Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 17 May, Bukhara hosted for the first time a forum of Central Asian states on the openness of the activities of state bodies, which was attended by members of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, heads of organizations responsible for ensuring the openness of the activities of state bodies of the states of Central Asia. Asia, representatives of foreign countries, international experts and media representatives.

The forum has become an effective platform for studying best practices in ensuring the openness of the activities of state bodies and organizations, which is important in the life of society and the state, analyzing existing problems and making important decisions that are crucial in this process.

Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, Chairperson of the National Anti-Corruption Council Tanzila Narbayeva in a video message to the forum participants noted that in the fight against a problem that is equally relevant for all countries of the world, namely corruption, any government and society can achieve serious results only if they have a sincere desire and desire to completely eradicate corruption and, very importantly, to be open in this regard to their people.

“Taking into account these factors, thanks to a firm state policy of intolerance towards corruption, over the past 5-6 years, comprehensive organizational and legal measures have been taken to prevent and combat this evil. A number of regulatory legal acts have been adopted, as well as a state program to combat corruption. The law on strengthening liability for corruption offenses in the Criminal Code, which was approved by the Senate, can be cited as a serious step towards the fulfillment of precisely these tasks. Of course, the process of effective implementation of such important documents into practice poses responsible tasks for the Parliament, - emphasized the Chairperson of the Senate.

During the forum, international experts from countries such as France, Germany, Slovenia and Argentina will also share experiences and best practices in the field of ensuring the openness of public authorities.

At the forum, F. Bokiev, Deputy Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Information Policy and Ensuring Openness in State Bodies, focused on the work carried out in Uzbekistan to ensure the openness of the activities of state bodies and organizations.

In particular, systematic work has been carried out in the country to ensure freedom of the press, openness and publicity, strengthening public control over the activities of state authorities and administration, supporting the activities of the media, and reforming the information sphere.

Today, more than 2,000 media outlets operate in the republic, and the number of online publications in the national information space has almost doubled over the past 6 years. An Open Data page has been created on the official websites of state bodies and organizations of all levels, and the practice of regular publication of 35 types of socially significant information has been introduced.

Along with this, measures are being taken to prevent corruption and conflicts of interest in the public service, report conflicts of interest, create mechanisms for disclosing such information, ensure openness, transparency and impartiality in this matter.

At the end of the event, the participating states will put forward a number of recommendations and proposals for further systematic continuation of work to strengthen consistent cooperation and ensure openness, on the basis of which an agreement was reached on organizing activities in this direction.