​On November 23-24, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will visit Azerbaijan on a working visit and take part in a meeting of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), which will be held in Baku.

Freedom of speech, opinion and information is a fundamental human right. According to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. In addition, Arthur Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, noted that without free speech and reliable information, the rules of democracy and public trust will continue to crumble. In this regard, the role of the media is increasingly important, since free and independent media play a crucial role in ensuring democratic changes.

The media field in Uzbekistan has undergone big changes in recent years. Especially in matters of public control, ensuring transparency in the activities of State bodies, shaping public opinion and strengthening democratic values.

 “Currently, Uzbekistan has 2,140 media outlets. 626 more than in 2016. Among them, 65 percent are non-state media, which indicates the ongoing structural transformations in the sphere. It should be noted that along with traditional media outlets, online publications are rapidly developing too. Their number of increased to 745, and their audience is steadily growing,”

Uzbekistan has introduced a number of changes to improve legislation on the protection of property rights.

In recent years, as a result of favorable conditions created primarily by the Head of State, large-scale work has been carried out in order to provide comprehensive support for the rights and legitimate interests of our women.