Working mothers in Uzbekistan will receive benefits from the Social Insurance Fund until their child turns one, while the government plans to revise the criteria for the Social Register and introduce vouchers to cover childcare, education, transport and accommodation costs for children from low-income families.

The changes were announced by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at a meeting on poverty reduction and increasing household incomes on September 3.

The president instructed the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of Uzbekistan to revise the system for registering citizens in the Social Register by the year-end.

The government will introduce a multidimensional assessment system that takes into account not only household income but also factors such as chronic illnesses, disabilities, having many children and whether a family member works abroad.

Mirziyoyev said the poverty rate in Uzbekistan had fallen to 3.9%, but remained higher among families with children under three, at an average of 6.5%.

“We will establish a system that will allow parents caring for children to work and earn an income from home or within their mahalla,” Mirziyoyev said.

Working mothers will also receive benefits from the Social Insurance Fund until their child reaches the age of one.

The meeting also addressed support for low-income families with no able-bodied members. This year, 300 billion Uzbek soums has been allocated for a social support package aimed at providing such families with what officials described as “passive income”.

According to figures presented at the meeting, 11,000 families have received such assistance, with incomes rising significantly in about half of them. Mirziyoyev instructed officials to submit a draft decision within a week on continuing the programme.

From 2027, children from families included in the Social Register are also expected to receive vouchers covering the costs of public and private kindergartens, courses at educational centres, transport and accommodation in university dormitories.

The vouchers will be issued for 12 months and will remain valid even if the family is subsequently removed from the Social Register.