Uzbekistan new indd

conclusions and recommendations
Uzbekistan is experiencing some of the negative con-
sequences of the emigration of its elite—the “creme 
de la creme.” There is no doubt that it hampers the 
state’s economic and social development. Thus far lit-
tle thought has been given to the fact that more highly 
educated women are leaving the country than highly 
educated men. The implications in terms of future 
human development challenges for Uzbekistan have 
been understudied.
49
A key element of the economic and social de-
velopment of a country is women’s human capital.
50
 
Female education influences the human capital for-
mation of future generations. Promoting the educa-
tion of women improves their ability to raise more 
educated and competitive children. They also contrib-
ute additional income to the household, which may 
be invested in children’s education. Indeed, female 
“brain drain” has specific negative effects on sending 
countries.
51
 The absence of highly skilled women im-
pacts remaining family members and communities.
52
 
In addition, highly skilled female emigration nega-
tively affects human capital indicators, such as infant 
mortality and secondary school enrolment rate. The 
fact that more and more highly qualified women are 
leaving Uzbekistan may have serious negative social 
impacts on the society and its future development.
These immediate drawbacks are off-set by the 
more general longer term positive consequenc-
es of highly skilled emigration. Greater mobil-
ity provides more opportunities for citizens of 
Uzbekistan in terms of education, skills develop-
ment, and living standards. People constitute the 
greatest asset for any country. When the citizens 
of Uzbekistan prosper and develop individually, so 
does the country. Undeniably, more highly skilled 
43 Docquier and Rapoport, “Documenting the Brain Drain of “La Crème de la Crème.”
44 M. Nakamuro and K. Ogawa, “Mobility of Skilled Labor in Transition Economies: The Perspectives from Brain-Drain, Brain-Waste, Brain-
Circulation and Brain-Gain,” Journal of International Cooperation Studies 18, no.1 (2010): 71–83; Beneria, Deere, and Kabeer, “Gender and 
International Migration.”
45 Spadavecchia, “Migration of Women from Sub-Saharan Africa to Europe.” 
46 F. Docquier and H. Rapoport, “Quantifying the Impact of Highly Skilled Emigration on Developing Countries,” in Boeri, Brucker, Docquier, and 
Rapoport, eds., Brain Drain and Brain Gain, 209-302.
47 R. Abazov, “Central Asia’s Skilled Migrants: Brain Drain or Brain Gain?,” CACI Analyst, 2010, http://old.cacianalyst.org/?q=node/5372.
48 “Uzbekistan. Modernizing Tertiary Education,” Report No. 88606-UZ. World Bank: Washington, D.C., 2014.
49 Highly skilled female emigration can be particularly damaging for the economic and social development of sending countries (Docquier and 
Rapoport, 2012). In contrast, scholars have not found the same relationship between economic/social development and emigration for women 
with lower levels of education (Dumont et al., 2007).
50 Docquier, Marfouk, Salomone, and Sekkat, “Are skilled women more migratory than skilled men?!”. 
51 Docquier, Lowell, and Marfouk, “A Gendered Assessment of the Brain Drain.”
52 Dumont, Martin, and Spielvogel, “Women on the Move.” 

---

Emigration of “Crème de la Crème “ in Uzbekistan. A Gender Perspective
61
migrants abroad constitute a soft power potential 
for Uzbekistan and help promote the state and its 
culture globally. Moreover, there are many avenues 
for policy makers to benefit from the fact that high-
ly qualified people work abroad. In the long run, 
highly skilled emigration can transform into “brain 
gain” for Uzbekistan, and it should not be viewed 
as entirely detrimental to the country. To make sure 
that the brain drain is turned into a brain gain I 
recommend the following:
To the Government
Gender mainstreaming - strengthen the implementa-
tion mechanisms of policies directed towards women 
empowerment within the existing legal framework 
on gender equality and the Women’s Committee of 
Uzbekistan.
Increase research investments - emphasize R&D 
and science in order to increase competitiveness in 
the international arena. Financial flows into these 
spheres might stimulate brain circulation and conse-
quently lead to “brain gain” from highly skilled pro-
fessionals who leave Uzbekistan.
Support scientific collaboration - set up scientific 
collaboration mechanisms, including research grants, 
guest-professorships, and cross-national research 
projects between Uzbekistan and Uzbek scientists/
researchers abroad to stimulate brain circulation.
Provide incentive grants - support the most tal-
ented and brightest returning professionals by intro-
ducing incentive grants directed for the delivery of 
specific projects, that are critical for the economic 
development of Uzbekistan.
Reintegration of professionals - simplify the pro-
cedure of degree validation and the recognition of 
professional qualifications obtained abroad to stim-
ulate “brain gain.” Foreign expertise has a potential 
to advance Uzbek economy through the implementa-
tion of best and most innovative practices from other 
countries.
Creation of centers of excellence - these centers 
will attract the most talented and brightest profes-
sionals providing them with a standard of quality and 
environment similar to those which they would be 
able to find in developed countries.
Internationalization of curricula - national ed-
ucation needs to be more competitive in the inter-
national arena. There is some progress with the 
launch of universities with foreign partners, such as 
Westminster International University in Tashkent. 
However more attention should be given to local 
universities.
Creation of public-private partnerships - strength-
en the local labor market by promoting collaboration 
between universities, academies of sciences, govern-
mental institutions and industry and the private sec-
tor. Public-private partnerships encourage the quest 
for the most qualified professionals and increase 
competition based on merit and market needs.
Streamlining visa procedures and citizenship - 
promote the mobility of highly skilled emigrants 
residing abroad to facilitate their desire to invest in 
Uzbekistan in both monetary and nonmonetary 
terms. At the same time, exit visas regulations pose 
a limitation on the ability of professionals residing 
abroad to move back and forth to Uzbekistan. The 
circulation of highly skilled human capital can be fa-
cilitated by the introduction of fast-tracking proce-
dures for exit visas and exit visas issuance in the con-
sulates of Uzbekistan when a resident is registered 
with the embassy.
To the Embassies of Uzbekistan Abroad
Strengthen the Uzbek diasporas-Uzbekistan’s embas-
sies abroad have a big role to play in reinforcing the 
links among highly skilled emigrants in host countries 
and their ties with the country of origin. This may be 
achieved through the organization of social events 
related to main Uzbek holidays, thematic workshops, 
conferences, and networking events targeted at spe-
cific scientific fields or professions. Embassies of the 
Republic of Uzbekistan should serve as a catalyst of 
building stronger diasporas, which could contribute 
to Uzbekistan.
To International Organizations and Donors
Gender mainstreaming - emphasize capacity build-
ing programs directed towards the empowerment of 
women in Uzbekistan and their professional devel-
opment.

---