Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- As part of the ongoing reform of public Finance management in Uzbekistan, in recent years, increased attention has been paid to increasing transparency in the budget and tax sphere and involving citizens in the budget process.

For example, in order to improve access to budget data and citizens 'participation in budget discussions, starting in 2018, the government, with the support of UNDP, annually publishes a budget for citizens, the Open budget website has been launched, and a mechanism for citizens' participation in the distribution of additional income at the local level is being tested.

Commitment to the reforms initiated and their continuation are also important for countering the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the current conditions, on the one hand, government spending is being optimized and increased, on the other, it is necessary to increase its efficiency, which is always higher when the services provided at the expense of budget funds meet public expectations.

In this regard, on 8 July 2020, within the framework of the UNDP project "Financing for sustainable development in Uzbekistan", implemented jointly with the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan, an online seminar was held to discuss "Best international practices and opportunities for implementing participatory (initiative) budgeting in Uzbekistan".

Involvement of civil society in the budget process through participatory (initiative) budgeting should affect the effectiveness of public spending by taking into account the views and needs of citizens in the formation and distribution of budget funds, strengthening public control over budget revenues and expenditures, and increasing the accountability of public administration.

National experts and a specialist from the Russian Federation, Mr. Vagin, head of the center for initiative budgeting of the research Institute of Finance under the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, participated in the research conducted in this area. The participation of the Russian expert was made possible by the assistance and financial support of the Government of the Russian Federation in the framework of the project "knowledge Management and capacity building in the Russia - UNDP partnership".

During the seminar, Mr. Vagin shared with the participants an overview of the world experience in the field of participatory (initiative) budgeting, paying attention to the best practices and experience of the Russian Federation, as well as gave his recommendations for Uzbekistan.

Experts Ms. Srozhiddinova Z. and Mr. Ganiev O. presented the main changes in the budget process aimed at increasing openness and involvement of citizens, as well as an analysis of the factors that determine the choice of a model of participatory budgeting in Uzbekistan.

Based on the results of the discussion, a group of national experts, in collaboration with a Russian expert, will finalize and present an analytical report containing an overview of best practices and recommendations on the model of participatory budgeting for Uzbekistan.