13 May 2019.  Tashkent.  The United Nations Development Programme in Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations of the Republic of Uzbekistan launched a joint project “Promoting youth employment in Uzbekistan” funded by the Russian Federation - UNDP Trust Fund for Development. The ceremony was attended by Ms. Spoljaric Egger, the UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

33 % of Uzbekistan’s population are children under 18 years and 24% are young people between 18 years and 30 years old.

The issue of employment generation is a key priority under the Action Strategy on five priority areas of development of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021.

Speaking at the opening of the launch ceremony, Head of UNDP Eurasia Ms. Spoljaric Eger marked that ‘The issue of youth and women unemployment is particularly relevant for Uzbekistan where two thirds of the population are young people under 30 and where around 600 thousand graduates enter the labour force every year…. UNDP remains strongly committed to expanding partnership with the Government to create new jobs, start-ups and inclusive businesses, empower women and youth, and to create a more diversified economy that will benefit everyone.”

Uzbekistan’s national sustainable goal 8 stipulates for promotion of sustainable and inclusive growth through increased productive employment and decent work for men and women. It also envisages substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training by 2020.

To complement these efforts, UNDP jointly with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, is launching the new project on “Promoting youth employment in Uzbekistan”. The project aims to support employment promotion in Uzbekistan, particularly among youth (college and university graduates, young women, etc.) by helping the Government implement active labour market initiatives.  

The project will have three main focus areas over its three-year duration:

1. Support to and promotion of youth employment particularly among college and university graduates, young women, returning labour migrants and vulnerable groups by helping the Government implement a number of active labour market initiatives and policies;

2. Promoting youth and women entrepreneurship and business start-ups;

3. Enhancing the capacities of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to deliver services in support of youth employment.

The project and its activities will entail close collaboration with a wide range of partners from the government (ministries, agencies, local authorities), non-government organizations (such as for example the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Association of Trade Union), local experts and think tanks, as well as international and bilateral donors that are supporting the Government of Uzbekistan in this area.