A seminar on “Implementation of the International Commitments of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Field of Children’s Rights and National Mechanisms for Their Implementation” was held at the Human Rights House under the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The event is attended by deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, members of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, representatives of the Youth Parliament under the chambers of the Oliy Majlis, and international experts.

The seminar is organized by the National Center for Human Rights of Uzbekistan in cooperation with the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, the UNICEF Office in Uzbekistan, and the OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia.

The seminar was opened with welcoming speeches by Akmal Saidov, Director of the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mavludakhon Khojayeva, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, Regina Castillo, Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Uzbekistan, and others.

In his welcoming speech, Mr. Saidov noted that Uzbekistan is home to 13 million children under 18, accounting for about 35 percent of the country’s population. In this regard, ensuring children’s rights is of fundamental importance to the country.

The first international document that Uzbekistan joined after gaining independence was the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The country became a party to this convention on December 9, 1992. On December 11, 2008, Uzbekistan ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography, and on December 12, 2008, the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts.

Currently, at the expert level, Uzbekistan is studying the possibility of joining the Third Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which concerns the procedure for filing complaints. Preparations are underway for its ratification in the country’s parliament.

The seminar participants were informed about Uzbekistan’s international commitments in the field of children’s rights, the mechanisms for their implementation, the key provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

During the discussions, particular attention was given to effective parliamentary oversight mechanisms to protect children’s interests and ensure their rights and freedoms.

Nazokat Usmanova, UzA