Public appeals system to be elevated to a new level

On March 13, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting on improving the system for handling citizens’ appeals, elevating the activities of the People’s Reception Offices to a new level, and conducting an in-depth analysis of public opinion.

It was noted that the country’s population has exceeded 38 million, while citizens’ incomes have doubled over the past nine years. A system has been established in which ministers and khokims work at the mahalla level to address issues affecting residents. This year, 56 trillion soums have been allocated to improve infrastructure and living conditions in mahallas.

The Head of State noted that despite the extensive opportunities available, the issues raised by citizens are not always resolved in a timely manner.

“When the People’s Reception Offices were established nine years ago, there was a single goal – to bring state bodies closer to the people. Indeed, the People’s Reception Offices were effective at that time. However, the time has come to transform this institution in line with the current demands of the population,” said the President.

The meeting emphasized that from now on the principle “I must know the problems of every person and every family and provide timely assistance” should serve as the main principle for leaders at all levels.

The President analyzed the current state of work with citizens' appeals.

Across the country, there are on average 319 appeals and complaints per 10,000 residents. However, this figure reaches 535 in Tashkent, 462 in Navoi region, 452 in Syrdarya and Surkhandarya regions, 430 in Jizzakh region, 368 in Kashkadarya region, and 350 in Tashkent region.

It was noted that in Dekhkanabad and Mirabad districts, as well as in the cities of Navoi, Akhangaran and Yangiyer, the number of appeals per 10,000 residents is twice as high as in other areas.

Despite a 16 percent decrease in the total number of appeals nationwide, the figure increased by up to 50 percent compared to last year in Karavulbazar, Nurata, Kanimekh and Tuprokkala districts, as well as in Namangan city. The meeting sharply criticized the fact that in a number of districts and cities, khokims and responsible officials still take a formalistic approach to on-site and personal receptions.

Last year, it was decided that khokims themselves would be responsible for the work of the People’s Reception Offices. It was noted that in Karakalpakstan, Andijan, Kashkadarya, Khorezm and Syrdarya regions, thanks to the personal involvement of local leaders, the number of appeals has decreased by 25–30 percent, while 60–70 percent of the issues raised by citizens are being resolved positively.

However, no significant changes have been observed in other regions. For instance, more than half of the 170,000 appeals in Tashkent city and 110,000 appeals in Tashkent region remain unresolved. The number of repeat appeals has increased in Surkhandarya and Samarkand regions, as well as in Tashkent city.

In this regard, it was noted that the situation where appeals to the People’s Reception Offices are not considered in a timely manner and measures are taken only after they cause public outcry on social media undermines public trust in state bodies.

The meeting reviewed the sectors generating the highest number of citizens’ appeals, including internal affairs, compulsory enforcement, healthcare, employment, social protection, energy and infrastructure, as well as the performance of the relevant agencies.

For example, last year, 70,000 such appeals were received. Although the Bureau of Compulsory Enforcement has been taking measures to ensure collection, about 30 percent of these cases remain unresolved due to the lack of official income among alimony payers.

It was noted that no analysis is being conducted to determine how many alimony payers with professional skills remain unemployed and how many of them need training. In this regard, the importance of organizing work in close cooperation with employment departments and the “mahalla seven” was emphasized.

It was also pointed out that a system has been established to train citizens and facilitate their employment in high-paying jobs abroad through organized labor migration. However, citizens with alimony obligations are currently unable to benefit from this opportunity. In order to enable alimony payers to work and earn income abroad while protecting the rights and interests of alimony recipients, instructions were given to develop proposals for creating a fair mechanism beneficial to both parties.

Many complaints relate to issues within the competence of internal affairs bodies, particularly concerning rude treatment by officers and the quality of investigations.

It was stressed that responsible officials in the system must systematically work to improve the professionalism and communication culture of preventive inspectors and investigators in regions with the highest number of complaints, and intensify efforts to transform internal affairs bodies into people-oriented professional institutions.

In 2023, more than 109,000 appeals were submitted regarding energy, road and water infrastructure. The number of such appeals increased particularly in Asaka, Shakhrikhan, Izboskan, Pastdargom, Shurchi, Denau, Guzar, Kamashi, Dekhkanabad and Sharaf Rashidov districts, as well as in the cities of Samarkand, Namangan, Termez, Karshi and Andijan.

It was noted that this year 20 trillion soums have been allocated to address these issues, and that if khokims primarily direct these funds to the mahallas from which the most complaints are received, this will lead to increased public satisfaction and a reduction in the number of appeals.

Special attention was drawn to the significant contribution of the “Initiative Budget” program in addressing the concerns of mahalla residents. At the same time, it was pointed out that 2,000 mahallas, from which 25,000 appeals on infrastructure issues were received, have never submitted projects under this program. Responsible officials were instructed to analyze the appeals received by the People’s Reception Offices and assist such mahallas in preparing projects.

Instances where some ministries and departments limit themselves to superficial responses instead of resolving appeals were criticized. In particular, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation failed to provide practical solutions for 64 percent of appeals, the Inspectorate for Control in the Sphere of Construction and Housing and Communal Services for 61 percent, and the Ministry of Transport for 58 percent.

It was stressed that the identified shortcomings also apply to other ministries, departments and khokimiyats, and that their work with appeals must be based on in-depth analysis and a strong sense of responsibility.

Noting that the time has come to overhaul the system for handling appeals, the Head of State instructed khokimiyats, ministries and departments not to limit themselves to resolving the issues raised in appeals, but also to undertake an in-depth study of the root causes of problems and systematically eliminate the factors leading to the submission of appeals.

In this regard, it was determined that the People’s Reception Offices should become not only bodies for receiving appeals, but also centers that draw the attention of responsible departments to sectoral and regional issues, conduct joint analysis with them, and develop proposals for their resolution.

Using the city of Karshi as an example, the President explained how the new system will operate. Mechanisms for targeted action and responsible officials were identified for issues such as the employment of alimony payers, prevention of wage delays, complaints regarding the activities of management service companies and government employees, as well as appeals related to housing and pension appointments.

Instructions were given to turn the city of Karshi into a model for working with appeals within the first half of the year. It was determined that the regional khokim, his deputies and the heads of territorial organizations will provide close support in this process.

Overall, the khokims of all regions and 208 districts and cities were instructed to effectively implement the system demonstrated in Karshi and to address people’s concerns. Each month, work plans in this direction will be approved in the local Kengashes of People's Deputies and announced to the public.

The meeting outlined additional measures to further strengthen the work of the People's Reception Offices.

The Presidential Administration, together with khokims, was instructed to staff the People’s Reception Offices with modern-thinking specialists who understand the essence of citizens’ problems, and to organize the work of a separate control group for the systematic analysis of appeals.

The Communications Department of the Presidential Administration will analyze and summarize appeals received by the People’s Reception Offices on a monthly basis, bring them to the attention of ministers and khokims, and monitor their implementation. It will hear reports from leaders on issues affecting public sentiment and submit proposals to the Government on the most critical areas.

An Operational Headquarters will be established within the Government, consisting of senior officials from ministries and departments. The issues raised will be addressed on-site, with work organized by regions and sectors.

A decision was made to grant the People’s Reception Offices the authority to issue binding orders to agencies that violate procedures for considering appeals, and to maintain a rating of state bodies based on their work with appeals, which will be published every six months.

The responsibility of the “mahalla seven” in addressing appeals will be significantly strengthened. A separate account for each mahalla will be created in the President’s Virtual Reception Office, to be managed by the youth leader and the mahalla chairman. They will analyze the reasons for incoming appeals and provide daily updates to the khokims.

In addition, strict measures will be taken against heads of organizations who unjustifiably forward appeals to lower-level bodies, and accountability for violating legislation on appeals will be strengthened.

The President noted another important aspect. The outcomes of sociological research, together with citizens’ appeals, serve as a key source for determining the main directions of state policy and reforms, making informed decisions in ministries and departments, and understanding public sentiment and the current concerns of the population.

Therefore, it was emphasized that the scope of such research should be expanded and its quality improved. From now on, instead of being limited to one-off public opinion polls, continuous monitoring and analysis will be conducted to determine in which regions trust is growing and where it is declining, and which decisions are fair and which do not reflect the interests of the people.

The Communications Department of the Presidential Administration and the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies were instructed to develop a methodology for evaluating regional and sectoral leaders, to form a rating based on the analysis conducted, and to regularly present it to the President.

During the review of issues of executive discipline, the task was set to establish daily control over the actual fulfillment of each assigned task and to provide objective information about leaders who lack a sense of responsibility and demonstrate inefficiency.

The meeting heard reports from the heads of regions and departments.