On June 28, 2022, at the Palace of International Forums “Uzbekistan”,  of the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights (Ombudsman), in cooperation with the UN Office in Uzbekistan, the USAID Mission in Uzbekistan, the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, Penal Reform International (PRI) passed I Forum of Ombudsmen of Central Asia. The forum was dedicated to the topic "Cooperation of the Ombudsmen of the Central Asian countries in ensuring human rights and freedoms". It is known, that the priority task in the foreign policy of the Republic of Uzbekistan is the issue of developing cooperation with the states of Central Asia.

It should be noted that the first Forum of Ombudsmen of Central Asia was held in Uzbekistan. The forum, which will continue to be a platform for the exchange of experience in the field of human rights, is traditionally planned to be held annually in the countries of Central Asia.
The main goal of the Forum is the development of international cooperation of the Ombudsmen of Central Asia in the field of human rights, the organization of regional discussions on topical issues of human rights and the consolidation of efforts and opportunities in this direction.
The forum was attended by the Chairman and members of the Senate and First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and deputies, representatives of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the National Center for Human Rights and a number of state bodies, members of the Commission under the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) , UN Office in Uzbekistan, USAID Mission in Uzbekistan, OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, Regional Program Manager for Prison Reform International (PRI) in Central Asia, UNDP Representative in Uzbekistan, UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan, Regional Office of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR ) for Central Asia, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and ombudsmen from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, as well as representatives of civil society institutions and the media.
It is worth noting that on February 23, 1995, one of the first of the CIS states introduced the institution of the Ombudsman in Uzbekistan. Over the past period, the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights (Ombudsman) has taken a worthy place in addressing the appeals of many citizens, including in protecting the rights and freedoms of persons held in closed institutions with limited freedom of movement.Memorandums of cooperation were signed with national human rights institutions of a number of foreign countries, the Ombudsman became a full member of such international organizations as the International Ombudsman Institute, the European Ombudsman Institute, the Asian Ombudsman Association, the Association of Ombudsmen and National Human Rights Institutions of Turkic Speaking Countries and the Eurasian Ombudsmen Alliance.
Within the framework of the forum, bilateral Memorandums were signed between the Ombudsmen of the countries of Central Asia. This memorandum will serve to further strengthen ties between the ombudsmen of the countries of Central Asia.
In total, in 2021, the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights (Ombudsman) received 18,738 appeals, of which about 60 were sent from foreign countries. In the first half of 2022, the number of requests sent from foreign countries amounted to 32. Most of these requests come from the countries of Central Asia. In this regard, one of the main activities of the Ombudsmen of the Central Asian countries is the joint consideration of citizens' appeals.
The international forum consisted of three sessions. During the meeting, an exchange of experience took place on the protection and promotion of women, children, persons with disabilities and the importance of using digital technologies, as well as ensuring the rights of persons held in places of detention.
As a result of the forum, the Tashkent Declaration of the 1st Forum of Ombudsmen of the countries of Central Asia was adopted.

Press Service of the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights (Ombudsman)