic institutions, NGOs and self-governance bodies of the Lower house and National association of non-government and non-profit organizations of Uzbekistan are reported to have sponsored the very event. The head of the Committee Akmal Saidov presided over the round table.

The participants of the event exchanged views o­n the legal foundations and prospects of establishing the civil society in Uzbekistan, as well as the role and significance of non-government and non-profit organizations in this area.

As the speakers have said, President Islam Karimov in his address “Uzbekistan: 16 years of independent development” has said that Uzbekistan now sees the stage-by-stage and consecutive transition from strong state to a strong society. The strong society is impossible to imagine without civil institutions. Therefore, the political parties, non-government non-profit organizations and citizen self-governance bodies play an important role in establishing the civil society. The open and strong civil society now cannot be viewed without NGOs and political parties, which represent the interests of various layers of population.

At the moment, there are about 5,000 NGOs in the country. They work to protect the people’s interests, raise the activity of women and the youth in the country’s social and political life, as well as to develop the work of civil society institutions.

The relevant proposals and recommendations o­n the discussed issues have also been elaborated o­n the outcomes of the round table.