First Forum of Public Councils in Tashkent
On 14 August, 2019 Tashkent hosted the first Forum of Public Councils that brought together more than 150 representatives of the public councils throughout Uzbekistan, media, active citizens, and foreign experts to discuss development of public councils and ongoing reforms in the country. The Forum was organized by the Partnership for Innovations (P4I) project funded by the United States Agency for International Development and implemented by Yuksalish Nationwide Movement and the Civil Society Development Association (ARGO) of Kazakhstan.
Public Councils were initiated by the Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to represent civil society at the government agencies and engage citizens in ongoing reforms. The main goal of public councils is to become a platform for constructive dialogue between the government and the civil society on issues that concern the citizens of the country. To achieve this, public councils’ members need assistance with training, studying international experience in this area, and learning leadership and management skills to successfully manage their organizations.
The Forum served as a platform to exchange ideas, share experiences, and, most importantly, analyze the current status of Public Councils and develop recommendations for their further development. Following the forum, the P4I project, Yuksalish Nationwide Movement and ARGO will put forward a set of recommendations to the public councils for improving their activities, including interaction with government agencies, activating and involving citizens in the implementation, and promotion of ongoing reforms.
