Palestinians brought to Uzbekistan to be granted benefits

Palestinians evacuated to Uzbekistan will be granted benefits available to senior citizens without the required work experience within two weeks. This provision is included in the presidential decree “On measures to establish a system of state care and support for a group of Palestinian citizens in Uzbekistan based on the principles of compassion and kindness,” signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on August 14.

The National Agency for Social Protection, together with the Ministry of Health, will, within two months, determine disability status for guests suffering from illnesses leading to disability, regardless of the treatment period established by law. The agency will ensure that guests are granted senior citizen benefits for those without the necessary work experience within two weeks.

The decree also states that each Palestinian of working age (except for persons with disabilities in groups I and II) will receive a monthly subsistence allowance equal to the minimum consumption expenses. Each family will be provided with housing rental coverage at their place of residence. In addition, guests will be eligible for a one-time childbirth allowance and a funeral allowance equal to those provided to citizens of Uzbekistan. Each family will also receive an additional one-time payment to purchase necessities (a set of non-food household goods). One social worker will be assigned to each neighborhood to provide personal assistance, individual support to family members, and address their specific needs.

The Republican Commission has been tasked with developing and approving, within one month, social service and assistance plans for each family, based on an assessment of their needs and capabilities, to help integrate them into society.

The decree specifies that the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of Uzbekistan will serve as the working body of the Republican Commission. Direct engagement with guests at the mahalla level will be handled by the “mahalla seven” and “Inson” social service centers. The social service and assistance plans developed for guests will be binding on the republican and local executive authorities and their subdivisions.

The Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment, together with the National Agency for Social Protection, must submit proposals to the Republican Commission within a month to ensure the employment of Palestinians in Uzbekistan at their request, and to help them acquire modern professions.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment, the Central Bank, JSC Xalq Bank, and other commercial banks have been instructed to encourage guests interested in entrepreneurship to participate in programs such as “Continuous Support for Small Business,” “First Step to Business,” and “From Poverty to Prosperity.” In this regard, assistant khokims and mahalla bankers will handle applications for financial assistance from Palestinians within these programs and monitor the use of allocated funds.

It should be recalled that on November 11 last year, during an extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit, President Mirziyoyev announced Uzbekistan’s readiness to provide free treatment for Palestinian children and women injured in the war. Later, QALAMPIR.UZ asked Deputy Minister of Health for Children’s and Women’s Affairs Elmira Bositkhanova about the country’s readiness, and she confirmed that Uzbekistan had sufficient capacity to treat Palestinian children.

On December 27, 2024, 100 wounded Palestinian children and women, along with their companions, were evacuated to Uzbekistan. According to Uzbekistan’s Ambassador in Cairo, Mansurbek Kilichev, the evacuees will stay in Uzbekistan and be provided with the necessary conditions until their return home.