Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — At the sixth plenary session of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, the law “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan” was reviewed.

It was emphasized that significant progress has been made in Uzbekistan in recent years to develop civil society institutions, expand the capabilities of non-governmental non-profit organizations (NGOs), create favorable conditions for their full operation, and increase their involvement in state and public governance processes. Special attention was also paid to improving mechanisms for public control and strengthening the social partnership system.

At the same time, there remains a need to enhance public control in the socio-economic sphere, ensure legal guarantees for the freedom of NGO activities, and establish clear rules for the collection of charitable donations.

The newly adopted law introduces provisions in the Administrative Offenses Code to hold accountable those who unlawfully interfere with NGO activities, disregard final documents created within public control processes, and violate legislation governing charity. It also revises the responsibilities of NGOs for failing to adhere to established operating rules.

The laws "On Social Partnership" and "On Guarantees of NGO Activity" were supplemented with provisions aimed at improving the system of state support for civil society institutions. Specifically, new mechanisms for direct social contracting by government bodies with these institutions were introduced.

The law also clarifies the obligations of NGOs, the grounds for refusing their registration, the amount of state duty for re-registration, and the procedures for conducting sponsorship activities, which are reflected in several existing regulations.

Amendments to the “Public Foundations” Law strengthen the requirements for the establishment of such foundations, clarify procedures for their state registration, and provide a more liberal approach to the use of their assets. It was established that if there is no movement of funds in a public foundation's bank accounts for a calendar year, an audit can only be conducted at the initiative of the foundation itself.

The “Charity Law” was amended with regulations governing the use of charity boxes, the accounting and disclosure of donation information, and the overall process of collecting charitable funds.

During the discussion, senators particularly noted that the bill aims to further develop and support civil society institutions, enhance their legal protection and efficiency, and strengthen the social partnership between the state and society.

As a result of the discussion, the law was unanimously approved by the Senate members.