OREANDA-NEWS. September 02, 2011. UN Resident Coordinator Anita Nirody spoke on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence.

“On 1 September 1991, Uzbekistan became a sovereign nation and entered an exciting new period in its history. This year Uzbekistan will celebrate 20 years of independence. In a relatively short period of time, it has achieved several important milestones in moving forward its socio-economic agenda through a process of gradual reforms and transitioning to a market-based economy,” Anita Nirody said.

“The speech of the President Islam Karimov to the Oliy Majlis in November 2010 laid out critical next steps of gradual reforms in the three branches of governments and outlines major initiatives to develop other attributes of free and just societies – mass media, civil society and economic reforms.

“The United Nations family in Uzbekistan welcomes these initiatives, which are essential to enable citizens to realize their full potential as human beings, and create opportunities for continued development. Gradual reforms, initially focusing on the economic sphere, have yielded successful development results in many countries – at the same time, further economic complexity, and the aspiration to have the benefits of growth reach broad segments of the population, require the deepening of reforms to empower individual creativity and entrepreneurship to contribute to, and strengthen, the economic base. Uzbekistan has reached that stage in its development, and we look forward to continue to work with our national partners in supporting the implementation of these reforms,” UN Resident Coordinator noted.

“As a signatory to the Millennium Declaration adopted in 2000, Uzbekistan has made good progress in moving towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, due to sustainable high rates of economic growth and the implementation of effective programmes in the social sector, particularly in education and health.

“Through our joint strategy with the government, the UN has been facilitating the country’s efforts to match positive economic growth rates with effective social policies both at local and national levels, through policy advice and capacity development, as well as by sharing knowledge and experiences from other parts of the world. Our support covers areas from economic reform to improving governance. We assist in healthcare, including maternal health, and education reform and the protection and preservation for the next generations of Uzbekistan’s tangible and intangible cultural treasures. We also support efforts to counter drug trafficking, environmental degradation and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

“The recent visits of the UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-Moon and UNDP Administrator, Under-Secretary General Ms Helen Clark to Uzbekistan emphasized the strong partnership between the UN and Uzbekistan and the need to further lift the level of engagement so as to continue our joint efforts in meeting the needs of all people in the country,” Anita Nirody said.

On behalf of the UN in Uzbekistan, she congratulated the people of the country on the 20th year of the national independence and said her organization looked forward to close and continued engagement.