Uzbekistan

INTER PARES Partnership with the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Peer-to-peer partnership

Uzbekistan

Priority 1 Financial Oversight

Priority 2 E-Parliament

Priority 3 Gender Equality

Priority 4 Youth

EU Member States Parliaments

Priority 1

Financial Oversight: Activities

Open/ participatory budgeting in view of strengthening the participation and engagement of citizens in the budget process, including at municipal level.
Annual budget setting and relationship with other strategic documents.
Green budgeting.
Carrying out budgetary analysis – tools and data analysis; monitoring budget indicators.
Formation and implementation of the budget.
Role of independent fiscal institutions: parliamentary budget offices and fiscal councils.
Formation and implementation of the budget with the engagement of budget committees.

Priority 2

E-Parliament: Activities

Implementation of digital tools and mechanisms in parliaments.
Integrated law-making systems/e-legislative process in parliaments.
Citizen complaints and petitions.

Priority 3

Gender Equality: Activities

Legislative and policy frameworks for gender equality, as well as methods and tools for gender mainstreaming.
Gender budgeting and gender disaggregated data on key governance related topics.
Gender-sensitive law-making and legislative oversight with consideration of specific policy issues.
Gender violence, prevention and harassment laws.

Priority 4

Youth: Activities

Functioning of effective youth parliament models.
Methods and tools for youth engagement in parliamentary work, including civic education programs.

Outcomes

A total of 14 exchange sessions and workshops – both online and in person – were organized.
The MPs & staff of the Oliy Majlis engaged in peer-to-peer exchanges with 9 different EU national parliaments and the European Parliament.
Mutual learning: Members and staff from the Olyi Majlis and EU national parliaments learnt good practices from each other.
A Key takeaways document was produced as a result of the youth workshop in Tashkent.
Participants of online and in-person exchanges provided positive feedback about different events:
- "The direct exchange of information and experience with responsible staff of the parliament was highly effective."
- " This approach fosters idea exchange, and I strongly support collaboration with colleagues in EU."
- “It was interesting to know how youth parliaments in EU engages with young people in the democratic process and provides them with a platform to voice their opinions and concerns.”

Partnership Highlights

Parliaments & Youth: From Representation to Engagement & Participation

On 9-10 July 2024, a two-day workshop on Parliaments and Youth: From Representation to Engagement and Participation, was hosted by the Senate of Uzbekistan, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The event gathered parliamentary and youth representatives from Uzbekistan, and from Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia (a total of 17participants). The workshop explored different concepts of youth representation, engagement and participation: from guided and virtual school tours to teaching materials, specialised university programmes and discussed the increasingly important role of social media and digital tools. Participants also exchanged knowledge on institutional mechanisms available in parliaments to promote youth engagement in legislative, budgeting and/or oversight activities - to ensure that the youth voices are heard and reflected in national policies and decision-making processes. As a result of the workshop, Inter Pares produced a Key Takeaways document – Eight Insights for parliaments for promoting meaningful youth participation – of general relevance to all parliaments seeking to enhance youth engagement.

2025 Digital Transformation in Parliaments: Study Visit to the Lithuanian Seimas

From 29 to 31 January 2025, four staff members of the Oliy Majlis participated in a study visit to the Lithuanian Seimas. The visit focused on enhancing e-parliament systems, building upon previous exchanges between the parliaments of Uzbekistan, Lithuania and other EUMSPs addressing topics of digital transformation in parliaments.

The visit covered modernization of parliamentary business processes; exploring IT solutions to track laws from their initiation to adoption and publication; e-committee tools - a digital platform for transparent and efficient functioning of parliamentary committees; digital tools to ensure public engagement in legislative processes; e-archives; cybersecurity & AI-driven innovations.

The participants engaged in peer-to-peer exchanges with Seimas representatives, discussing best practices for transparency, efficiency, and citizen engagement. The visit helped to explore insights into parliamentary digitalization strategies and practical ways to advance e-parliament solutions in Uzbekistan.

Concluding Event: Workshops on Budget Processes & Gender-Sensitive Parliaments

In April 2025, Inter Pares concluded its partnership with the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan through a three-day event held in Brussels, from 28 to 29 April. Different days of the workshop were hosted at the Belgian Senate, Belgian Chamber of Representatives, and the European Parliament. The event brought together Members and staff from the Oliy Majlis (10 participants), European Parliament, Belgian Federal Parliament, Czech Chamber of Deputies German Bundestag, Lithuanian Seimas and Italian Senate.

The workshop focused on:

The Role of Parliaments in Budget Formation and Implementation, and
Gender-sensitive Parliaments

The participants engaged in rich and wide-ranging discussions – from exploring parliamentary tools for budget scrutiny and oversight, to mechanisms how to advance gender equality and women’s rights, mainstream gender across core parliamentary functions and highlight policy-level decisions to combat gender-based violence. At the end of the workshop, the Uzbek delegation engaged in a brief gender audit exercise to assess gender sensitive approaches in their parliament, identifying both achievements as well as opportunities for further improvement.