On June 1, the President signed a decree on a set of measures to provide quality social services and assistance to the population, as well as to establish a system for their effective control.
According to the document, the country has been systematically working to strengthen the social protection of the population in recent years. Expenses for financing social programs have doubled in relation to GDP, the coverage of low-income families receiving benefits has expanded by 5 times, new types of benefits have been introduced for citizens caring for people with disabilities and children with disabilities.
The new version of the Constitution determines that the rights of the disabled and lonely elderly, persons with disabilities and other socially vulnerable categories of the population are under the protection of the state. This requires reforming this area on the basis of a unified approach.
To ensure the rights of citizens to social protection and to radically improve the quality of social services, the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of Uzbekistan, its Karakalpak, national, regional and Tashkent city departments, as well as Inson social service centres in districts (cities) are being created.
A number of organisations will be transferred to the structure of the Agency:
· from June 15, 2023:
o from the system of the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction by the Inspectorate of Medical and Social Expertise and its territorial subdivisions;
o National Centre for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics of Persons with Disabilities and its regional centres;
o National Centre for the Rehabilitation and Adaptation of Women and its territorial branches;
o National Rehabilitation Centre for Assistance to Victims of Human Trafficking;
o boarding houses Sakhovat and Muruvvat for the elderly and persons with disabilities;
o National boarding house for war and labour veterans;
o sanatoriums for the elderly, persons with disabilities, war and labour veterans;
· from January 1, 2024:
o from the system of the Ministry of Health baby houses;
o from the system of the Ministry of Preschool and School Education orphanages of mercy;
o from the system of local executive authorities sectors for working with minors and family orphanages;
· from August 1, 2024:
o from the system of the Ministry of Preschool and School Education specialized schools and boarding schools for children with special educational needs, multidisciplinary specialised preschool educational organisations, as well as specialized educational institutions;
o from the system of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation specialized vocational schools for persons with disabilities;
· from January 1, 2025:
o from the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs centres for the rehabilitation of persons without a fixed place of residence;
o from the system of the Ministry of Economy and Finance the Social Insurance Fund.
At the suggestion of the National Paralympic Committee of Uzbekistan, from June 15, 2023, the School of Courage of Paralympians is transferred to the structure of the Agency. In addition, the departments will jointly coordinate the work of the Institute for the Training of Specialists in Paralympic Sports.
The Agency will create:
· Social inspection and its Karakalpak National, regional and Tashkent city subdivisions;
· Centre for advanced training of employees of the social protection system;
· Institute for the Development of Social Protection;
The Department for the Assessment of the Functionality of Persons with Disabilities and its territorial divisions on the basis of the Inspectorate for Medical and Social Expertise and its territorial divisions.
In the structure of the Administration of the President of Uzbekistan, the post of adviser to the president on social protection issues director of the National Agency for Social Protection is being introduced. A Sector for Social Protection is also formed.
The State Social Protection Fund will be established under the Agency from October 1, 2023.
Reported by News of Uzbekistan.
