Uzbekistan creates regional headquarters to fight poverty and unemployment

September 3, 2026 at 01:00 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Uzbekistan will establish regional headquarters led by khokims to combat poverty and unemployment. Khokims and economic officials will dedicate three days a week exclusively to these issues. The initiative follows a government meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Key Facts

Regional headquarters led by khokims will be created in every region and district of Uzbekistan.
Khokims and economic officials will dedicate three days a week exclusively to poverty and employment issues.
In Khorezm region, 81,000 low-income citizens from 19,000 families were studied, revealing 12,000 unemployed and 10,000 low-income individuals.
The poverty rate in Uzbekistan fell from 5.8% (2.2 million people) at the beginning of the year to 1.5 million people currently.
49 districts and 3,429 mahallas are becoming territories free from unemployment and poverty, while 159 districts and 5,536 mahallas show insufficient results.

New Regional Headquarters

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting on poverty reduction and income growth, where the new system was presented. Headquarters will be established in every region and district, headed by khokims. Regional, district, and city leaders, along with the entire economic complex, will work on poverty and employment issues three days a week. Banks and employment promotion services will assist the headquarters in resolving local problems.

Khorezm Region Analysis

Over two weeks, authorities studied 81,000 low-income citizens from 19,000 families in Khorezm region. The study found 12,000 unemployed and 10,000 low-income individuals in these families. Khorezm entrepreneurs currently seek 4,000 workers in construction, 3,000 in services, and 2,500 in industry. Officials were tasked with training unemployed and low-income citizens in demanded professions and facilitating their employment. Existing vacancies and vocational training could raise incomes for 10,000–15,000 residents from low-income families.

Criticism and Challenges

President Mirziyoyev criticized the work of mahalla bankers and khokim assistants, noting many still start project reviews with collateral questions and poorly understand leasing, factoring, guarantees, and insurance. Authorities acknowledged bureaucracy in loan issuance and repayment schedules that often ignore business specifics. Management of preferential loans under family and youth entrepreneurship programs will be transferred to district headquarters. In Khorezm, 48,000 children live in low-income families, but no special program exists for their early vocational training. More than 10,000 women from such families are engaged in childcare, and preschool enrollment for their children is below 75%.