President Mirziyoyev reaffirms Uzbekistan’s goal to reach upper middle-income status by 2030

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on 23 September, President Mirziyoyev highlighted the transformations taking place in Uzbekistan.

“In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, we are pursuing the policy of building a democratic, legal, social and secular New Uzbekistan. We are steadily continuing our irreversible reforms. Our top priority is to radically improve the lives of every family and every citizen in our country, while enhancing human dignity and well-being.

“In recent years, Uzbekistan has reduced the poverty rate from 35 percent to 6.6 percent. This has been achieved primarily through reforms in education and science, the establishment of innovative industries and high-tech enterprises, the modernization of green energy and transport infrastructure, the comprehensive development of small business, and, as a result, the creation of millions of jobs.

“The coverage of preschool education in the country has increased from 27 percent to 78 percent, while access to higher education among young people has risen from 9 percent to 42 percent. Most importantly, we consider the elevation of the teaching profession’s prestige and status as a decisive issue. To promote international exchange of pedagogical knowledge and experience, we propose holding a World Summit on Professional Education in Uzbekistan.

“At the same time, we are building an advanced healthcare system. Tomorrow, at the UN headquarters, a high-level event will be held at our initiative, dedicated to combating childhood cancer and other serious diseases. We invite all our foreign partners to join this effort.

“Another key area is gender policy. We aim to further strengthen the role of women in the socio-political life and business sector of our country. On a broader regional scale, we support turning the Asian Women’s Forum into a permanent platform, held on a regular basis.

“I would like to reiterate that we remain committed to our obligations in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. By 2030, we intend to join the ranks of upper middle-income countries. To this end, we will continue to pursue our open and pragmatic policy consistently,” the president said.