Uzbekistan Introduces Legislative Amendments to Strengthen Mediation
On October 20, 2025, the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Introducing Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan Aimed at Improving the Institution of Mediation in the Alternative Settlement of Disputes” No. ZRU-1089 (“Law No. ZRU-1089”) came into force.
Law No. ZRU-1089 is designed to ensure the effective and timely settlement of disputes between individuals and business entities, while also reducing the burden on the judiciary by encouraging the wider use of mediation procedures.
This note provides an overview of the key amendments introduced by Law No. ZRU-1089 to the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Mediation” No. LRU-482 dated July 3, 2018 (the “Law”), and other legislative acts.
Compulsory enforcement of mediation agreements
Under these amendments, if a mediation agreement (i.e., an agreement between the parties reached as a result of mediation) is not performed voluntarily, the parties are now entitled to apply to an economic court or a civil court for its compulsory enforcement.
The Law establishes a six-month period for applying for the issuance of a writ of execution following the expiry of the voluntary compliance period.
Previously, the only way to enforce such an agreement was to initiate a full court proceeding. Now, the parties can seek compulsory enforcement without initiating a lawsuit.
The state duty for obtaining a writ of execution under this procedure is set at only 2 BCUs (approximately USD 70 at the current exchange rate), which makes it significantly less costly compared to initiating a lawsuit.
Moreover, when considering such applications, economic courts are not permitted to review the underlying dispute that led to the mediation agreement. This means that there is no need to prove the merits of the original disagreement; the court examines only the mediation agreement itself and whether its terms have remained unfulfilled.
Professionalisation and regulation of mediation
The amendments aim to establish mediation as a fully professionalised and regulated activity in Uzbekistan, providing clear standards for mediator qualification, registration, duties, and accountability.
- The Law now explicitly covers relations between clients and banks (credit institutions) and disputes arising from insurance contracts.
- Mediation may also be applied during the consideration of a dispute by an authorised body or an arbitration tribunal until their decisions are made.
- The Ministry of Justice is designated as the authorised state body in the field of mediation.
- Entry into the Registry of Mediators now requires successful completion of the qualification examination (previously, merely completing a training course was sufficient).
- The distinction between “professional” and “non-professional” mediators has been removed.
- All mediators must now meet unified and enhanced requirements, including higher education, completion of a special training course under the Ministry of Justice programme, passing a qualification exam, and inclusion in the unified mediator registry.
Exemptions: attorneys-at-law and notaries are exempt from the qualification exam but must complete training and be included in the Registry of Mediators.
- The authorised state body now must postpone proceedings upon submission of an agreement on conducting mediation by the parties and set a period for the mediation procedure.
- Mediators, like lawyers, auditors, and tax consultants, are now expressly included among the persons who cannot be called as witnesses in tax control procedures with respect to information obtained in the course of their professional activities, to the extent that such information constitutes their professional secrecy.
Overall, these reforms are expected to further stimulate the development of mediation, strengthening its role as an effective dispute-resolution mechanism. Further increase in its practical application can be anticipated.
In our next article, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to obtain a writ of execution for the compulsory enforcement of a mediation agreement in economic court proceedings.
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