INFORMATION

on the implementation of the National Programme for Human Rights Education in the Republic of Uzbekistan and its “Roadmap”

Based on the monitoring results of the National Programme for Human Rights Education in Uzbekistan and the “Roadmap” for the National Action Plan for the period 2022 to 2025, which was approved by the President of Uzbekistan through Resolution No. 46 on February 7, 2023, the current status as of July 31, 2023 is as follows:

The Roadmap contains 7 directions and 30 paragraphs. Currently, 2 paragraphs have been accomplished, and 28 paragraphs are in progress.

Two paragraphs were accomplished successfully within the specified period.

Firstly, para. 1 in the direction aimed at enhancing the understanding of human rights and freedoms amongst the youth.

Secondly, para. 9 in the direction that dedicated to fostering knowledge and skillsets of governmental employees in the field of human rights and gender equality. Specifically,

1. On February 15 of the current year, the National Commission responsible for implementing the fourth phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education in Uzbekistan approved a program for conducting the "Human Rights" week. Subsequently, from February 20 to February 28, the "Human Rights" week was effectively organized by the National Center for Human Rights in collaboration with several partner organizations.

A video conference titled “Human rights are the highest value” was held on February 20, jointly organized by the National Center for Human Rights and the Youth Affairs Agency. The event commenced with an opening speech by Akmal Saidov, the First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Director of the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan. More than 2,000 youth actively participated in this online conference. The occasion also featured an awards ceremony to honor the winners of the “ Human Rights Education and Research” contest, which concluded in December 2022. Additionally, the conference marked the beginning of the Republican competition titled “Children's View on Human Rights”, organized in collaboration with the "Tong yulduzi" and "Klass" newspapers' editorial offices.

The “Children's View on Human Rights” Republican Contest will be held on December 10, 2023, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 31st anniversary of Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The contest organized by the National Center for Human Rights in conjunction with newspaper editors "Tong yulduzi" and "Klass!". This contest is aimed at children and teenagers in understanding and promoting human rights. It will be conducted in two rounds across four categories: "Best Article", "Best Poem", "Best Picture", and "Best Video".

Aimed at fostering awareness and promoting human rights among youth across the republic, the Youth Affairs Agency initiated the hashtag #Human_rights_are_the-highest_value. This campaign has been disseminated via official regional channels, garnering the participation of approximately 4,000 youth.

Various meetings centered around the theme of “Human rights as the highest value" were arranged in the districts, cities, and local communities of our nation, featuring interactions between representatives such as the Prosecutor, Judge, Head of Justice, Head of the Internal Affairs Department, and Head of the State Security Service with young people. These gatherings witnessed the participation of over 8,000 youth from different regions of the republic.

The University of Public Security in Uzbekistan organized two events named “Information Hour” and “Spiritual Hour” on the topic "New Uzbekistan and human rights". These events included a broad range of participants, encompassing officers, sergeants, cadets, students, and conscripts, bringing together over 500 members of the university community. Furthermore, these discussions were virtually attended by over 400 military personnel from the Central Office of the National Guard of Uzbekistan, including those from various training centers, military units, and other groups.

On February 23, an offline international roundtable took place in Tashkent, focusing on “The role of parliament and civil society institutions in achieving sustainable development goals and enhancing public awareness”. This event shed light on the critical role that the parliament and civil society institutions play in not only achieving sustainability goals but also elevating the population's understanding of these goals. Additionally, the roundtable discussed how to cultivate a culture that respects human rights and champions sustainable development within society.

An international conference titled “Mutual Cooperation in Ensuring the Reliable Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms” took place at the "Silk Road Samarkand" complex in Samarkand city on February 23. The conference was organized to mark the 28th anniversary of the establishment of the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights (Ombudsman).

On February 27, the National Center for Human Rights conducted a "Human Rights Scholar" quiz. The quiz featured legal test questions designed to enhance the legal awareness and culture among the population.

2. In collaboration with the National Center for Human Rights, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs comprehensive plan was devised to ensure the successful execution of the para. 8 in the "Roadmap" for the National Education Programme. This plan encompasses the training of employees from pre-investigation, investigation, preliminary investigation bodies, and punishment execution departments. The schedule includes short-term training courses, a structured training program, and specific modules tailored for each institution. On March 1, 2023, the plan for conducting these training courses throughout the year 2023 was officially approved by the National Center for Human Rights, the General Prosecutor's Office, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

As per the plan, this year, training courses titled “Combating torture: international practice and national experience” were conducted in various regions of the Republic on specific dates:

- Fergana: February 22-23

- Bukhara: March 29-30

- Tashkent: April 18-19

- Surkhandarya: May 17-18

- Andijan: June 20-21

- Namangan: June 22-23

- Jizzakh: July 25-26

- Syrdarya: July 27-28

The courses were organized both online and offline and involved national and international experts. These sessions aimed to train and educate 470 participants from different sectors, including 50 employees from the internal affairs and 10 from the prosecutor's office in each region. The participants represented investigation, preliminary investigation bodies, and penal institutions.

Each training course in the respective regions followed an approved program, and the content, including presentations, cases, and handouts, was prepared and authorized by experts. At the conclusion of the courses, the participants underwent tests, and those who successfully passed were awarded a Certificate from the National Center for Human Rights.

The media covered the activities, lesson processes, and other organizational aspects of these training courses. Moreover, based on the established schedule, similar training courses are planned to be continued in other regions of the Republic.

Moreover, between June 19th and June 21st, 2023, workshops were conducted in Tashkent city and the Tashkent region, followed by another session on June 23rd in Bukhara city. The topic covered during these training sessions was "The fundamental principles of the Nelson Mandela rules, along with the prevention of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, and various types of punishment in penal institutions." Participants in these sessions were employees from penal institutions in the regions of Tashkent, Bukhara, Navoi, and Samarkand, who received Certificates upon completion of the training.

3. To ensure the implementation of para. 9 of the “Roadmap”, the direction of human rights literature was established in the information-library centers across the Republic of Karakalpakstan and various regions. Additionally, the National Library of Uzbekistan and its branches in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, regions, Tashkent city, and districts were organized by the National Center for Human Rights and combined collection of 1,600 literary works focused on human rights was provided to these information-library centers.
4. To ensure the implementation of para. 10 of the "Roadmap", the National Center for Human Rights published the following collections of international agreements on human rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, women's rights, children's rights, etc.
5. To ensure the implementation of para. 21 of the "Roadmap," as per the resolution made by Parliamentary Commission No.29 on May 11, 2023, the public fund under the Oliy Majlis has initiated the 3rd competition for granting funds. The grant is aimed at supporting projects focused on “Enhancing public awareness of the law and promoting a culture of dialogue among the populace, as well as increasing the engagement of civil society organizations in the sphere of human rights education”.
6. To ensure the implementation of para. 28 of the “Roadmap”, ecourse.nhrc.uz electronic platform for human rights education was launched.