LocationsA Journey of Hope: Embracing Youthful Energy and Opportunity in Uzbekistan
August 28, 2024
Akiko Fujii, UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan
A few years ago, I started playing a new sport called Indiaca. It’s a little like volleyball, but with a big red shuttlecock instead of a ball. My club in Japan has about 30 members, and we recently welcomed two young members, both aged 25. "We are happy to lower the average age of this club," they said at the first practice, “now down to 58!" We all laughed out loud.
In contrast, when I landed at the airport in Toshkent last month, the first thing I noticed was that the workers were all young. And at breakfast in the hotel, I was again struck by the youth of the waiters serving the tables. If I were to find an Indiaca club here, I think I would be raising the average age of the club!
I understand that Uzbekistan is currently experiencing rapid demographic growth, with the population expected to peak in around 2040.
What does this mean in practice? It means that Uzbekistan has two decades of tremendous opportunities for social and economic development with its young and energetic population. It is critical that the country makes the most of these important decades. Is the country ready? Are the people ready? Do young people, in particular, have opportunities to thrive?
Uzbekistan Strategy 2030 stresses ‘Creating decent conditions for realizing the potential of every person’. Uzbekistan is experiencing rapid economic growth. The country’s income poverty levels, defined as monthly minimum consumption expenditure of the household income of less than 621,000 UZS, declined from 17% in 2021 to 11% in 2023. Moving from here, the government aims to halve the poverty by 2026 in comparison to 2022. Uzbekistan has developed an ambitious set of reforms in recent years, but let’s look at inclusiveness of benefits from reforms. For example, UNDP's report on the care economy highlights that on average women spend 46.92 hours per week on unpaid childcare, compared to 16.48 hours for men, which impacts their economic participation. The report also notes that 40.4% of those caring for young children have no income, emphasizing the economic strain on caregivers. At the same time, recent data show that out of more than 300,000 working-age people with disabilities in Uzbekistan, only 5-7% are employed.
UNDP, together with the Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR), published the ‘Uzbekistan Pilot Multidimensional Poverty Index Report’, in March this year. The concept and application of the Multidimensional Poverty are being discussed at the 9th annual high-level meeting of Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network Meeting in Toshkent on 27-29 August 2024. The idea is to understand poverty as a complex of various deprivations which we can measure by using different indicators. We believe poverty is experienced not only as a simple lack of money, but also as a lack of life opportunities, such as access to decent living (such as access to basic infrastructure of water, electricity etc.), health care, education, finance and so on. This research found that 18.4% are experiencing multidimensional poverty, at different degrees in urban and rural areas.
The opportunities for young people to thrive are there. But these are unevenly spread, and some are left behind. Strategy 2030 sets a clear focus on youth development - unleash young talents’ creativity and energy in sport, education, and work of digital ages that our generations have not yet seen. Time for implementation. And here at UNDP, also filled with eager young talents, we are ready to assist.
First step - recognize that young people are not just a target group for employment and poverty reduction programmes, but also initiators, decision-makers, and leaders in all spheres of the political, social and business world.
This afternoon, as I browse around Mirabad Bazaar in the dry warm wind, the smells of dried fruits and spices stimulate my nose and my stomach. But what excites me more? The smiles. The energy. Young people selling peaches with hopes for their future and for a better life. I bite into a peach. Its juice fills my mouth. But my heart is also filled with hope as I set off on my new journey with UNDP in support of sustainable and inclusive human development here in Uzbekistan.