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инновациялар
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Общество
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Society and innovations
Journal home page:
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Enhancing legislative processes in Uzbekistan: strategies,
reforms, and future directions
Farangiz ESHTURDIEVA
1
Institute of Legislation and Legal Policy under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received January 2025
Received in revised form
15 January 2025
Accepted 25 February 2025
Available online
25 March 2025
The article examines the legislative reforms in Uzbekistan
aimed at modernizing the lawmaking process and aligning it
with international standards. It identifies key priorities of the
Oliy Majlis (Parliament), including the adoption of directly
applicable laws, the reduction of bureaucratic barriers, the
strengthening of public participation, and the integration of
digital solutions into legislative procedures. The impact of
enhanced parliamentary oversight, regulatory impact
assessments, and anti-corruption mechanisms is assessed. The
role of the "Uzbekistan-2030" Development Strategy in shaping
long-term legislative improvements is analyzed. Identified
challenges include fragmented legal frameworks, excessive
reliance on reference norms, and incomplete digitalization.
The effectiveness of evidence-based policymaking, public
engagement, and compliance with international standards in
establishing a modern and transparent legislative system is
considered. The article characterizes the key patterns of
legislative development in Uzbekistan and evaluates the
practical implications of recent reforms.
2181-
1415/©
2025 in Science LLC.
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-1415-vol6-iss2/S-pp
This is an open access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru)
Keywords:
legislative reforms,
lawmaking process,
regulatory impact
assessment,
public participation,
digital transformation,
legal framework,
governance,
anti-corruption policies,
Uzbekistan
–
2030 Strategy.
1
Institute of Legislation and Legal Policy under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
E-mail: farangizbahodirovna@gmail.com
Жамият
ва
инновациялар
–
Общество
и
инновации
–
Society and innovations
Special Issue
–
02 (2025) / ISSN 2181-1415
136
Oʻzbekistonda
qonun
ijodkorligi
jarayonlarini
takomillashtirish: strategiyalar, islohotlar va kelajakdagi
yo‘nalishlari
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar
:
Qonunchilik islohotlari,
qonun ijodkorligi jarayoni,
tartibga solish ta’sirini
baholash,
jamoatchilik ishtiroki,
raqamli transformatsiya,
huquqiy tizim,
boshqaruv,
korrupsiyaga qarshi siyosat,
O‘zbekiston
–
2030
strategiyasi.
Maqolada
O‘zbekistonda qonun ijodkorligi jarayonini
modernizatsiya qilish va uni xalqaro standartlarga moslashtirish
bo‘yicha amalga oshirilayotgan islohotlar tahlil qilingan. Oliy
Majlisning asosiy ustuvor yo‘nalishlari aniqlangan, jumladan,
to‘g‘ridan
-
to‘g‘ri ama
l qiluvchi qonunlarni qabul qilish,
byurokratik to‘siqlarni kamaytirish, jamoatchilik ishtirokini
kuchaytirish va qonun ijodkorligi jarayoniga raqamli
texnologiyalarni joriy etish, kengaytirilgan parlament nazorati,
tartibga solish ta’sirini baholash va ko
rrupsiyaga qarshi
mexanizmlarning samaradorligi baholangan. “O‘zbekiston –
2030”
rivojlanish
strategiyasi
uzoq
muddatli
qonunchilik
takomillashtirish jarayonidagi roli tahlil qilingan. Aniqlangan
muammolar orasida tarqoq huquqiy normalar, havolaki
me’yorlarga ortiqcha tayanish va qonunchilik jarayonining to‘liq
raqamlashtirilmaganligi ko‘rsatib o‘tilgan. Ilmiy asoslangan siyosat
yuritish, jamoatchilik ishtirokini ta’minlash hamda xalqaro
me’yorlarga muvofiqlikning qonunchilik tizimini zamonaviy va
shaffof q
ilishdagi ahamiyati ko‘rib chiqilgan. Maqolada
qonunchilik rivojlanishining asosiy qonuniyatlari tavsiflangan va
amalga oshirilgan islohotlarning amaliy natijalari baholangan.
Совершенствование
законодательных
процессов
в Узбекистане: стратегии, реформы и направления
будущего развития
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
Законодательные
реформы,
процесс законотворчества,
оценка регулирующего
воздействия, участие
общественности,
цифровая трансформация,
правовая система,
государственное
управление,
антикоррупционная
политика,
Стратегия
«Узбекистан
–
2030».
В статье рассматриваются законодательные реформы в
Узбекистане, направленные на модернизацию процесса
законотворчества и его приведение в соответствие с
международными стандартами. Определены ключевые
приоритеты Олий Мажлиса (Парламента), включая
принятие законов прямого действия, сокращение
бюрократических барьеров, усиление общественного
участия
и
внедрение
цифровых
технологий
в
законодательные процедуры. Оценена эффективность
расширенного
парламентского
контроля,
анализа
регулирующего
воздействия
и
антикоррупционных
механизмов. Проанализирована роль Стратегии развития
«Узбекистан –
2030» в долгосрочном совершенствовании
законодательства. Среди выявленных проблем выделены
фрагментированность
правовых
норм,
чрезмерная
зависимость от отсылочных норм и незавершённая
Жамият
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инновациялар
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Общество
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инновации
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Society and innovations
Special Issue
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02 (2025) / ISSN 2181-1415
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цифровизация законодательного процесса. Рассмотрена
значимость научно обоснованного подхода к политике,
вовлечения граждан и соответствия международным
стандартам для создания современной и прозрачной
законодательной системы. В статье охарактеризованы
основные закономерности развития законодательства и
оценены практические результаты проведенных реформ.
Lawmaking is a fundamental pillar of Uzbekistan’s governance framework, playing
a crucial role in regulating social, economic, and political relations. Over the past years,
Uzbekistan has undertaken significant reforms to modernize its legislative processes,
align its legal system with international standards, and ensure greater transparency,
efficiency, and public participation in lawmaking. Recognizing the importance of
improving legislative quality, the
Oliy Majlis
(Parliament) has prioritized strengthening
the effectiveness of lawmaking. Special emphasis has been placed on
directly applicable
laws
, reducing bureaucratic barriers, and integrating digital transformation into the
legislative process. Additionally, the Uzbek government has aimed to enhance
parliamentary oversight, promote inclusive policymaking, and ensure compliance with
international legal commitments
.
The adoption of the
"Uzbekistan-2030" Development Strategy
further highlights
the country’s commitment to aligning its legislative reforms with long
-term national
objectives. This strategy outlines key goals, including streamlining
legal frameworks
,
improving
regulatory impact assessments
, and fostering a
transparent and citizen-
centric governance model
.
This document provides a comprehensive overview of
Uzbekistan’s lawmaking
reforms
, key achievements, ongoing challenges, and future directions. It explores the
modernization of legislative processes, public engagement mechanisms, and the digital
transformation of lawmaking to ensure a robust, inclusive, and efficient legal system.
The responsibility of entities holding legislative initiative rights has been enhanced
within the lawmaking process. Several important legislative acts have been adopted,
including the Law on Anti-Corruption Expertise of Normative-Legal Acts and Their Drafts
and the updated Law on Normative-Legal Acts. The procedure for exercising the right to
legislative initiative has been clearly defined. When a bill is considered in the first
reading, as a rule, the subject of legislative initiative or their representative must present
and defend it.
The introduction of this practice has led to increased responsibility of the initiating
div for drafting bills, improving their quality, and enhancing the involvement of
stakeholders in the lawmaking process. Additionally, the format and procedures for
drafting legislative proposals that introduce amendments and additions to existing laws
have been improved. A requirement has been established for the inclusion of a preface
explaining the content and significance of such amendments in a clear and accessible
language for the public.
On August 8, 2018, the Presidential Decree No. PF-5505 on the Approval of the
Concept for Improving Normative Creativity Activities introduced a modern approach
and a new conceptual basis for lawmaking activities. Key initiatives include the
introduction of new democratic forms for developing normative-legal acts, the adoption
of directly applicable laws, and ensuring broader public and expert discussions of
legislative drafts. Additionally, priority has been given to examining the compliance of
draft laws with international treaties and global rankings.
Жамият
ва
инновациялар
–
Общество
и
инновации
–
Society and innovations
Special Issue
–
02 (2025) / ISSN 2181-1415
138
As a result, in the past six years, Uzbekistan has significantly improved its standing
in global governance indices:
•
Rule of Law Index
–
an increase of 5 positions
•
World Governance Indicators (WGI)
–
an increase of 24 positions in "Regulatory
Quality"
Over the past period, several key measures have been implemented in the
lawmaking sector:
1
.
Alignment with International Standards.
A systematic approach has been
adopted to assess whether new legislative proposals comply with international treaties
and recommendations aimed at improving Uzbekistan’s position in global rankings. This
measure has facilitated full compliance with Uzbekistan’s international obligations,
increased the country’s investment attractiveness, and strengthened
its international
reputation.
2
.
Strengthening the Role of Parliament in Lawmaking
. The Legislative Chamber of
the Oliy Majlis has prioritized committee-level and faction-level discussions of draft laws
before their adoption. Inter-faction debates on draft laws have been institutionalized,
ensuring a more pluralistic and multi-party approach to legislative decision-making.
The principle of preliminary discussion within political factions before inclusion in the
plenary agenda of the Legislative Chamber has been strictly followed.
3
.
Expanding Public Participation in Lawmaking
. The principles of "The people are
the sole source and author of laws" and "All key decisions are made through direct
dialogue with the public, considering public opinion" have been embedded in lawmaking
practices. Broad public participation has been institutionalized through public
discussions, online consultations, and town-hall meetings on legislative proposals.
The updated "regulation.gov.uz" portal has been introduced, providing a more user-
friendly and accessible platform for public engagement in lawmaking.
4
.
Adoption of Directly Applicable Laws.
Legislative efforts have increasingly
focused on adopting laws that do not require subordinate regulatory acts for
enforcement. Public discussions with local Councils (Kengashes) and on-site reviews
have been expanded to enhance the practicality and effectiveness of proposed laws.
These measures have led to greater legal certainty and enhanced the effectiveness of law
enforcement.
Additionally, the Uzbekistan
–
2030 Strategy prioritizes aligning lawmaking with
ongoing reforms and developing the institutional foundations of state legal policy.
Key efficiency indicators have been identified for 2030, including to achieve this
goal:
•
Expanding the adoption of directly applicable laws
•
Enhancing monitoring and regulatory impact assessment of legislative measures
•
Creating a simplified, accessible, and systematic legal framework
To implement these objectives, it is necessary to review and enhance the
effectiveness of existing law-making mechanisms and parliamentary oversight, while
ensuring greater public participation in governance.
Despite progress, several challenges remain:
1
. Fragmented Legal Frameworks
–
the dispersed regulation of social relations
across multiple laws has led to legal inconsistencies, ambiguities in law enforcement, and
interpretation challenges.
Жамият
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инновациялар
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Общество
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инновации
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Society and innovations
Special Issue
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02 (2025) / ISSN 2181-1415
139
2
. Inadequate Regulatory Impact Assessment
–
there is a lack of systematic
evaluation of the economic, financial, and administrative burdens imposed by new
regulations, particularly on entrepreneurs and citizens.
3
. Overuse of Reference Norms
–
many laws rely on indirect references to sub-
regulatory acts, creating opportunities for misinterpretation and potential abuse of
power by officials.
4
. Ineffective Anti-Corruption Reviews
–
the effectiveness of mandatory corruption
risk assessments remains limited, and other required expert reviews (economic,
financial, linguistic, gender-based, etc.) are inconsistently applied.
5
. Incomplete Digitalization of Lawmaking
–
the process of digital transformation
in lawmaking is not fully implemented, and there is still a reliance on paper-based
document circulation.
In line with the Uzbekistan
–
2030 Strategy, the following key directions are being
prioritized:
❖
Enhancing the Role of Laws in Regulating Social Relations
–
Establishing clear
requirements for the structure, content, and enforceability of directly applicable laws.
❖
Reducing Bureaucratic Barriers
–
Systematic codification of legal norms and
elimination of outdated regulations to simplify law enforcement practices.
❖
Expanding Public and Expert Participation
–
Enhancing collaboration with civil
society institutions, academic experts, and political parties to strengthen public
oversight.
❖
Improving Public Consultation Mechanisms
–
Ensuring that all major legislative
decisions are made through direct dialogue with citizens and public consultations.
❖
Implementing Smart Regulation Principles
–
Introducing evidence-based
policymaking, strengthening regulatory impact assessments, and ensuring compliance
with international standards.
❖
Enhancing Digitalization
–
Automating all stages of the lawmaking process,
ensuring full electronic circulation of legislative documents, and eliminating paper-based
workflows.
❖
Aligning Legislation with the Updated Constitution
–
Reviewing all existing laws
to ensure alignment with the new Constitution, strengthening parliamentary oversight,
and enhancing public participation in governance.
❖
Developing Sector-Specific Legal Frameworks
–
Strengthening legal provisions
in key areas such as economic regulation, environmental protection, judicial reforms, and
human rights.
By implementing these measures, Uzbekistan aims to establish a modern,
transparent, and efficient legal system that fully supports the country's long-term
development goals and ensures the rule of law and public trust in governance.
REFERENCES:
1.
Uzbekistan Constitution (Updated Edition, 2023).
(O‘zbekiston Respublikasi
Konstitutsiyasi). https://lex.uz/
2.
Presidential Decree No. PF-5505 (August 8, 2018). On the Approval of the
Concept for Improving Normative Creativity Activities. https://lex.uz/docs/
3.
Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Normative-Legal Acts (Updated Version).
(Normativ-
huquqiy hujjatlar to‘g‘risida). https://lex.uz/docs/
Жамият
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Общество
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инновации
–
Society and innovations
Special Issue
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02 (2025) / ISSN 2181-1415
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4.
Law on Anti-Corruption Expertise of Normative-Legal Acts and Their Drafts.
(Normativ-huquqiy hujjatlarning va ular loyihalarining korrupsiyaga qarshi ekspertizasi
to‘g‘risida).
https://lex.uz/docs/
5.
Uzbekistan-2030 Development Strategy.
(O‘zbekiston –
2030 strategiyasi).
https://strategy.uz/
6.
World Governance Indicators (WGI), The World Bank. Uzbekistan's rankings on
"Rule of Law" and "Regulatory Quality". https://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/
7.
Rule of Law Index, World Justice Project (WJP). Uzbekistan's progress in rule of
law indicators. https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index
8.
Legislative Activities of the Oliy Majlis. Parliamentary documents and legislative
discussions. https://parliament.gov.uz/
9.
"Regulation.gov.uz" Public Discussion Portal
10.
Online platform for public engagement in legislative processes
11.
Available at: https://regulation.gov.uz/
12.
Reports and Analyses on Lawmaking Reforms in Uzbekistan. Expert reviews
and evaluations by local and international organizations. UNDP Uzbekistan, OSCE.
