UNJournal Lee Sung Jun | President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced seven sweeping national programmes at a ceremony marking Uzbekistan's 35th independence anniversary on August 28, outlining an ambitious vision for the country's development over the coming decade across education, healthcare, the economy, the environment, judicial reform, community governance, and foreign policy.

"The next ten years will be a period of national revival for us," President Mirziyoyev told the gathered audience. "And we can achieve this only through the intellect, hard work and unity of our people."

Programme One: Education and Professions of the Future

The first and, in the President's framing, foundational programme is centred on making knowledge and skills the primary capital of Uzbekistan's further development. The government intends to bring preparatory class attendance for six-year-old children to 100 percent while maintaining incentives for private kindergarten development.

All schools are planned to be brought under international knowledge assessment programmes, and international educational standards will be introduced across technical colleges. The government aims to increase the number of young people receiving training in high-paying professions to one million — with the stated ambition that no young man or woman in Uzbekistan will remain without a profession. Additionally, the government has set a target of placing at least 10 Uzbek universities among the world's top 1,000.

Programme Two: Health and Longevity

The second programme targets public health and rising life expectancy. Government health spending is planned to reach 5 percent of GDP over the next five years. The healthcare system is to shift from a treatment-centred model toward one focused on prevention and health preservation, with state health insurance extended to cover all households in the country. To develop specialised medicine, the government also plans to attract at least five leading global clinics to operate in Uzbekistan.

Programme Three: High-Tech Economy

The third programme envisions a fundamental transition toward a high-technology, high-productivity economic model. The government has set an ambitious target of attracting $450 billion in foreign investment over the next decade, while revising upward its 2030 GDP target to $300 billion from a previously planned $240 billion. GDP per capita is projected to exceed $10,000 over the same period.

In industry, authorities expect to create 2 million high-income jobs, with startups, venture financing, and artificial intelligence identified as strategic priorities. The government also plans to build an ecosystem designed to help small businesses scale into medium-sized enterprises, and medium-sized companies develop into large corporations.

Programme Four: Water, Environment, and Green Spaces

The fourth programme addresses Uzbekistan's relationship with its natural environment, with particular emphasis on water — a critical resource in a predominantly arid country. Within five years, the government intends to bring the share of agricultural land using water-saving technologies to 100 percent.

The nationwide Yashil Makon ("Green Space") movement will enter a new phase, with green areas around schools, kindergartens, hospitals, and residential buildings designated as protected public assets. The government has also committed to increasing the share of green areas in district and city centres to 30 percent.

Programme Five: Judicial Independence and Rule of Law

The fifth programme focuses on strengthening the independence of the judiciary and embedding the rule of law as a shared social value. Legal education is planned to be organised under a unified system beginning at school level. The president pledged to continue reforms strengthening legal protections for citizens and entrepreneurs, while committing to intensified efforts against cybercrime, drug addiction, and human trafficking. The fight against the shadow economy, organised crime, and violations of the rights of women and children was also flagged as entering a new phase.

Programme Six: Mahalla as the Engine of Development

The sixth programme reimagines the role of the mahalla — the traditional neighbourhood unit that forms the foundational layer of Uzbek community life — in national governance and development planning.

"The mood of our people, the well-being of families, the dreams and aspirations of young people and the initiative of entrepreneurs are manifested first and foremost in the mahalla," President Mirziyoyev said, describing the mahalla as the future "main customer of society's development." Under this approach, district budgets, investment programmes, and infrastructure projects will be developed based on the expressed needs of individual mahallas, with citizen well-being defined as the primary criterion for policy design.

Programme Seven: Peaceful Foreign Policy and Economic Diplomacy

The seventh programme reinforces Uzbekistan's identity as a country of peace, friendship, and tolerance. The President noted that representatives of more than 130 nationalities and ethnic groups reside in the country, alongside 16 religious denominations — describing interethnic harmony and religious tolerance as the "golden fund" of the Uzbek people.

The government will continue pursuing a multi-vector, open, and pragmatic foreign policy, having established diplomatic relations with nearly 170 countries. Economic diplomacy will remain a central priority. In a notable international milestone, Uzbekistan will chair the Non-Aligned Movement for the first time from 2027 to 2029. The government also reaffirmed its constructive approach toward Afghanistan.

A Decade of National Revival

In his closing remarks, President Mirziyoyev struck a note of measured confidence: "Today, we are stronger than yesterday. God willing, tomorrow we will be even stronger than today. If the people and the state unite around a common goal and act selflessly, there is no peak that cannot be conquered."

The seven programmes collectively represent the most comprehensive articulation to date of Uzbekistan's development trajectory under President Mirziyoyev — spanning the full arc of public life from early childhood education to foreign policy, and from neighbourhood governance to economic transformation on a continental scale.