The initiative of the President of Uzbekistan received broad support from the international community.

The initiative of the President of Uzbekistan has received broad support from the international community.

On July 24, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution "On Strengthening the Role of Parliaments in Accelerating Social Development." The document was adopted at the 106th plenary meeting of the 80th session without referral to the main committees, demonstrating broad agreement among Member States and the absence of disagreement on the text. The initiative to adopt this resolution belongs to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The laconic title conceals an idea that Uzbekistan has consistently promoted on the international stage for several years. It was first voiced in September 2020 in the head of state's address at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly. At that time, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed the adoption of a special resolution on enhancing the role of parliaments in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring human rights.

From an expert perspective, the novelty of this proposal lay in the following: by 2020, the international community already had the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and a comprehensive set of commitments in the social sphere. However, there was a gap between the commitments made globally and their practical implementation within states. National commitments acquire legal force only after passing through parliament—through legislation and oversight of its implementation. It was precisely this parliamentary element that remained the least involved in the architecture of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative of the President of Uzbekistan aimed to address this gap, which is what constitutes its substantive, not just political, value.

The initiative was promoted systematically and in stages. A landmark event was the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, held in Tashkent from April 5–9, 2025. This was the first forum of this level in the history of Central Asia, bringing together over 2,000 delegates from nearly 140 countries. The Assembly's main theme was parliamentary action for social development and justice. The Assembly's outcome was the Tashkent Declaration. Significantly, the UN General Assembly resolution explicitly welcomed the holding of the Assembly in Tashkent and the adoption of the Declaration, thereby enshrining the national initiative in the text of a global document.

The voting results speak for themselves. The resolution was supported by 167 states, and 61 co-sponsored it. The geographic scope of the co-sponsors encompasses virtually all regional groups and states with diverse models of socioeconomic development. In multilateral diplomacy, this ratio is an objective indicator: Uzbekistan's initiative was not only timely but also capable of uniting states.

The resolution is not declarative in nature. Its operative part contains nine points, structured around three interrelated areas of social development: poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work, and social integration. The document calls on parliaments to assess the contribution of national legal systems to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, participate in the preparation of national reviews and follow-up mechanisms, consider the right to education as fundamental, expand the participation of women and youth in parliamentary work, raise public awareness of parliamentary procedures, and ensure public monitoring of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Separate provisions include the inclusion of parliamentarians in national delegations to major UN events, support for developing countries, including African states, least developed countries, small island developing states, and landlocked countries, and strengthening national statistical capacity in the social sphere. Essentially, this is about developing a practical standard for parliamentary participation in social development.

The initiative is particularly compelling because Uzbekistan has proposed to the international community not an abstract concept, but an approach that it has consistently implemented domestically. During the constitutional reform, the exclusive powers of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis were increased from 5 to 12, and those of the Senate from 14 to 18. Following the 2024 elections, women constituted 38 percent of the Legislative Chamber's deputies. Since 2020, youth parliaments have been operating under both chambers of the Oliy Majlis, providing a platform for engaging young citizens in legislative activity. Parliamentary oversight tools are being effectively implemented, including parliamentary hearings, studies of legislative implementation, and hearings of reports from responsible government bodies. Thus, the provisions of the resolution are consistent with processes already underway in national practice, lending the necessary credibility to Uzbekistan's position on the international stage.

The foreign policy aspect is equally significant. The adoption of the resolution confirms the effectiveness of the open, peaceful, and constructive course of the New Uzbekistan and strengthens the parliamentary dimension of international cooperation. Interparliamentary diplomacy is increasingly emerging as an independent and effective mechanism for coordinating states' positions, complementing traditional diplomatic formats—especially where issues directly related to human interests and well-being are at stake.

This resolution represents both international recognition of the initiative put forward by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and a new level of responsibility assumed by parliaments—responsibility for ensuring that the principles enshrined in this document of global significance are expressed in specific laws and decisions that determine the quality of life and well-being of citizens.