“My children go to school just for the sake of it,” said Saodat, a 42-year-old mother of three from Tashkent who prefers to go by her first name only. “We paid for private tutoring for four years before my eldest could enroll at a university. My second child is in the same situation – besides … Read more
Uzbekistan may soon authorize private medical institutions to practice the delivery of newborns starting from 2025. A draft presidential decree is up for discussion until April 19, but so far, no comments have been received from the public in the online portal. While this move marks another step in the country’s privatization efforts and aims … Read more
As the holy month of Ramadan drew near, Tajikistan’s president expressed his concern about frequent hajj and umrah pilgrimages performed by Tajik citizens and the amount of money spent on them. “In 2023 alone, 63,000 citizens of the country undertook hajj and umrah ceremonies,” Emomali Rahmon said, altogether spending more than 1,200 billion somoni, or … Read more
Since Indorama Agro, one of Uzbekistan’s largest cotton producers, began its operations in Syrdarya and Kashkadarya regions in 2018, Uzbek Forum has documented dozens of serious labor rights violations, including mass redundancies, abuse of employment contracts, anti-union activities, and the illegal reclassification of almost 400 employees as “service providers.” In addition, there have been some … Read more
When it comes to Central Asia, one of the hottest topics among Western policymakers and scholars alike is China’s engagement in the region, especially since the 2013 launch of the Belt and Road Initiative. In a recent quantitative analysis of Chinese scholarship on Central Asia, Frank Maracchione and Bradley Jardine tackled some prominent assumptions in … Read more
On February 8, the U.S. Department of State hosted the inaugural meeting of the C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue (CMD) alongside senior officials from all five Central Asian countries. The event represented the first step in implementing the CMD, announced in September during U.S. President Joe Biden’s historic summit with the Central Asian heads of state … Read more
A court in Almaty, Kazakhstan, has extended the detention of outspoken Karakalpak activist Aqylbek Muratbai to February 15, 2025 – a full year. Muratbai (also known as Muratov) was detained on February 15, 2024 in Almaty, initially for 40 days while Kazakh authorities considered an extradition request from Uzbekistan. While Muratbai holds an Uzbek passport, … Read more
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have agreed to install meters in each other’s territory to monitor water consumption and share data online with each other. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced the agreement on March 19, noting in a press release that Kazakhstan will install meters on Uzbek territory and Uzbekistan will install meters on … Read more
On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of State hosted the inaugural meeting of the Critical Minerals Dialogue (CMD) in the C5+1 format, chaired by Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez. The initiative to hold a dialogue on critical minerals was announced by the presidents of the United States, … Read more
With the rise of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and a litany of international sanctions levied against Russia, the most popular global shipping routes have become increasingly unreliable. Some companies are avoiding the Suez route altogether, preferring to go around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. In Russia, westbound cargo throughput along … Read more