The first part of Article 23 of the New Edition of the Constitution notes that Uzbekistan guarantees the protection of its citizens both on its territory and abroad.
The relevance of this issue is explained by the fact that millions of compatriots are and work abroad. According to available statistics, in 2022 their number exceeded 2.35 million people. Most of the labor migrants were in Russia (61.5%), Kazakhstan (16.9%), Turkey (6.1%), South Korea (2%) and the United Arab Emirates (0.8%).
“The significance of their contribution to Uzbekistan’s economy is difficult to overestimate. Remittances from Uzbek citizens are one of the most important sources of foreign exchange earnings in the country. At the same time, in recent years, despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the volume of remittances to the country has been constantly growing. In 2022, a kind of record was set. $16.9 billion was sent to Uzbekistan, which is 2.1 times more than in 2021. This money serves as the most important driver for the development of the Uzbek consumer market, which, in turn, stimulates private business investment in production and the introduction of new technologies,” the UWED Associate Professor Rustam Makhmudov noted.
According to the expert, compatriots who worked abroad for many years were left without proper protection and support from the state. The situation began to change dramatically only in the second half of 2016, with the start of reforms in Uzbekistan.
As an indicator of the changed attitude of the state towards labor migrants, one can note the presidential decree of 01.03.2022 “On additional measures to support citizens of Uzbekistan engaged in temporary labor activities abroad, and members of their families”.
The document introduced the institution of representation of the Agency for External Labor Migration under the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations in the regions of Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan. The task of the representative office is to protect the rights and interests of citizens of Uzbekistan working abroad, to provide assistance to those compatriots who, during their stay abroad, were subjected to violence, forced labor and humiliation, were injured, seriously ill, found themselves in a difficult financial situation, left without documents certifying person, or money. Representative offices also provide information and advisory services.
According to the Senate of Oliy Majlis, in 2022 alone, the Agency for External Labor Migration, embassies and consular offices of Uzbekistan provided legal assistance to 14,000 labor migrants and consulting services to 271,000 citizens. It should be noted that state bodies and representative offices provided assistance in collecting from foreign employers wages and compensations to our citizens in the amount of $1,199.7 thousand.
“The fact that over the years of reforms the attitude of the state towards its citizens living and working abroad has begun to change is of paramount importance for our country. The practical assistance provided by our diplomats to a citizen of Uzbekistan who has fallen into a difficult situation contributes much more to the growth of respect for an ordinary person for his state than a thousand words. It is through such support measures that patriotism and a person’s desire to invest their talent, strength and means in the development of their country,” Rustam Makhmudov concluded.
