Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan Moves Toward Evidence-Based Governance
“The continuous support of CLEAR-PCA and GEI has been instrumental in advancing our government’s M&E systems,” said Kurbanov Bekzod Bakhromovich, head of Monitoring and Evaluation of Ongoing Reforms at the Agency for Strategic Reforms (ASR) under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. “Our joint efforts are focused on developing policy frameworks that will establish a foundation for prioritizing results-oriented policy making within the government, where M&E systems play a critical role.”
Two key decrees are shaping Uzbekistan’s progress toward institutionalizing evidence-based policy making. The first—the Strategic Planning Decree—is awaiting official approval and includes an embedded monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework for major planning documents such as sectoral and state strategies. Developed under the leadership of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), with contributions from CLEAR-PCA & GEI to the evaluation components, this decree reflects Uzbekistan’s commitment to integrating M&E across all levels of strategic governance.
The second—a draft Presidential Decree on the national M&E framework—is currently under development. Co-developed by the Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Pakistan and Central Asia (CLEAR-PCA), a Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI) implementing partner, with support from ASR, this decree lays the foundation for a national M&E system that supports results-based policy making. The GEI Global Team, through CLEAR-PCA, has played a catalytic role in this shift by conducting a national M&E Systems Analysis and supporting the development of foundational policy frameworks.
The Strategic Planning Decree, developed with the support of GIZ and ASR, incorporates key M&E components shaped through extensive stakeholder consultations. As it awaits formal approval, it stands alongside the draft Presidential Decree on the national M&E framework as part of a broader effort to embed evaluation practices into the policy making process. Together, these high-level policy instruments signal a significant transformation in how Uzbekistan plans, monitors, and evaluates the implementation and outcomes of its national development strategies.
“This initiative represents a significant step towards enhancing governance and ensuring that critical reforms are effectively monitored and evaluated for their impact on national development,” added Kurbanov.
Kurbanov Bekzod Bakhromovich,
Head of Monitoring and Evaluation of Ongoing Reforms,
Agency for Strategic Reforms, Republic of Uzbekistan
Alisher Umaraliev,
Head of the Institutional Development and Better Regulation Unit,
Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Uzbekistan
MESA: Catalyzing Policy Reforms
These policy developments were driven by the Monitoring and Evaluation Systems Analysis (MESA) conducted by CLEAR-PCA in partnership with ASR and the International Strategic Centre for Agri-Food Development (ISCAD). The MESA—undertaken during two missions in June 2023 and February 2024—delivered a comprehensive diagnosis of Uzbekistan’s M&E landscape.
The findings were sobering.
By engaging stakeholders from around 23 organizations across 10 ministries and government bodies, the MESA exposed fundamental gaps in performance management, strategic alignment, evaluation capacity, and the broader learning culture across government institutions. Ministries tracked thousands of fragmented targets without standardized, structured metrics. Most lacked dedicated M&E units or a coherent results framework. Reporting remained compliance-driven, often focused on activity completion rather than meaningful outcomes.
Close collaboration between ASR, the Ministry of Agriculture, and CLEAR-PCA in conducting the MESA has been instrumental in initiating the development of the National Evaluation System of Uzbekistan.
“The MESA was fundamentally important in Uzbekistan's journey to promote evidence-based policy making,” said Alisher Umaraliev, head of the Institutional Development and Better Regulation Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture.
A Landmark Decree in Policy Making
CLEAR-PCA’s influence extended beyond analysis. It organized two capacity-building workshops featuring hands-on sessions on indicator structure development, logic cycles of evidence-based policy making, and results-oriented planning. The first session focused on building a shared understanding of key concepts such as evidence, monitoring, evaluation, theory of change, and the policy cycle, using case studies from South Africa, Mexico, and Pakistan to illustrate how these concepts are applied in different contexts.
This foundation helped ensure a common interpretation of the terms and their value within the broader policy cycle. CLEAR-PCA also facilitated validation workshops and played a direct role in shaping both the Strategic Planning Decree and the draft M&E Decree, ensuring alignment with the broader Uzbekistan-2030 Strategy and supporting the shift to a stronger monitoring system and program-based budgeting—an approach that brings accountability to a new level.
“Before our engagement with CLEAR-PCA, we lacked understanding about how to structure data and we had weak reporting systems,” said Kurbanov. “CLEAR-PCA’s approach emphasized performance indicators and results-based monitoring, leading to a fundamental shift in our thinking. This has transformed how we measure success and the effects of reforms.”
Bekzod, who worked with CLEAR-PCA during GEI’s missions to Uzbekistan, credits CLEAR-PCA—and, in particular, former GEI senior advisor Ian Goldman—for introducing frameworks and key performance indicators (KPIs) that were previously unfamiliar in the Uzbek policy landscape. He also highlights the vital contribution of CLEAR-PCA’s colleagues from Pakistan, whose strong understanding of the regional cultural context helped ensure smooth cooperation and made the capacity-building sessions especially relevant and effective. Traditionally, ministries prepared reports that focused on activity completion, not outcomes—often represented by static tables with no analysis of impact or value delivered.
“When Ian introduced a different approach—focusing on KPIs and evidence-based decision-making—it became clear that we did not have answers to fundamental M&E questions,” Kurbanov said. “Many ministries had never engaged with such frameworks before.”
This shift is still underway—several ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture, are currently in the planning phase, with M&E integration expected to follow. CLEAR-PCA’s targeted training, including intensive sessions with government departments, has supported this early transition and responded to growing demand for results-based approaches.
“If you introduce a new product in a bazaar, people start asking for it the next day,” added Kurbanov. “Similarly, once M&E concepts were introduced, demand for structured performance measurement grew organically.”
Interview with Kurbanov Bekzod Bakhromovich, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation of Ongoing Reforms, Agency for Strategic Reforms, Republic of Uzbekistan, at NEC 2024 in Beijing
Uzbekistan's Emerging Leadership in Evidence-Based Policy
Uzbekistan’s emerging leadership in this space gained international recognition at the 2024 National Evaluation Capacities (NEC) Conference in Beijing. Uzbekistan’s presentation, facilitated by GEI and CLEAR-PCA, drew attention for its rapid progress and practical policy integration. NEC brought together M&E experts from over 100 countries, and for Bekzod, the experience illustrated Uzbekistan’s new place in a global community of evidence champions.
“The networking I experienced was far more than just casual interaction,” he said. “It was about becoming part of a community united by a shared commitment to effective, results-driven reforms—a network of key actors shaping government M&E systems with purpose and direction.”
As Uzbekistan undergoes one of the most dynamic reform periods in its modern history, the finalization of the national M&E Decree is a crucial next step. Though still pending formal adoption, the decree lays the institutional groundwork for ensuring that reforms translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives—whether through better access to clean drinking water in remote villages or higher-quality education in public schools. It also reflects Uzbekistan’s broader commitment to the priorities outlined in the Uzbekistan-2030 Strategy.
By embedding evidence and accountability at the heart of governance, Uzbekistan is not only reinforcing the effectiveness of its reforms but also positioning itself as a regional model for results-driven transformation. With the support of CLEAR-PCA and other strategic partners, the country is shifting toward a more transparent, outcome-oriented approach to public policy—where reforms are not only designed but demonstrably work for citizens.
Story by Graham Holliday
Built with Shorthand