Uzbekistan abolishes AOKA, launches National Content Development Center

The Agency for Information and Mass Communications (AOKA) under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan will be abolished. In its place, a new institution—the National Content Development Center—will be established. This is outlined in the Presidential Decree titled “On Measures to Increase Efficiency, Proactivity, and Effectiveness in the Public Administration System”, signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

According to the Decree, accountability of state bodies to the public will be significantly enhanced. The role of press secretaries will be further strengthened, and a new system for public engagement and media relations will be introduced.

Additionally, the positions of Presidential Representatives will be created in select sectors.

Under the new reforms, all regulatory legal acts and draft policies will be developed based on research conducted by scientific and analytical institutions operating under the Presidential Administration. These efforts will be guided by recommendations from domestic and international experts and scholars.

Key initiatives will now be implemented through dedicated project offices. A “compliance” system will also be introduced in the operations of the Presidential Administration. This mechanism aims to ensure transparency, strengthen executive discipline, and prevent corruption.

For context, AOKA was originally established based on the former Press and Information Agency of Uzbekistan, by a presidential decree dated February 2, 2019, titled “On Additional Measures for the Further Development of the Information Sector and Mass Communications.” From February 4, 2019, to January 29, 2020, Komil Allamjonov served as its director. Since July 2020, the agency has been led by Asadjon Khojayev.

It is also worth noting that the same presidential decree approved a new structure for the Presidential Administration. As part of this restructuring, 284 staff positions were eliminated across the Administration and its affiliated organizations, and redundant roles were optimized.

The decree defines five priority areas in the activities of the Administration: education, entrepreneurship, the judicial system, healthcare, and water resources. To ensure the effective implementation of reforms in these sectors, five deputy head positions have been created within the Presidential Administration.