Uzbekistan has significantly broadened a UAE-supported programme that evaluates the performance of its public institutions, with 41 ministries, agencies, and committees undergoing independent assessment this year—more than double the number reviewed in the previous cycle. The initiative, which culminated in an awards ceremony in Tashkent attended by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, reflects a growing global trend of using performance indicators, digitalisation benchmarks, and service delivery metrics to gauge government effectiveness.
The programme, based on the UAE Government Excellence Model and operational in Uzbekistan since 2019, is designed to measure how well state institutions function and whether reforms yield visible benefits for citizens. It forms part of a broader cooperation framework between the two countries on public administration reform. During the ceremony, Mirziyoyev emphasised the link between institutional performance and public trust: “If government institutions resolve people’s problems and the pressing issues affecting them in a timely and fair manner, public trust in the state increases significantly.” He added that Uzbekistan is “paying special attention to introducing new and advanced approaches in public administration.”
Expanded Scope and Focus on Digitalisation
According to Uzbek officials, joint teams of local and Emirati evaluators spent several months reviewing ministries and agencies against criteria including digitalisation, transparency, internal management systems, and public service efficiency. Abdulla Abdukadirov, Director of Uzbekistan’s Agency for Strategic Development and Reforms, noted that the latest cycle marked a substantial expansion: “Last year it was 17. And this year, as you can see, the number was increased significantly because we decided to cover not only the big ministries, but also committees and agencies.” He stressed that evaluators focused less on formal reporting and more on how institutions actually operated, particularly regarding digitalisation and transparency. “Are they systematic? Are they digitalised? And is there any lack between the understanding of the tasks at different levels?” he said.
One notable example from this year’s assessment was the Ministry of Internal Affairs, recognised for improving public service delivery after significantly expanding online services. Deputy Interior Minister Zafar Kurbanov reported that 55 of the ministry’s 62 services are now provided electronically, compared with around 20 in 2020. “This allows citizens to receive services within minutes through the government services portal,” he said. The programme also introduced individual categories recognising civil servants, including awards for young professionals, HR specialists, and women working in public administration.
From Process to Results
Officials say the broader objective is to encourage institutions to focus on measurable outcomes rather than administrative procedures alone. In his address, Mirziyoyev declared that “from now on, the principle of working not for the process, but for the result, will become the main criterion in the activities of state institutions.” He also warned that ministries showing weak performance would face greater public scrutiny in future assessment cycles. A major focus of the programme is reducing bureaucracy and simplifying access to public services. UAE Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Government Knowledge Exchange Mohammed Bin Taliah pointed to Uzbekistan’s recently launched “Zero Bureaucracy” initiative as an example of that effort. “The programme focuses on eliminating bureaucracy in the country and in the government to improve people’s lives and make life better and easier,” he said.
Al Gergawi described the Government Quality Award as part of a wider transformation of Uzbekistan’s administrative system. “What we are witnessing today in the Republic of Uzbekistan under his leadership is a clear example of the results that can be achieved when political will becomes a work culture,” he said during the ceremony. He added that the programme aimed to establish “a culture of excellence and innovation in the government sector.” For some officials involved, the assessments also carried personal significance. Akbarkhon Sobirkhonov, Director of the Innovation Office at Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, said the competition gave him an opportunity to reflect on nearly a decade in public service. “For me, this became a way to reflect on the work I have done over these nine years and also to plan the work I want to do in the future,” he said.
This initiative comes as Uzbekistan continues to pursue broader economic reforms, including a shift from raw material exports to finished goods, as highlighted in Uzbekistan's Export Shift: From Raw Materials to Finished Goods Reshapes Trade. The country's growing international engagement is also evident in its recent debut on the London Stock Exchange, detailed in Uzbekistan's UzNIF Debuts on London Stock Exchange in Historic Dual Listing.
