Volunteer Support Fund to be established

A Volunteer Support Fund will be created under the Youth Affairs Agency. The announcement was made on February 24 during a meeting between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and young people at the Kuksaroy residence.

It was noted at the meeting that more than 10 percent of the world’s population is currently engaged in volunteer activities. In recent years, Uzbekistan has established a legal framework for volunteering, as well as a Volunteer School and dedicated centers at universities, resulting in a fivefold increase in the number of young volunteers nationwide.

The number of volunteers working in areas such as environmental protection, healthcare, education, and emergency response has exceeded 100,000.

To support such proactive youth, it was proposed to establish a Board of Trustees for the Development of the Volunteer Movement, comprising heads of ministries and agencies as well as active young volunteers.

The Volunteer Support Fund under the Youth Affairs Agency will receive 20 billion soums annually from the state budget. In addition, regional governors will allocate 3 billion soums each from local budgets.

Through these funds, grants of up to 100 million soums will be provided for youth volunteer projects. An “activity card” will also be introduced for volunteers, awarding points based on their participation in areas such as environmental protection, social welfare, healthcare, education, and public safety.

Earlier during the meeting, it was announced that income tax for teachers working at learning centers in remote areas would be reduced to 7.5 percent.