Interethnic Harmony and Tolerance – Wealth of Uzbekistan

For many centuries, tolerance flourished along the Great Silk Road, the heart of which was the territory of modern Uzbekistan, which served as a link between East and West. Since ancient times, representatives of different religions have lived here peacefully. To this day, in our country, in conditions of complete equality and mutual understanding, representatives of more than 130 nations and nationalities live and work successfully for the benefit of the Motherland.

Regardless of nationality, all citizens of Uzbekistan enjoy equal rights and actively participate in the social, economic, political and cultural life of society. Naturally, such a high-quality state was achieved at the cost of considerable effort. Enshrining in the Constitution the provision “In the Republic of Uzbekistan, all citizens have the same rights and freedoms, are equal before the law, regardless of gender, race, nationality, language, religion, beliefs, social origin, social status” created the political and legal basis for such achievements.

It is also important that our state has shown a strong will in its commitment to ensuring respect for the language, traditions, customs and culture of various nations and nationalities, creating the necessary conditions for their development, prohibiting activities aimed at infringing on the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens, promoting social , national, racial and religious hatred.

The greatest asset of recent years is peace and stability, interethnic and civil harmony in our common home. Representatives of many nations and nationalities live in Uzbekistan in friendship and harmony. The government has created all the conditions for the preservation and development of the national traditions and cultures of the peoples living here. The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev pays great attention to the issues of strengthening interethnic harmony and religious tolerance in society. At the initiative of the head of state, work in this direction has been brought to a qualitatively new level in recent years. Promoting peace and stability in the state has become the most important factor in sustainable development and successful implementation of reforms in the political, socio-economic and humanitarian spheres, and the growth of the country’s authority in the international arena.

A significant step in this direction was the Concept of state policy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of interethnic relations, as well as the “road map” for its implementation. These documents were approved by the relevant presidential decree of November 15, 2019 and are aimed at preserving and developing the language, culture, customs and traditions of representatives of different nationalities and peoples living in our country. The concept represents a unified system of views that defines the goals, principles and basic mechanisms for guiding the implementation of the state policy of the republic in the field of interethnic relations.

It should also be noted that in New Uzbekistan the constitutional right of every person to freedom of thought, speech and belief, to search, receive and disseminate information is ensured, which in turn has been recognized by the international community. After the election of Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the post of head of state, special attention began to be paid to the development of a strong civil society. The process of fundamental reforms carried out in the country has covered all spheres of socio-political life of society.

At the proposal of the leader of the republic, in order to ensure state policy to strengthen the atmosphere of interethnic harmony and religious tolerance in society, a decision was made to annually hold Peoples’ Friendship Day in the country on July 30. This initiative was put forward taking into account the fact that, in accordance with the resolution of the UN General Assembly, this date is widely celebrated throughout the world every year as the International Day of Friendship.

The main goal of celebrating the date is to strengthen and further develop solidarity, tolerance, interethnic harmony and friendship between peoples, nations, states, different layers and structures of society as a whole. The friendship that our people have always treasured is the good traditions of our ancestors and common goals that ensure peace.

Today, the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendly Relations with Foreign Countries under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan coordinates the activities of 156 national cultural centers representing nations and nationalities living in Uzbekistan, and 38 friendship societies with foreign countries.

Their work contributes to the peaceful coexistence of citizens, education of youth in the spirit of patriotism, love of the Motherland, respect and development of national traditions, protection of the rights of national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities in the state.

In the V direction of the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026, tasks are outlined for further improving the system of state support for the NCC, implementing the concept of state policy in the field of interethnic relations, creating favorable conditions for young people of different nationalities, creating their awareness of a sense of civic duty, strengthening patriotism, and enhancing culture interethnic communication based on tolerance. The document is also aimed at strengthening relations with compatriots living abroad and implementing a number of other relevant measures.

Uzbekistan is the only republic in Central Asia that borders all countries in the region. Any internal changes in the political and economic life of the state in one way or another affect its neighbors. And the first step towards bringing the Central Asian countries closer was taken by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

In his speech at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in September 2017 in New York, the leader of Uzbekistan paid great attention to issues of interethnic harmony and tolerance and drew the attention of the world community to the democratic processes in our society, large-scale reforms to protect human rights and work with young people, the tasks of preserving religious tolerance, regional cooperation, as well as protecting the environment. He placed special emphasis on the need to develop mutually beneficial ties between neighbors and consolidate the region, putting forward a proposal to adopt a resolution “Strengthening regional and international cooperation to ensure peace, stability and sustainable development in the Central Asian region.” What is noteworthy is that that this document was not only unanimously supported by all UN member states, but was also adopted with the co-authorship of over 50 countries. This indicates high recognition by the international community of the relevance and timeliness of our President’s initiative.

And another Resolution proposed by the leader of the republic, “Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance,” emphasizes the important role of promoting education, harmony, human rights, tolerance and friendship, recognizing the importance of cooperation, mutual respect and understanding in the name of strengthening security and peace on the planet.

Issues of maintaining peace in the region were again voiced in the speech of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly:

“In recent years, Central Asia has been moving along the path of strengthening good neighborliness, stability, cooperation and development. Thanks to our joint efforts, Uzbekistan and all neighboring countries managed to solve many problems related to state borders, transport corridors and water use. Mutual trade between the countries of the region has increased two and a half times, and the number of joint ventures has increased five times. Our region is becoming a center of economic development, a transport and communication bridge connecting East and West, North and South. And interest in him is growing. The openness of Central Asia to the whole world is becoming the most important condition for ensuring the security and sustainable development of the region.”

I would also like to note that we became one of the first countries in Central Asia to join the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Civil-political, economic, socio-cultural agreements and other human rights agreements have been signed (in total, Uzbekistan has joined more than 80 such agreements).

The Republic cooperates closely with the office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities. This institution plays an important role in maintaining peace and stability, ensuring the protection of human rights and interests.

Prestigious international organizations, leaders of foreign countries and heads of well-known companies have recognized the unique position of Uzbekistan in Central Asia, especially the ability to find emergency solutions in situations that arise in the matter of achieving stability. The interethnic harmony and tolerance that reigns in our country are recognized internationally, and the state’s experience in the field of interethnic relations has been highly appreciated at prestigious international conferences.

It should be noted that the population of Uzbekistan does not put their personal well-being in first place, but concern for the health and well-being of their family, relatives, loved ones and neighbors. This is the highest spiritual value. Our people have never put themselves above others and have shown due respect to all nations and representatives of other faiths. This feature of the mentality of Uzbekistan was formed over many centuries, when representatives of different original cultures and civilizations lived on the ancient and fertile land of Uzbekistan, which contributed to the formation of a special mentality, characterized by kindness, peacefulness, openness, breadth and generosity of soul.

After all, peace and tranquility, civil harmony, religious tolerance are the hallmarks of modern Uzbekistan!