President Reviews New Social Support Measures

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan has reviewed a series of new social support initiatives, encompassing enhanced educational and social provisions for children with special needs, improved aid for the homeless and human trafficking victims, and the digitization of the nation's transport benefit system.

Over the past three years, Uzbekistan has seen a substantial increase in available social services, growing from 23 to 140. Annually, approximately 4.6 million social services are now delivered, with about 2 million of these provided at the local mahalla level.

Currently, Uzbekistan is home to over 168,000 children with disabilities. Of these, 133,800 are already receiving educational and social support. Plans are in place to integrate an additional 34,600 children into the education system through targeted family support, facilitated by social workers.

A pilot program for comprehensively assessing children's needs will launch on October 1, 2026, in the Khorezm and Navoi regions. This system aims to identify the most suitable educational environments and support services for each child.

Starting with the 2026/2027 academic year, specialized schools are slated to implement individualized education plans for their students.

Personal assistants will be provided to blind teachers and primary school students in specialized schools. Private schools that establish special education classes for children with disabilities will qualify for per-student subsidies, and at least 50 projects promoting inclusive environments will receive grant funding annually.

From 2027, children with disabilities are expected to receive assistive devices, such as Braille displays, speech synthesizers, and text-reading devices, via a voucher system. Beginning with the 2027/2028 academic year, applicants with disabilities will be granted additional accommodations during entrance and certification examinations, including extended time, Braille materials, sign language interpreters, and assistants.

Proposals for reforming assistance to homeless individuals were also presented to the President. The country's 11 existing rehabilitation institutions are set to be transformed into temporary accommodation and social reintegration centers.

Each individual will receive a personalized reintegration plan, covering document restoration, medical and social assistance, vocational training, and employment. The proposals also advocate for greater involvement of non-governmental organizations in providing temporary accommodation, hot meals, and clothing.

Another set of proposals focuses on bolstering support for victims of human trafficking. From September 1, 2026, the Inson social service centers are expected to implement an assessment system to identify victims' needs and direct them to appropriate support services.

The Republican Centre for the Rehabilitation and Adaptation of Women will be renamed the Republican Centre for the Rehabilitation of Women and Children. An additional 40 shelter places for women affected by trafficking and their minor children will be established across four regions.

The proposals also include the introduction of a distinct criminal offense for child trafficking and restrictions on convicted traffickers from engaging in labor and overseas migration activities.

The presentation also addressed the digitization of transport benefits. Currently, over 48,400 citizens receive transport concessions. Under the new proposals, 11 categories of beneficiaries will be entitled to free travel or a 50% discount on air, rail, and intercity transport.

Paper travel vouchers will be eliminated, with eligibility verified through ID cards or biometric passports using the Unified National Social Protection information system. From January 1, 2027, discounted tickets will also be accessible online via the Baraka social card mobile application.

Following the presentation, President Mirziyoyev approved the proposals and directed the relevant authorities to prepare the necessary legislation, ensure the effective delivery of the new services, and maintain strict oversight of their implementation.