President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev

Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev was born on July 24, 1957, in the Jizzakh region of Uzbekistan, into a family of doctors. In 1981, he graduated from the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers with a specialization in mechanical engineering. Mirziyoyev remained at the institute, where he worked as a Junior Researcher and later, Vice-Rector.

Starting in 1990, Shavkat Mirziyoyev entered politics. In 1992, following Uzbekistan's independence from the Soviet Union, he became the head of the Mirzo-Ulugbek district of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. He subsequently led the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan, one of the country's most industrial and tourist-friendly regions, and later, his native Jizzakh region.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev demonstrated his capabilities as a skilled administrator, adept at addressing social issues and fostering economic development in the regions he oversaw. Simultaneously, Mirziyoyev served as a member of the Uzbekistan Parliament, contributing to the enactment of laws that facilitated Uzbekistan's transition to a market economy.

In 2003, Shavkat Mirziyoyev's talent was recognized by Uzbekistan's first President, Islam Karimov, who invited him to serve as the Prime Minister of the government of Uzbekistan. The parliament subsequently approved Shavkat Mirziyoyev for this position repeatedly and he served as Prime Minister for a total of 13 years. During this time, he promoted the development of industry and agriculture, addressed issues in remote areas of Uzbekistan, and tackled social problems.

When Islam Karimov passed away in 2016, Shavkat Mirziyoyev assumed the role of Acting President, and was elected as the new President of Uzbekistan in December 2016, receiving over 88% of the votes from the electorate.

By the end of Karimov's rule, Uzbekistan faced complex challenges which Shavkat Mirziyoyev set out to address. There were imprisoned opposition figures and activists, the economy suffered from excessive state involvement, and investor rights were disregarded.

Entrepreneurs faced difficulties in exchanging Uzbekistani som for foreign currency since there were two exchange rates – an official, artificially low rate that was disadvantageous to businesses, and a "black market" rate where transactions were considered illegal. Many young Uzbeks sought employment opportunities in neighboring countries.

Upon assuming the presidency of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev implemented a series of critical reforms to rectify the situation and improve the lives of ordinary citizens. The new Uzbek President:

• Introduced a free exchange rate for the national currency.
• Released political prisoners.
• Abolished several state monopolies and initiated the privatization of state-owned assets.
• Simplified conditions for private businesses, streamlining taxation and inspections.
• Ended the practice of "cotton slavery," wherein children and public workers were forcibly engaged in cotton harvesting.
• Improved relations with neighboring Central Asian countries.
• Pursued a multi-vector foreign policy aimed at attracting investments and economic partnerships with the European Union, China, the United States, Southeast Asian nations, and the Middle East.

Since 2016, Uzbekistan's GDP has grown by 1.5 times, and the poverty rate has halved. Shavkat Mirziyoyev regularly sits down with world leaders, and has already met with U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and others.

Uzbekistan's leader successfully fostered unity among the Central Asian states – five countries with a combined population of 75 million, all ending with "-stan" that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. As a result, Central Asia became a self-sustaining force on the global stage and an attractive destination for investments.

During Shavkat Mirziyoyev's tenure, Uzbekistan attracted billions of dollars in investments from China, the European Union, and the Middle East, helping modernize the country's industry and develop "green" energy projects.

In July 2023, Shavkat Mirziyoyev was re-elected as the President of Uzbekistan for an additional seven years under a new constitution. Mirziyoyev approved a development strategy for Uzbekistan until 2030, setting ambitious goals:

• Double the country's GDP by attracting $110 billion in foreign investments and privatizing state-owned assets.
• Increase the well-being of citizens – raise GDP per capita to $4,000, corresponding to an upper-middle income global level.
• Improve the accessibility and quality of education and healthcare.
• Develop resource processing, including for copper, uranium, cotton, and establish new growth industries like IT hubs.
• Double the export volume to $45 billion per year through Uzbekistan's entry into the WTO.
• Transition government services to digital form, minimizing corruption.
• Increase the share of renewable energy sources in Uzbekistan's energy balance to 40%.