The Conference was opened by Ombudsperson Ms. Feruza Eshmatova, followed by high-level speakers including Mr. Akmal Saidov, First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, Mr. Narimon Umarov, Chairman of the Senate Committee of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Judicial and Legal issues and anti-corruption, Mr. Chris Field PSM,  President of the International Ombudsperson Institute and Mr. Sergei Sizov, Senior Project Officer, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan. During their opening remarks, the speakers highlighted the crucial role of the Ombudsperson in protecting the country’s democratic progress and human rights of Uzbekistan’s citizens.                    

The event, organized in a blended format, brought together more than 140 participants, including representatives of the national human rights institutions from a number of OSCE participating States (Azerbaijan, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey) and three OSCE Partners for Co-operation (Australia, Morocco and Thailand). In the framework of the conference, plenary discussions focused on four major topics: cooperation of Ombudsperson’s institution with the state bodies and civil society organizations; ensuring gender equality and the rights of persons with disabilities within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals; the relevance of human rights protection in the context of digitalization; expanding employment opportunities and decent work for young people, women and vulnerable groups of population. As a result, the Tashkent Resolution was adopted highlighting relevant proposals and statements agreed by the participants.

Mr. Sergei Sizov, Senior Project Officer of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, emphasized the importance of the Ombudsperson institution in the promotion and protection of human rights. Mr. Sizov, underscoring the fruitful co-operation with the Ombudsperson highlighted the significant achievements and assured that the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan will continue to provide expert and technical assistance to improve the protection of human rights in the country, and looks forward to strengthening co-operation in this field.

This roundtable was organised within the framework of the PCUz UB project “Support to the Implementation of Judicial and Legal Reforms”.

OSCE