Thankfully, this year our population exceeded 36 million and we now have approximately 900,000 new people joining our ranks every year.
We have been making consistent efforts to create all of the conditions for providing a peaceful and prosperous life for every member of our big and friendly Uzbek family.
Due to these large and efficient reforms, our gross domestic product has grown to more than $80 billion for the first time.
This year alone, we have attracted $8 billion in direct investment to our economy and exports have reached $19 billion.
For the first time in our history, we have increased the amount of pensions and social benefits to a level not less than expenditures for minimum consumption. For instance, 500,000 low-income families received social support in 2017, and today the total exceeds 2 million. The value of resources allocated has increased seven times, and now stands at 11 trillion soms (¥129 billion) per year.
We will consistently continue to follow a policy of increasing salaries, pensions and social benefits.
These numbers are easy to show off, but there is selfless work behind each of them. Hence, the most significant issue under our consideration is human dignity and honor.
In this regard, over the past six years, we have built around 300,000 houses throughout the country, or 10 times more than in all previous years combined.
During this period, we also created 500,000 additional vacancies in schools, reaching a total of 5,300,000. At present, we are making efforts to add 1,200,000 more.
It is certainly joyful that 381 of our athletes won prizes in global and regional sporting competitions this year, as did 43 of our talented and knowledgeable young people who attended prestigious international science olympiads and competitions.
Our country hosted the summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Organization of Turkic States, as well as multiple high-level international conferences where major initiatives were put forward. This is a vivid demonstration of the growing international prestige of Uzbekistan.
To bring the country’s development to a new level, it is necessary to change our system of governance, legislation and society. If we do not change, if we do not draw attention to the vivid problems, we will definitely fall behind in terms of quality life and progress. Our people, especially our youth, would not forgive this.
The principle of “first and foremost, the human being, then the society and state” should deeply be reflected in our constitution, laws and in our daily lives. We need to further strengthen the national statehood. With a solid foundation, we will be able to effectively overcome today’s serious trials and the future’s unknown challenges and threats.
In this regard, work continues to improve our basic laws. Our people are anticipating big changes from constitutional reforms. A clear confirmation of this is the more than 220,000 proposals received to date.
We will undertake such decisions, relying on the principle that “society is the initiator of reform” and consulting with people in all spheres.
As a whole, we need to develop a modern constitution imbued with the idea and essence of respect for human honor and dignity as the highest value. Such a basic law is consistent with the objectives of a “New Uzbekistan” and will serve future generations.
To identify concrete plans for the forthcoming year, we have thoroughly studied the opinions of our citizens in all areas and considered about 20,000 proposals.
The raised issues are clear and relevant. No matter how difficult they are, we will definitely solve them, as no one will solve them for us. The main task should be the creation of all conditions to use such initiatives as efficiently as possible to realize the energy and potential of our people.
The more opportunities we create for our people, the more likely the benefits will return to our society, whether by tenfold or a hundredfold.
Therefore, I propose to declare 2023 “The Year of Human Care and Quality Education” in our country.
As is well-known, the priority task of state policy as pursued in Uzbekistan is caring for people and ensuring their interests. It is evident to all of us that this policy will not be limited to one year, but will continue for multiple years.
We will always, as now, strive to create all decent conditions for every person in our country to lead peaceful and happy lives, to have sound health and to gain quality education, ensuring the well-being of his family.
Now, I would like to highlight the priorities for 2023.
First, I suggest adjusting to the compact and efficient system of state management.
Second, we have set a goal to build a “New Uzbekistan” based on the principle of a welfare state, and we must cement it in the constitution.
“Welfare state” in this context means creating equal opportunities for all people for the realization of their potential and the necessary conditions for fostering decent livelihoods and reducing poverty.
Third is the protection of human rights and freedoms, which must be identified as the constitutional duty of the government.
Our fourth priority is related to ecology, especially at a time when water issues are worsening as a global challenge.
Fifth is implementing free market mechanisms, fair competition, private property privacy and support for entrepreneurship, all of which should be enshrined in the constitution.
Our sixth priority is to further improve the conditions for increasing internal and foreign direct private-sector investment in our economy. We have increased the investment volume to comprise more than 30% of GDP.
Next year, $30 billion in capital will be attracted, from which $25 billion will be direct investments. We will put more than 300 projects into operation and an additional 40 new major projects will be started.