Today, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for Central Asia (ROCA) and the Nationwide Movement “Yuksalish,” in cooperation with the National Centre for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan, are holding an International Public Discussion on monitoring and coordination of implementation of the UN human rights treaties in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is a party to most of the principal human rights treaties, but the UN Committees that review compliance of States with obligations those treaties have identified a number of shortcomings in the country’s implementation and have recommended what needs to be done ensure better compliance.
The Expert Discussion will focus on a national coordination mechanism to facilitate implementation of the recommendation of the UN Treaty Bodies and strengthening of the national independent mechanism of their implementation. The thematic discussions are based on the recent Concluding Observations by three UN Treaty Bodies: the UN Committee on the Right of the Child (CRC), the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and the UN Committee Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Uzbek and international experts, civil society representatives, State bodies, international organizations and individual experts will discuss the essential steps to be taken by Uzbekistan to ensure effective monitoring and coordination of implementation of the recommendations. The event will present an opportunity for various stakeholders to consider the monitoring and coordination mechanisms of the implementation of the most recent UN recommendations by the Committees, as well as share the best practices.
“Uzbekistan has made significant progress in recent years towards protecting and promoting human rights, including several legislative reforms and the ratification of several international human rights treaties. The most recent one was the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2021. Last year, recommendations to Uzbekistan were adopted by three UN Committees: the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC). In this regard, establishment of effective independent monitoring and coordination mechanisms in Uzbekistan to implement these UN Treaty Bodies recommendations are of particular importance. We believe that today’s discussions will raise issues which should help strengthen the existing coordination and monitoring mechanisms in Uzbekistan to effectively implement recommendations of the UN Treaty bodies” – said Charlotte Adriaen, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Uzbekistan.
“It is the responsibility of States-parties to ensure that the recommendations made by UN Treaty Bodies are implemented in full. Failure to do so leaves individuals and groups at risk of human rights violations. It is therefore incumbent on of every party to UN human rights treaties, including Uzbekistan, to prioritize the protection and promotion of human rights, and to work towards the full and effective compliance in line with treaty body prescriptions”, said Temur Shakirov, Director (ad interim) of the ICJ’s Europe and Central Asia Programme.
“As a member of the UN, Uzbekistan has become party to a number of international treaties. In our country, the implementation of international treaties is taken seriously, and it is under the attention of both the Parliament and the Government. The provisions of international documents are also reflected in our national legislation. The main focus of the reforms in Uzbekistan is to ensure basic human rights and freedoms, including the rights of women, children and youth, as well as persons with special needs. At the same time, holding today’s international expert discussion involving representatives of the State, civil society, NGOs, international and national experts will serve as an important platform for sharing best practices in coordinating and monitoring the implementation process of the UN treaties in Uzbekistan, and effectively discussing existing issues”, – said Mr Bobur Bekmurodov, Chairman of the Nationwide Movement “Yuksalish”.
“The UN Treaty Bodies play a vital role in promoting and monitoring the implementation of international human rights standards at the national level. The recommendations made by the Treaty Bodies provide a roadmap for the government to address these issues and ensure that all individuals in Uzbekistan can fully enjoy their human rights”, said Mr Fabio PIANA, OiC Regional Representative, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Regional Office for Central Asia. “The implementation of these recommendations will require cooperation and collaboration between the government, independent national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, and the international
community”, he added.
The event is organized within the framework of the Project “Enhancing the Quality of Uzbekistan’s Application of international Law (EQUAL)” funded by the European Union through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) and implemented by the International Commission of Jurists. The main objective of the EQUAL project is to promote, by supporting civil society, equal protection of economic, social and cultural rights for groups particularly vulnerable to discrimination in Uzbekistan.
This is the third expert discussion held within the framework of the EQUAL project, the first being on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the second on the role of the civil society in the UN Treaty Bodies review. Between 2017 and 2021, six expert discussions took plae within the ACCESS (Advancing Civil Society in Promoting ESC Rights Standards) project implemented by the ICJ under the support of the EU Delegation in Uzbekistan.
Attachments:
Agenda in English: Expert-Discussion-Agenda_ENG
Agenda in Russian: Expert-Discussion-Agenda_RUS
Agenda in Uzbek: Expert-Discussion-Agenda_UZB
Briefing paper in English: Briefing paper on monitoring and implementation of CRC, ICECSR and CEDAW in Uzbekistan
Briefing paper in Russian:Мониторинг и координация реализации КПР, МПЭСКП и КЛДЖ
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Dilfuza Kurolova, Legal Consultant
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ),.kurolova@icj.org
Ms. Dilorom Rozikova, Project Coordinator
Nationwide Movement “Yuksalish” Tashkent city, info@yumh.uz
Ms Muratova Dilnoza, Deputy Director
National Centre for Human Rights
of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent city, info@nhrc.uz
Ms Guljakhon Amanova, National Program Officer, Uzbekistan Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for Central Asia, Tashkent city, gamanova@ohchr.org
Delegation of the European Union in the
Republic of Uzbekistan, International Business Centre / 107B, Amir Temur Str.Tashkent, Uzbekistan, delegation-uzbekistan@eeas.europa.eu
Project is being implemented by:
International Commission of Jurists
Rue des Buis 3
P.O. Box 91
1211 Geneva 1, Switzerland
And
Nationwide Movement “Yuksalish”
Tashkent city, Sh. Ashidov, 16
(“Poytaht” Business centre, 5th floor)
Financial resources:
The Project is financed by the European
Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights
(EIDHR) Delegation of the European Union to
the Republic of Uzbekistan International Business Centre, Amir Temur str.
107B, 100084 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Tel.: +998 71 120 16 01/02/03/04, Website:www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations
