The Review was prepared by the OECD Public Governance Directorate (GOV) under the leadership of Elsa Pilichowski, Director. It was developed under the strategic direction of Martin Forst, Head of the Governance Reviews and Partnerships Division (GRP) and William Tompson, Head of the Eurasia Division at the Global Relations and Cooperation Directorate (GRC).
The review was co-ordinated by Arnault Prêtet and Simon Callewaert from the Public Governance Reviews Unit (GOV) and by Grégory Lecomte and Céleste Laporte Talamon from the Central Asia Unit (GRC). Hyun Seung Joy Lee and Gillian Dorner of the GOV Director’s Office provided comments and guidance. Ciara Muller checked the manuscript and prepared it for publication.
This Review would not have been possible without the significant commitment and support of the Agency for Strategic Reforms under the President of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Justice, and other institutions in the government of Uzbekistan. The authors are particularly thankful to Mr Bakhodir Rakhmatov, Director General of the Agency for Strategic Reforms under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr Abdulla Abdukadirov First Deputy Director General, Mr Rustamkhon Azizov, former Deputy Director General and Mr Ibrahim Karamatov, former Lead Consultant in the same agency for their contributions, support, and for facilitating all exchanges between the OECD and stakeholders in order to collect and verify data.
Chapter 1 on Public Administration Effectiveness and Modernisation in Uzbekistan was drafted by Arnault Prêtet, Elina Smetanina, Timothy Tennant and Javier Baraibar. Chapter 2 on Improving Policy Co-ordination, Strategic Planning and Performance Management in Uzbekistan was drafted by Simon Callewaert and Arnault Prêtet. Chapter 3 on Gender Mainstreaming was drafted by Capucine Kerboas, with contributions from Natsuki Murai. Chapter 4 on The Integrity System in Uzbekistan was drafted by Alice Berggrun. Chapter 5 on Evidence Informed Policymaking and Regulatory Quality was drafted by Supriya Trivedi and Daniel Trnka. Chapter 6 on Civil Service was drafted by Felicitas Neuhaus (external consultant) under the guidance of Daniel Gerson and Dónal Mulligan.
The authors would also like to extend their gratitude to the many institutions and individuals who contributed to the activities of this project. Notably, the Institute of Legislation and Legal Policy under the President; the Ministry of Economy and Finance; the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, particularly Aleksey Sim and Tengiz Asanov; the Ministry of Digital Technologies, with special thanks to Jamilya Berdieva and Jurat; the Ministry of Justice, with appreciation for the contributions of Bobur Donayev and Maftuna Kabilova; the International Strategic Centre for Agri-food Development under the Ministry of Agriculture, especially Alisher Umaraliev; the Centre for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR); the Agency of Statistics; the Senate - Judicial and Legal Affairs and Anti-Corruption Committee; the Senate Committee on Women and Gender Equality; the Women and Family Committee, notably Ugiloy Urazova; the Republican Commission on Enhancing the Role of Women; the Chamber of Commerce and Industry; the Anti-Corruption Agency, including Mushtari Madrakhimova; the Public Prosecutor’s Office, particularly Karimjon Musashaykhov; the Agency for the Development of Public Services (ARGOS), with special thanks to Alisher Eranov; the National Academy of Public Administration Policy under the President; the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights; UNDP; UN Women Uzbekistan; USAID; the Asian Development Bank (ADB); Nemolchi.uz; the French Agence française de développement, the Uzbekistan Business Women Association; and the American Chamber of Commerce in Uzbekistan.
The OECD would also like to thank the peer reviewers and experts, who provided invaluable inputs and shared the experience of their respective countries during different missions held in Uzbekistan:
Adam Ostry - International Expert on public policy and governance, former official of the OECD and Canada.
Iván Stola - International Expert on public policy and governance, former official of the OECD and Argentina.
Sandra Lengwiler - International Affairs Officer, Federal Office for Gender Equality, Switzerland.
Paulina Grosjean - Scientific Collaborator, Federal Office for Gender Equality, Switzerland.
Marie Lintzer - Head of International Partnerships, High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (Haute Autorité pour la Transparence de la Vie Publique, HATVP), France.
Thomas Wroblewski - Head of International Regulatory Cooperation and Engagement, Smarter Regulation Directorate, Department for Business and Trade, UK Government.
This publication is funded by Germany. The OECD would like to thank in particular Dr Viktor Kessler, Jasmina Popin and Madinabonu Ishmuradova of the GIZ Good Governance Programme for their support and guidance on the project. The OECD Secretariat would like to thank Zorka Kordić Gledović for her insights. The OECD would also like to thank H.E. Mr Manfred Huterer, Ambassador of Germany to the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The OECD would like to further thank Ikbal Yusupova and her team for interpretation services and logistical support provided throughout the Review.