These days, the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which is an important guarantee of our peaceful and prosperous life and a solid legal foundation, is widely celebrated not only in our country, but also among our compatriots living abroad.

The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan was adopted on Dec. 8, 1992, at the eleventh session of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Uzbekistan of the 12th convocation. Once in force, it established a Presidential Constitutional Republic.

The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan consists of 6 sections and 128 articles. (The Constitution consists of a Preamble, 6 parts and 26 chapters divided into 128 articles). It fully embodies the principles and ideas enshrined in the Declaration of Sovereignty, the Law “On the Fundamentals of State Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan” and improved them.

Guided by the documents of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other acts recognized by international law, when developing the draft Constitution, the world constitutional practice of developed democratic states, as well as Eastern countries, was studied. The success achieved in the world in human rights, democracy and legislation was taken into account.

This year Uzbekistan celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Constitution. Over the past years, the country has undergone huge changes and transformations in modern technologies, improving the living standards of citizens and ensuring the stability of the national economy.

Our Basic Law is, first of all, a document that has managed to implement strict norms, putting the rights and interests of our people in the first place. By 2022, these norms created the need for consolidating them as the legal basis of the New Uzbekistan. Moreover, this is not just a necessity, but an important condition for laying the foundations of the third Renaissance, a period of great changes that began in our country.

As President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has noted, the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan is a unique example of the political thinking of our people.

The adoption of the Constitution formed a clear legal system that regulates relations in all aspects of social and state construction, the spheres of our national legislation.

The important idea of our Basic Law is primarily aimed at appreciating a person and protecting his interests. It is no exaggeration to say that this is a clear example of the priority of the humanitarian principle in the politics of our country.

As recognized in our basic law, a person, his life, freedom, honor, dignity and other inviolable rights are the highest value. The state carries out its activities based on the principles of social justice and legality, aiming at the well-being of people and society.

It is noteworthy that the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev notes the need to enshrine in the Constitution the norms providing for the expansion of the powers of the government, the responsibility of the Cabinet of Ministers and hokimiyats in ecology, support for youth and families, social protection of persons with disabilities, development of public transport, creation of necessary conditions for recreation of the population, support for civil society institutions. The people of Uzbekistan are also confident that the amendments to the Constitution will further strengthen the sovereignty of the country and the social essence of the state. Many of the amendments submitted for discussion are based on the principles of humanism and serve to improve the quality of life of the people.

According to the draft Constitutional Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On introducing amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan,” it is proposed to introduce more than 200 amendments and additions to 76 articles of the Basic Law, 6 new articles (prim-articles), including 16 norms. The attitude of our people to the proposed norms is planned to be determined by holding a referendum.

The updated Constitution should create a solid legal basis and a reliable guarantee of long-term strategies for the development of our country, the future prosperous life of our people.

In today’s rapidly changing times, our main task is to create conditions so that every citizen living in Uzbekistan could work and live in conditions that are in no way inferior to those created in the developed countries of the world, by forming a democratic civil society aimed at ensuring the rights and human freedoms. Understanding and awareness by the people of Uzbekistan of the essence and significance of each new norm and rule proposed for introduction in the Constitution, the expression of their impartial and objective attitude towards them, will serve as the foundation for building our future happy life.

In the holiday greetings of the President of Uzbekistan to the Uzbek people on the occasion of Constitution Day, it is said that constitutional reforms are required by the content and logic of the development strategy of New Uzbekistan. The demands, wishes and proposals expressed by our people, in short, by the rapidly changing era itself. For this reason, it is necessary to inculcate the principle of "Man - Society - State" in our Constitution and laws, and in our daily life. Protection of a person, his life, rights and freedoms, protection of his legal interests, glorification of human dignity are brought to the center of our reforms in this regard.

Thus, the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, being a product of the political wisdom and thinking of the people, has created a solid legal foundation for the implementation of the goals set for the formation and development of modern Uzbekistan.

Vitaliy Fen is Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to South Korea. Views expressed in this article are his own. -- Ed.