Thirty-five years is a short span for history, yet for a human being it is the lifetime of an entire generation. On August 31, 1991, Uzbekistan restored its state independence and gained the right to independently determine its path of development and its domestic and foreign policy. During this period, the institutions of a sovereign state were established, a foreign policy based on national interests took shape, and the economy and society were renewed step by step.
Yet the greatest value of independence is not measured by state symbols and international status alone. It is manifested in a person finding dignity in their own homeland, believing in justice, working in decent conditions, seeing their children receive quality education, and looking to the future with confidence. In this sense, the 35-year journey is both a source of pride and a point for objectively assessing the results achieved and setting new tasks.
From Historical Foundations to Modern Statehood
The history of today's Uzbekistan did not begin from a blank slate. The experience of statehood — from ancient Khorezm, Bactria, Sogdiana, and Kangju to the eras of the Samanids, the Karakhanids, the Khorezmshahs, Amir Temur, and the Timurids — shows that traditions of governance, law, diplomacy, urban planning, trade, and science took shape on this land. The modern republic is not a direct continuation of these historical entities, but it is a new political and legal expression of our people's centuries-old memory of statehood and their will to self-determination.
In the initial stage of independence, the political, legal, economic, and security foundations of state sovereignty were laid. A Constitution was adopted, a national currency was introduced, and the Armed Forces, parliament, and institutions of citizenship and foreign policy were established. Preserving peace and stability under complex conditions and a gradual transition to a market economy became the basis for the country's further development.
Since 2016, a new stage of development has begun under the leadership of the President. Government agencies serving the people, human dignity, openness, good-neighborliness, poverty reduction, and "green" development have become priority directions of the reforms. It is right to view these two stages not in opposition to each other, but as a continuous process — from building statehood to bringing it ever closer to the interests of the individual. As the head of our state emphasized, "Most importantly, in our reforms we have focused primarily on improving the daily life of every family and every person."
A vivid symbol of this historical continuity is the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, established at the initiative of the President. The center, which officially opened on March 17, 2026, is not limited to displaying rare manuscripts; it serves to study and promote our ancestors' contribution to world science and culture using modern technologies. Smithsonian Magazine included it among the ten most anticipated museum openings in the world in 2026. The fact that half a million local and foreign visitors had come to the center as of June 1 is a practical expression of interest in the national heritage. The children's museum and innovative exhibitions give the younger generation the opportunity not merely to view history, but to comprehend it and feel it as part of their identity.
From a Sovereign Voice to Regional Initiative
On March 2, 1992, Uzbekistan joined the United Nations (UN) and became an equal subject of international law. In 1993, from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly, Uzbekistan put forward the idea of establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia. The official negotiation process among the states of the region to implement this initiative reached a new level in Tashkent in 1997 and, after lengthy negotiations, culminated in a regional treaty and an international commitment. This was one of the first major results demonstrating that a national initiative of an independent state can serve the interests of common security.
In subsequent years, Central Asia became a priority direction of Uzbekistan's foreign policy. Consultative Meetings of the heads of state were established, borders were opened, and transport, trade, cultural, and family ties intensified. The 2018 UN General Assembly resolution on peace, stability, and sustainable development lent international support to the new political environment that had taken shape in the region. The new resolution on strengthening regional cooperation and economic integration in Central Asia, adopted on April 2, 2026, set the task of complementing this climate of trust with practical partnership serving innovation, job creation, and sustainable growth.
The fact that initiatives such as "Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance," declaring the Aral Sea region a zone of environmental innovations and technologies, and strengthening the role of parliaments in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have become UN resolutions shows that Uzbekistan's diplomacy is proposing solutions to global problems. Yet the most important result of diplomacy lies not only in adopted documents. It is visible in the lives of families crossing borders freely, entrepreneurs trading across regions, and neighboring peoples jointly responding to common threats.
Human Dignity: The Chief Criterion of the Reforms
The value of independence is manifested, above all, in human destiny. Based on the results of the 2021 cotton harvest, the International Labour Organization confirmed that Uzbek cotton is free from systemic child and forced labor. The lifting of the global boycott in 2022 showed that ensuring labor rights also expands economic opportunities.
This change is evident, first and foremost, in children continuing their education without missing classes during the cotton season, and in workers gaining decent working conditions. Thus, the result of the reform is visible not only in international recognition, but also in the lives of families, the future of children, and human dignity.
As a result of improvements to legislation and citizenship registration procedures, more than 90,000 stateless persons have been granted Uzbek citizenship in recent years. For thousands of people, this means expanded opportunities for education, work, social protection, and full participation in the life of society.
The ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the expansion of women's and young people's participation in state and public administration are also important directions of a policy based on human dignity. Most importantly, the work does not end with the adoption of a legal act: the decisive criterion remains that the law works equally in every region, that a person's appeal is heard, and that their rights are protected in practice.
Officially acknowledging poverty and placing its reduction at the center of state policy is an important feature of the New Uzbekistan stage. Thanks to mechanisms that combine employment, income, and social services at the level of the mahalla (a traditional neighborhood community and institution of local self-governance), according to official national calculations, the poverty rate fell to 5.8% by the end of 2025. This result should be assessed not only by the figure itself, but by whether a family has a stable income, a child has access to kindergarten and school, and a person in need receives targeted assistance.
An Open Economy for People's Well-Being
The liberalization of the currency market, the renewal of the tax and customs systems, and the expansion of opportunities for entrepreneurship and foreign trade have served to make the economy open and competitive. According to preliminary data from the National Statistics Committee, the country's economy grew by 7.7% in 2025. Gross domestic product amounted to 1,849.7 trillion soums, or, by official estimates, more than $147 billion. This is a major milestone, yet the true value of economic growth is measured by how much it serves to create new jobs, provide stable incomes, build quality infrastructure, and reduce disparities between regions.
Digitalization is also transforming the relationship between the state and the citizen. In 2025, 12.8 million people used digital government services. This has made it possible to reduce the time and cost of obtaining many services and to cut excessive red tape. The main task now is to improve not only the quantity but the quality of electronic services, to reduce the digital divide in remote areas, to protect personal data, and to ensure the interoperability of government information systems.
The next stage of the economy must rely on labor productivity, energy efficiency, innovation, and fair competition. Unless a level playing field for the private sector, reliable judicial protection, and the stability of rules are ensured, the benefits of high growth rates will not be fully realized. Therefore, the chief goal of an open economy is not a statistical indicator, but the creation of an environment in which a person's work is valued and their initiative is supported.
"Green" Development: A Duty to Future Generations
For Uzbekistan, the Aral Sea tragedy is not merely an environmental problem. It brings together issues of health, employment, migration, water security, and regional inequality. The UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea Region and the resolution recognizing the region as a zone of environmental innovations and technologies have brought the problem onto the global agenda. According to official data, green cover of saxaul and other desert plants has been established on more than 2 million hectares of the dried seabed. This is an enormous practical step aimed at reducing the negative impact of dust and salt migration.
A new direction has also taken shape in the energy sector. As of February 2026, solar, wind, and hydropower capacity had reached 8 gigawatts — that is, 31% of the country's total generating capacity. This expands opportunities to reduce dependence on natural gas and cut harmful emissions. Yet building new power plants alone is not enough: it is necessary to modernize electricity grids, develop energy storage systems, use water and energy efficiently, and ensure a just "green" transition for the population and businesses.
The Sustainable Development Goals make it possible to assess social, economic, and environmental outcomes by a single standard. Uzbekistan has adopted 16 national goals and presented its Voluntary National Reviews at the UN High-Level Political Forum in 2020 and 2023. In the 2026 Sustainable Development Report, the country ranked 65th among 169 states with a score of 72.95. This indicates positive progress, but the ranking itself does not mean that all tasks have been accomplished. Faster progress is required, especially on sustainable cities, climate, water, air quality, and regional inequality.
The Cooperation Framework for Sustainable Development between Uzbekistan and the UN for 2026–2030 unites effective governance and justice, decent living standards and social protection, health, inclusive education, climate, and the comprehensive development of the Aral Sea region in a single agenda. Its core purpose is to ensure that every person benefits from the fruits of development. The main task now remains to translate national indicators into concrete changes in the life of the mahalla and the family.
From Recognition to the Quality of Everyday Life
An important outcome of the thirty-five-year journey is that Uzbekistan has taken shape as a state that defends its national interests while also being capable of taking the initiative on regional and universal problems. Peace is the condition for development, human dignity is its goal, effective institutions are its guarantee, responsibility toward nature is its future, and international partnership is the factor that expands its opportunities.
At the same time, it is necessary to consistently continue reforms to strengthen justice and the uniform application of the law in the judicial and legal system, to expand public dialogue and accountability, to improve the quality of education, to ensure a level competitive environment for the private sector, and to adapt to water scarcity and climate risks. Openly acknowledging problems does not diminish the achievements; on the contrary, it serves to make them solid and irreversible.
UNESCO status and international interest in the Center of Islamic Civilization require constant work to preserve the national heritage, study it scientifically, and present it to the world in a modern language. New energy capacity demands energy efficiency; high rankings demand quality services and equal opportunities; and international initiatives demand the consistent fulfillment of commitments undertaken. International recognition is not the end of the road — it further heightens responsibility for the rule of law, human rights, and the preservation of natural resources.
That is why the 35th anniversary is not only an occasion for pride in the past, but a point for objectively measuring results and defining responsibility to future generations. The chief criterion of the next stage is to turn international recognition into results people can feel in their lives — through clean water, quality education, decent work, justice, a healthy environment, and confidence in tomorrow.
Jahongir Isaev,
Head of Department,
Sustainable Development Center