CC BY
0STRENGTHENING SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP IS AN IMPORTANT WAY TO SOLVE SOCIO-ECONOMIC
PROBLEMS
Djavakova Karine
Head of the Department of "State and Legal Disciplines and Human Rights" Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Doctor of Philosophy, Professor
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10674135
Abstract. The article reveals the essence of the political, legal and institutional activities of state and public construction aimed at increasing the role and importance of civil society institutions, as well as analyzes the strengthening of social partnership with government agencies in the development and implementation of regional and sectoral development programs aimed at eliminating urgent problems of the population and various segments of society. The important role of civil society institutions in ensuring and protecting human rights is reflected.
Keywords: democracy, civil society, civil society institutions, social partnership, human rights and freedoms.
As is well known, the formation of a just and open civil society, the construction of a social and legal state is one of the fundamental tasks being carried out today in New Uzbekistan.
The relevance of this topic is determined by the fact that an important condition for the effectiveness of the democratic reforms carried out in our country and the solution of the tasks set is the mobilization of the efforts of the whole society, including non-governmental non-profit organizations and other civil society institutions, which should be more actively involved in the implementation of the most important state programs, to carry out public control over the activities of state authorities and administration, as well as to stand up for the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens.
To ensure these tasks in recent years, both organizational and legal-institutional work has been carried out in Uzbekistan to create conditions for further strengthening social partnership with state bodies in the development and implementation of regional and sectoral development programs aimed at eliminating urgent problems of the population and various strata of society.
Thus, to date, more than 200 acts of the President and the government of the country, a number of national strategies, concepts and programs have been developed and are being implemented. Civil society institutions participate in the study, discussion of the proposed norms; develop their proposals for improving the draft law. This is a real embodiment of social partnership. Such an approach in the work on laws ensures that the needs of all segments of the population in social services are fully taken into account.
As part of the implementation of the Action Strategy for the five priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021 and the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026, about 350 laws and over 4.4 thousand decisions of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan have been adopted over the past six years. The country has created People's Receptions and the Virtual Reception of the President of Uzbekistan, strengthened national human rights institutions, such as the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Business Ombudsman, Children's Ombudsman, National Center for Human Rights; the work of such parliamentary institutions as
the Parliamentary Commission for monitoring the implementation of the National goals and objectives in the field of sustainable development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the period up to 2030 was formed and organized; Parliamentary commission on compliance with international obligations of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of human rights; National Commission for Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labor, etc. At the same time, the main tasks of the Parliamentary Commission are to promote the further development and active participation in the implementation of democratic reforms in the country and the liberalization of society by independent non-governmental non-profit organizations, the media and other civil society institutions, and the creation of objective conditions for the formation of sources of their financing. In 2022 alone, state support was provided for over 700 social partnership programs and projects.
However, one of the main achievements of our country in this direction is the various forms and mechanisms of open dialogue between the state and civil society. In particular, under the Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the Kengashes of People's Deputies of the regions and the city of Tashkent, public commissions on social partnership and public funds have been established. Public commissions for social partnership under the regional Kengashes of people's deputies held public hearings among the heads of local government bodies on the development of the activities of NNOs, ensuring their rights and legitimate interests.
Public councils have been set up in local government and local government bodies, which, through social ordering, involve NNOs in solving socio-economic problems. Within the limits of the current staff positions, one of the deputy heads of state departments in the field was appointed responsible for cooperation with NNOs.
In 2022, the Parliamentary Commission and the Public Fund implemented important projects aimed at supporting non-governmental non-profit organizations on the basis of a social order, identifying and eliminating local problems, and further increasing the social activity of citizens.
Socially significant projects based on social partnership allow solving many pressing issues in the field of education, culture, ecology, construction, cadaster, transport, public utilities, employment and social services.
At the same time, it is important to emphasize that the Public Fund under the Oliy Majlis and its Parliamentary Commission for the Management of Funds, in accordance with the requirements of this law, provide regular methodological assistance to the work of the Public Commission on Social Partnership under the Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, regional and Tashkent Kengashes of people's deputies. Specific proposals and recommendations were developed for further improvement of the activities of the commissions, deepening the principles of sustainable social partnership in the regions. At the same time, the amount of funds allocated to public funds for supporting non-governmental non-profit organizations and other civil society institutions under the Kengashes of people's deputies is increasing sevenfold.
For the first time, substantial support is provided to national cultural centers, whose activities are aimed at reviving and preserving the cultural customs and traditions of their ethnic group, promoting traditions and customs, providing financial and material assistance to compatriots, and developing interethnic cultural relations. This contributes to the strengthening of peace, friendship and tolerance between more than 130 nations and nationalities living in Uzbekistan. In 2022, 1 billion 498 million sums of state subsidies were allocated to support the activities of national cultural centers. Also, among the recipients of state subsidies are NNOs that
represent and protect the rights and interests of persons with disabilities, vulnerable segments of the population, as well as environmental ones.
In accordance with the Decree of the President of the country "On approval of the Concept for the development of civil society in 2021-2025" and the Decree "On additional measures for state support of non-governmental non-profit organizations, ensuring the freedom of their activities, protecting the rights and legitimate interests", it is planned to introduce the institution of a permanent representative of NGOs, taking part in meetings of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and its committees (commissions), the index of openness of NNO activities, the launch of a single interactive portal "Transparent Charity" and the simplification of the procedure for providing state subsidies, grants and social orders. These documents systematically identify promising mechanisms for further enhancing the role of non-governmental non-profit organizations as active participants and partners in the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan, strengthening the protection of their rights and legitimate interests, expanding the scale of state support and creating favorable conditions for them.
In a word, an integral system of interaction has been created, which today is a legal guarantee of a constructive dialogue between civil society institutions and government agencies.
At the same time, the amount of funds allocated from the State Budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan for NGOs, the media and other civil society institutions is growing dynamically. Thus, the volume of distributed funds increased 13 times compared to 2010 and 5 times compared to 2017. In 2022 alone, over 97 billion soums were allocated from the State Budget. All these conditions contribute to the fact that civil society institutions, as social partners of the state, actively participate in supporting the economic activity of the general population, ensuring the effectiveness of reforms, as well as in the processes of democratic renewal.
At the same time, in order to consolidate this task and increase the effectiveness of the activities of civil society institutions in the implementation of social partnership, it is important and necessary to establish constitutional guarantees for the activities of civil society institutions. So, the following novelties are reflected in the new edition of the Constitution of Uzbekistan.
Firstly, the Constitution includes a separate chapter on civil society institutions and guarantees for their activities, which will serve as a solid basis for strengthening the atmosphere of openness, transparency and legality in society, dialogue between the state and society, and establishing strong public control. Secondly, Article 49 of the project Constitution classifies nongovernmental non-profit organizations, mahallas and the media as civil society institutions. Thirdly, Article 115 of the draft Constitution among the new tasks for the Cabinet of Ministers includes the task of implementing social partnership programs and supporting civil society institutions, their participation in the development and implementation of socio-economic development programs.
Fourth, Article 49 of the draft Constitution determines that in order to ensure the environmental rights of citizens and prevent harmful effects on the environment, the state creates conditions for public control in the field of urban development. This constitutional norm that the general plans of cities should be submitted for public discussion will allow solving issues related to urban planning together with the population, which is becoming increasingly important in modern life. This is no accident. Indeed, over the past three years alone, deputies have received 15,000 appeals from residents dissatisfied with the construction, only in the city of Tashkent, courts have suspended construction work at more than 200 facilities, the number of cars has
increased by 1.3 million to 3.6 million, annually 2 are emitted into the atmosphere, 2 million tons of industrial and transport emissions, which indicates that this issue is becoming increasingly relevant. Consequently, the norms laid down in the Constitution are of particular importance today.
Fifth, the most important innovations are, in particular, the consolidation of public control over the budgetary policy of the state (Article 148), the introduction of the institute of "popular initiative" of citizens (at least one hundred thousand people submit legislative proposals to the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis) (Article 98).
Sixth. The draft Constitution of Uzbekistan includes norms aimed at improving the efficiency of the mahalla institution, turning it into a basic link in public administration and control. So, article 127 enshrines that "Citizens' self-government bodies are not included in the system of state authorities and, in accordance with the law, have the right to independently resolve issues of local importance based on the interests of citizens, historical features of development, as well as national values, local customs and traditions. The state creates the necessary conditions for the implementation of the activities of citizens' self-government bodies, assists them in the exercise of the powers determined by law".
What are all these novels about?
Firstly, it is very important from the point of view of the strategic goals of our state. All these norms and conditions contribute to the fact that civil society institutions, as social partners of the state, actively participate in supporting the economic activity of the general population, ensuring the effectiveness of reforms, as well as in the processes of democratic renewal.
Secondly, the amendments being introduced open up scope for additional opportunities, broad interaction and achieving a balance of interests of each individual, society and state in resolving the most important issues of state and public life, i.e. for social partnership.
Thirdly, it is no accident that the updated Constitution is submitted to a referendum for nationwide discussion. The very fact of putting this issue to a referendum is already the highest form of manifestation of social partnership, the main principles of which are equality, respect and consideration of the interests of the parties, as well as their interest in participating in contractual relations. After all, the Constitution is actually a social contract between citizens, society and the state, because it is based on the basic values, expectations, demands of society.
Considering that the Constitution always fixes the main basic guidelines that set the vector of the future, the main thing for us is the participation of citizens, the involvement of the whole society and state bodies in the implementation of those decisions that will be made in the Constitution. Therefore, within the framework of the implementation of the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan, the National Goals and Objectives in the field of sustainable development, the electoral process, the National Strategy for Human Rights and other strategies, concepts and programs at all levels of representative and executive power, it is planned to widely involve NNOs and other civil society institutions in the processes of making the most important decisions in the socio-economic and political-legal spheres.
After all, only the joint and large-scale work of the people, state bodies, civil society institutions and the business community in the country, aimed at developing modern forms of social partnership and exercising public control, will allow us to achieve really high goals.
Thus, the constitutional consolidation of the above provisions and norms will strengthen the work of NNOs and other civil institutions in the development of draft laws, the most important
programs for the socio-economic development of territories, directly engage in the implementation of these programs, public control over their implementation on the ground, becoming not just a kind of bridge between the state and society, but the real controller of state power, its barometer in solving the main social problems. The introduction of a support system for NNOs and other civil society institutions will further strengthen social partnership with government agencies in the development and implementation of regional and sectoral development programs aimed at eliminating urgent problems of the population and various sectors of society.
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