In Uzbekistan, where approximately five million people were employed in the informal sector in 2025, limiting their access to pensions, paid sick leave, maternity benefits, and other social protection measures, reported the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Against this backdrop, the UNDP, in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of the Republic of Uzbekistan, has launched a specialized training program for state labor inspectors. This initiative is funded with the support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Joint Fund.
The objective of the training is to enhance the professional level of inspectors, implement international labor standards, and improve the protection of labor rights. Inspectors will learn skills in identifying informal employment, conducting risk-based inspections, data and digital tool usage, conducting investigative interviews, conflict resolution, and evidence documentation.
According to Akiko Fuji, UNDP representative in Uzbekistan, labor inspection serves as one of the direct tools for implementing state policy into practical protection for workers. She also noted that the transition to formal employment expands people's opportunities regarding social protection, and effective inspections contribute to creating more equal conditions for compliant businesses.
The program is being conducted within the context of strengthening the powers of the Uzbek labor inspection system according to the new Labor Code and expanding the functions of the State Labor Inspectorate. The training is expected to help inspectors consistently fulfill their new duties in line with international labor standards.
Two groups of state labor inspectors from all regions of the country are undergoing training in Tashkent on September 23–25 and September 28–30, 2026. The sessions are led by Javier Barbero, an international UNDP expert on labor inspection.
UNDP will continue its cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction to professionalize the State Labor Inspectorate and strengthen institutions responsible for implementing reforms in labor relations. This training is part of the joint UN program 'Accelerating decent job creation and expanding social protection for a just transition to formal employment in Uzbekistan,' which is financed by the UN SDGs Joint Fund. UNDP also expressed gratitude to the European Union and the governments of countries that contributed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.