President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made remarks at the International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award ceremony in Tashkent today, the presidential press service said.

He emphasized that “the fight against corruption is the sacred duty of every person with a clear conscience, every democratic society and state.”

“Recognizing the merits and presenting this award to individuals who are most active and have made a worthy contribution to the fight against corruption in the world serves to consistently implement the UN Convention against Corruption, adopted exactly 20 years ago,” he said.

Addressing the ceremony participants, Shavkat Mirziyoyev underscored: “The history of mankind shows that, , even the strongest, most powerful states found themselves on the brink of the abyss to the corruption.”

“Corruption is a threat that undermines the foundations of all humanity, all societies, strikes the economy, destroys the rule of law and sharply reduces people's trust in government policies, and impedes the development of democratic institutions. It also seriously violates our plans to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” he emphasized.

He underscored that currently the damage caused by corruption in the world stands at about $3 trillion. “However, I believe that this figure does not fully reflect the true state of affairs and the real extent of the damage. The worst thing is that it is impossible to measure the scale of moral harm caused to society,” said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev underscored that Uzbekistan is implementing systemic legal and institutional reforms in the fight against corruption. These include the adoption of an anti-corruption law, the creation of an Anti-Corruption Agency, the reduction of bureaucracy and simplification of the provision of public services, the introduction of a compliance control rating, and the complete digitalization of public procurement.

“In recent years, our country has climbed by 42 positions in the Transparency International index, being ranked the highest in the region. We have set a goal for ourselves to imrove in this ranking by another 50 positions by 2030,” said Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He added that this year the country rose to 30th place in the Open Data Inventory ranking. In terms of the number of open data sources, Uzbekistan ranks 4th in the world.

He emphasized that the state has set itself big plans and tasks in the field of combating corruption.

“We will develop and implement the National Anti-Corruption Strategy until 2030. We will pay special attention to further ensuring transparency of activities and increasing the accountability of government bodies, improving the open data system, strengthening the legal framework and institutional mechanisms of the sphere,” said the head of state.

meanwhile, Uzbekistan will support and actively participate in regional and global initiatives, new projects in the field of anti-corruption, using the Regional Platform of the Convention against Corruption, launched last month in Tashkent.

Along with this, the president proposed to create a Regional Research Center on Corruption to exchange experience and conduct scientific research with the involvement of non-governmental non-profit organizations.

Uzbekistan also intends to further enhance the capacity of the Anti-Corruption Agency by strengthening close interaction with foreign specialized institutions. Based on international experience, new mechanisms will be introduced, the institution of “preliminary study” on facts of corruption - anti-corruption investigation.

While, the country intends to form a young generation that will be inoculated with the “vaccine of honesty” from childhood. “We seek a widespread implementation in Uzbekistan of the UN Global Resource program on anti-corruption education and increasing anti-corruption activity of youth,” said the head of state.

“We especially appreciate the role of the media, which are at the forefront in such a complex process as combating corruption,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.

He also proposed holding a Global Media Forum to effectively use the capabilities of journalists and increase their influence in the fight against corruption.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev also commented on the opening of a monument symbolizing the fight against corruption. “The monument dedicated to this theme represents an open palm raised up to stop corruption, and we firmly shake hands with our heroes participating in today's forum who firmly and tirelessly follow the path of justice. We are always next to you in the very important work you carry out,” said the President of Uzbekistan.

At the end of his speech, the head of state congratulated all winners of the award.