Nation's Agency for Youth Affairs convenes youth leaders
to discuss their challenges
With 60% of the population under 30, nation making major
investments in youth
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, Feb. 17,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Uzbekistan President
Shavkat Mirziyoyev has announced a
series of new initiatives designed to create even more
opportunities for the nation's young generation.
In a meeting Friday with youth representatives from across the
country, the president announced the formation of a bank dedicated
to help fund projects from young entrepreneurs and tax incentives
designed to encourage employment of people under the age of 30. The
new programs are in addition to the 'Yoshlar Daftari' (Youth
Notebook) program which the president introduced eight years ago to
stimulate education, youth employment and youth
entrepreneurism.
Simultaneously, new figures were released showing that the
Yoshlar Daftari program has had a major impact by driving down
youth unemployment by 50%, delivering a major increase in academic
qualifications and tripling the number of young entrepreneurs.
The new figures show that systematic reforms aimed at ensuring
the comprehensive development of young people have strengthened
their active participation in society, with support to 155,000
young people through more than UZS345 billion (US$26.4m) of financial assistance. While helping
to solve many pressing issues faced by young people, the initiative
has also supported students, young workers and aspiring
entrepreneurs.
In the eight years since 'Yoshlar Daftari' was launched, the
number of young entrepreneurs has tripled and 40% of the business
community now consists of young people, demonstrating their growing
role in the economy.
Uzbekistan's youth policy has
been recognized at the international level: it is among the 10
states most actively implementing the United Nations' 'Youth -
2030' strategy.
"Today, our motherland is entering a new historic stage of its
development. During this period, we naturally face difficult tasks,
obstacles and challenges that we have not faced before," the
President told the group. "However, no matter how difficult it is,
we will definitely achieve the ambitious goals we have set for
ourselves."
The 'Yoshlar Daftari' initiative has also helped to drive
significant achievements in education, with the number of Masters'
students increasing seven-fold. And thanks to state-funded tuition,
the number of female students in Master's programs has risen
eleven-fold, a significant step toward ensuring equal access to
education for all.
"If we train one girl, then we train the whole family,"
President Mirziyoyev said. "If the family is educated and
enlightened, then the whole society will become educated and
enlightened."
There has also been substantial progress in the scientific
field, with the number of young researchers gaining academic
degrees doubling to 4,357. And while only 800 young people studied
abroad in the preceding quarter century, some 2,300 students have
taken advantage of opportunities to study at leading overseas
institutions in the past seven years, via support from the 'El-Yurt
Umidi' Foundation. Such programs are crucial for gaining
international experience and training globally competitive
professionals.
Language learning has played a significant role in the global
success of young Uzbekistanis, with two million students learning
foreign languages over the past three years, with the number
scoring the highest IELTS English language exam increasing
five-fold.
During the meeting, the President listened to ideas, while
encouraging new initiatives and proposals. He supported valuable
suggestions put forward by young representatives and instructed
officials to develop clear plans and programs for their
implementation to enhance the social, economic, and scientific
potential of youth and expand their future opportunities.
Several new projects are planned for implementation in the youth
sector based on the President's directive.
Notably, under the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Fund
managed by the government's Youth Affairs Agency, US$100 million is to be allocated to support
innovative business ideas. This will provide significant
opportunities for young entrepreneurs to stimulate their growing
potential and readiness for large-scale projects. Under this
initiative, young entrepreneurs can receive preferential loans of
up to UZS2.5 billion for business startups, while new projects can
receive investments of up to UZS2 billion. This initiative is
intended to inspire young people to realize their dreams and
contribute to economic growth.
The President also announced the 'Alokabank' will be transformed
to provide support for business projects and startups. With
$200 million in funding, this new
bank will offer preferential loans ranging from UZS 100 million to
UZS 5 billion for up to five years in industries such as
manufacturing, agriculture and services.
For service sector entrepreneurs, tax incentives will also be
offered to companies hiring employees under the age of 30, helping
young people gain employment to enhance their competitiveness in
the labor market.
Another key initiative is the establishment of creative industry
parks, providing young people with opportunities to engage with and
learn about innovative ideas. The introduction of a preferential
tax regime until 2030 and the establishment of business schools
will support success in creative and innovative industries. It is
anticipated that these new parks will become ideal spaces for
learning modern business strategies and mastering new methods of
service delivery.
The initiatives announced by the President are all aimed at
supporting youth, expanding their opportunities, and strengthening
their role in society. They encourage active participation in the
economy, education, arts, and other fields, motivating young people
to achieve their dreams and to support the nation's emerging
prosperity.
About the Agency for Youth Affairs
https://gov.uz/en/yoshlar
The Agency for Youth Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan is a state organization engaged in
bringing state youth policy to a new level, effectively solving
problems in the youth sphere, comprehensive support for youth, as
well as organizing and coordinating the activities of authorized
bodies.
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