Tashkent, Uzbekistan – The President of Uzbekistan signed the “On State Social Insurance” law on 9 December 2025, paving the way for a new social insurance system for the country. The law will be progressively implemented from 1 January 2026. The new state social insurance system will include both mandatory and voluntary coverage and cover a number of life cycle risks: maternity benefits, cash sickness benefits, and unemployment benefits. The Global Accelerator has supported the development of the law, and continues supporting the national partners with the drafting of by-laws based on actuarial assessments.
Under the new system, workers will be insured through:
- Mandatory coverage for employed workers
- Voluntary coverage for self-employed
The latest data from ILO World Social Protection Database shows that 44 per cent of the country’s population still lacks access to social protection. Under the Global Accelerator, Uzbekistan has implemented one UN Joint Programme and one UN-World Bank Joint Programme, with the latter specifically focussing on the implementation of the Social Insurance Law. The joint programme also aims to build national capacities for the implementation of international social security standards into national legislation and policy.
A feasibility study on the maternity insurance scheme was jointly conducted by ILO, UNICEF and the World Bank, which helped the National Agency for Social Protection (NASP) convene a tripartite workshop to discuss the formulation of a sustainable and inclusive social insurance system. The actuarial assessment also supported the recommendations that have been included in the new law, which by enhancing the coverage of maternity and sickness risks, will help to improve decent work, boost productivity and increase labour force formalization. Additionally, the reform of the maternity cash benefit is expected to extend the number of beneficiaries and also and ensure sustainable financing mechanisms.
The Global Accelerator is also supporting the alignment of the country’s new Social Insurance Law with ILO’s Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183), ensuring health protection, maternity leave, benefits and non-discrimination for employed women.
Read the new Social Insurance Law here.