This year, the Public Fund for the Support for NGOs and Other Civil Society Institutions under the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan celebrates five years. The date on a global scale is small, but responsible, calling on the public to analyze the results of the Fund and to outline the prospects for further development.



For the years of independent development Uzbekistan has established a solid legal framework, built and keeps on improving the institutional infrastructure of the state support of NGOs and other civil society institutions. As a result, today Uzbekistan has established and effectively runs an extensive network of NGOs and non-state media, which are an important factor in the protection of democratic values, human rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of the people. Public Fund for Support of NGOs and other Civil Society Institutions, which over the past 5 years has allocated over 28 billion soums (Currency rates of CB from 09.07.2013 1$=2098.56 soums), for the socially significant projects and programs in the form of social orders, subsidies and grants, plays an important role in the system of state support for the development of civil society.

Of particular note is that the amount of grant funds allocated by the Public Fund is growing from year to year. If in 2008-2010 each project got from 7 to 10 million soums, today this increased to 10-15 million. We should also note the qualitative and quantitative growth of NGOs in Uzbekistan participating in grant competitions. If in 2011 the grants were provided to 148 NGOs, in 2012 there were more than 211 beneficiaries. It should be noted that this year it is allocated some 2.2 billion soums to support non-state media. These figures show not only an increase in financial incentives for civil institutions, but also about increasing civic participation and involvement of civil society. As a consequence, the number of regional NGOs involved in addressing pressing issues in the field in comparison with the previous year has grown significantly. At the same time, more than 100 NGOs took part in the development of socio-economic development of the regions, and were subsequently included in them as executives. Today, NGOs have earned a lot of trust and credibility among the general population. These figures speak not only of the growing support for civil initiatives by the government, but also the growing role of NGOs in the management of the affairs of the state and society. Their participation in government programs helps to identify the needs of the population and address the challenges. Altogether, this allows us to mobilize communities to address social issues, promote civic engagement and responsibility, a sense of belonging to the challenges faced by society and the state.

In accordance with the requirements of the Law on guarantees of activity of non-governmental organizations, on public funds and a number of others, as well as the Joint Resolution of Councils of both chambers of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan \"On measures to increase support for NGOs and other civil society\", since July 2008 the Public Fund for Support of NGOs and other civil society institutions under Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Parliamentary Commission for the management of the Fund are functioning. During the five years of its existence, thanks to the Public Fund and the Parliamentary Commission for management of its resources, the country has set an independent, based on the democratic principles of advanced system of state support of NGOs and other civil society institutions. Just last year the Fund allocated 6 billion soums in support of civil institutions on a competitive basis, with which it implemented 234 projects and programs aimed at addressing pressing social, economic, and humanitarian issues.

The importance of the civil society institutions, NGOs, creating conditions for citizens to exercise their potential, improve their social, socio-economic activity and legal culture, and emphasized in the Concept of Intensifying Democratic Reforms and Forming Civil Society in the Country. As the head of state said, a landmark event in the development of civil society in Uzbekistan was the adoption of the Joint Decision of the Councils of the Legislative Chamber and the Senate of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan on measures to increase support for NGOs and other institutions of civil society\" and the establishment at the highest legislative body of the Public Fund and the Parliamentary committee, which includes, together with authorized representatives of NGOs and civil society organizations themselves, also MPs and officials of financial institutions.

A national forum of NGOs held in 2012 by NANNOUz with partners and with the support of the Parliamentary Commission in Tashkent has become an important step in the development of civil institutions and gave a strong impetus for increasing the participation of NGOs in the modernization and democratization of the country. The said forum, which was preceded by regional stages, provided an excellent platform for constructive dialogue and discussion of more active participation of NGOs in addressing the tasks defined in the Concept of Intensifying Democratic Reforms and Forming Civil Society in the Country, developing proposals for improving the institutional mechanisms of social partnership between the state and NGOs, increasing the effective participation of NGOs in the implementation of the most important components of public programs. Today, Uzbekistan has created an independent system of raising sources of funding of NGOs and other civil society institutions, based on democratic principles. The most important aspect of the Resolution is that the issues related to the amount of funds allocated from the national budget to support the activities of NGOs, distribution of these funds, monitoring of their use is transferred from the jurisdiction of the executive authorities, including the Ministry of Finance and the Cabinet of Ministers, to the jurisdiction of the supreme legislative body of the country, Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Direct Contact

The work of the Public Fund and the Parliamentary Commission provides the most transparent, open, address and, most importantly, a democratic distribution of funds allocated from the State Budget to support the “third sector”. This is a fruitful impact on strengthening the organizational, technical and economic base for the activities of NGOs. The Fund\'s assets are allocated in the form of government grants, subsidies and social orders directly to NGOs on the basis of their applications and decisions of the Parliamentary Commission without any intermediate units and structures.

Implementation of the tasks entrusted to the Public Fund and the Parliamentary Commission enhances equal partnerships between government agencies and NGOs, which allows to maintain and implement social projects and programs aimed at addressing pressing social, economic, legal and humanitarian issues in the field, the strengthening of economic, socio-cultural and democratic values in the society.

In five years, there have been significant quantitative and qualitative changes in the public support for social projects of NGOs and other civil society institutions. There is an increasing social activism of NGOs and other institutions of civil society, especially in the regions of the country. This is emphasized by the international experts. According to Chairman of the Japan Center for NGOs Yoshinori Yamaoka, there are common problems of NGOs in many Asian countries, including Japan. The first - the publicity and transparency of all aspects of the operation, in particular, government support, budgetary subsidies, private funding. The second - the interaction of NGOs with all branches of power, including the legislature, the growing influence of MPs, parliamentary control over the activities of NGOs. The creation of the Parliamentary Commission of Uzbekistan solved these two problems that today provides not only quantitative, but also qualitative growth of the non-governmental sector.

Public accountability

Parliamentary Commission for the management of the assets of the Public Fund has developed and implemented a unified system of monitoring over the progress of social projects, programs and statutory tasks of NGOs and other civil society institutions. It should be noted that the Regulation on the procedure for monitoring the proper use of funds and effectiveness of the implementation of projects identified key objectives and specific functions of the regional offices of the Ministries of Justice and Finance, Independent Institute for the Monitoring of Civil Society Development, NANNOUz and the Ecology Movement of Uzbekistan.

For the proper implementation of main stage of monitoring, consolidated information-analytical groups (CIAG) were set up under the Parliamentary Commission on the central and local levels. These groups include representatives of associations and NGOs, such as NANGOUz, the National Association of Electronic Mass Media of the Republic of Uzbekistan (NAEMM), Independent Institute for the Monitoring of Civil Society Development, the Ecology Movement, including their regional offices.

The main tasks of the consolidated information-analytical groups are monitoring the designated use of the state budget, the improvement of evaluation to determine the social value of projects, development of proposals to address the identified deficiencies. At this stage of the national association of NGOs in cooperation with the public authorities in the field have a variety of practical and methodological expertise, solve current issues affecting the implementation of the project. They draft proposals for the rational, efficient allocation of resources, organized and prepared preliminary monitoring of appropriate information, analytical and statistical reporting. And it should be noted that the monitoring system has been quite effective: in particular, increased transparency and openness of the activity of NGOs, rational use of allocated funds.

Mechanism of Interaction between state and society

Last year, as part of implementation of the item 38 of the State Program Year of the Family, in cooperation with the Fund \"Forum of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan, the Social Initiatives Support Fund (SISF), the National Charity Fund Mahalla, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare as well as the UNDP a grant competition the involvement of NGOs in the process of presenting social services to vulnerable families was organized. Amount of funds raised from other sources to support NGOs and other civil society institutions amounted to about 400 million soums. In accordance with the decision of the Parliamentary Commission, the supported 19 social projects contribute to the quality of social services to persons with disabilities and single elderly pensioners in need of care, increase the production of prosthetic and orthopedic products, rehabilitation equipment and lead to the improvement of access to social and health and social services.

At present, in accordance with paragraph 64 of the State Program Year of Wellbeing and Prosperity in conjunction with the Forum of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan Foundation, SISF, National Charity Fund Mahalla another grant competition Prosperous House and a fundraising rally NGO Uzbekistan in support of children of the Muinak district of Karakalpakstan were held.

It is important to note a great attention to the development of contacts with foreign non-governmental and international organizations. So, for the last time more than 10 meetings with various foreign partners and international organizations accredited in Uzbekistan were held. In the course of these meetings issues of further cooperation were discussed, in order to raise their awareness about the measures taken in the area of state support and strengthen the capacity of local civil society institutions.

Today, the activity of the Public Fund and the Parliamentary Commission for the management of its funds came out to a new qualitative level. This is confirmed by the fact that under the international partnership the Fund is actively raising funds from foreign organizations and sends them to support projects designed to contribute to the objectives defined in various government programs.

Collaboration with the Public Fund, UNDP, UNICEF, OSCE, Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Germany), International Center for Non-Profit Law (USA), JICA (Japan) was continued by holding of an international conference in November last year, \"National Model of Development of Institutions of Civil Society: Experience of Uzbekistan”. At the conference, an exhibition of achievements of national institutions of civil society in Uzbekistan was held for the first time, which demonstrated the results of the social projects and programs that have received support from the state budget.

Also, together with the regional office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation developed a project to assist NGOs and other institutions of civil society in the implementation of the major targets of the State program \"Year of Wellbeing and Prosperity”. The event will be held jointly to share experiences in the implementation of social partnership between NGOs and state authorities and local governance. The head of the representative office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Central Asia Peer Teschendorf said amid the global financial and economic crisis, what is happening in the world economy, the implementation of large-scale government support in order to increase social activism and NGOs, environmental protection, sustainable use of natural resources and strengthening of human potential, is an important factor for sustainable development of a modern civil society, and is of interest for the study.

Improving efforts

In general, thanks to the introduction of the system of support of NGOs and other civil society institutions, the Public Fund and the Parliamentary Commission formed a self-sustaining mechanism of interaction between government, businesses and NGOs, as well as enhanced social partnership that promotes full potential of regional NGOs. Their financial, organizational, institutional and economic capacities have been significantly improved.

Public Fund, summing up the five-year activity, continues to work for the future and improve its work. In a short time the Parliamentary Commission is going to hear reports of the Ministry of Justice on the prospects and development of NGOs in the fields of sport and health, with participation of representatives of government agencies, academics, representatives of NGOs, where they will be able to elaborate proposals to improve the sector. Offsite meetings will be held throughout the country. The priority of the Public Fund is to support projects aimed at the development of independent media, education of young people in a spirit of national pride, assistance in improving the health and environmental awareness of the population and increasing social, political and legal activity of the population and NGOs.

Further targeted development of so-called third sector as a feedback channel of state with the population, the use of an innovative approach in addressing pressing social challenges, of course, will raise the activity of domestic NGOs and other civil society institutions to a new level. (Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)