Uzbekistan has ratified a number of international legal instruments in the field of human rights, and regularly reports to the UN Human Rights Council and the UN human rights committees on the progress in implementing these standards at the national level. Besides there has been established national human rights institutions, the oldest of which is the Ombudsman under the Parliament, introduced in 1995. Previously UNDP assisted the Ombudsman’s activities through regular expert consultations and technical aid to enhance the authority and efficiency of the institution.

The current training covered different topics related to international legal obligations of the state-parties under the Convention of the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Convention Against Torture (CAT), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

The participants discussed the legal and ethical origins of the international human rights norms, studied the international standards set in the covenants and conventions, as well as in the jurisprudence of the conventional international human rights mechanisms, like the UN Human Rights Committee or the European Court on Human Rights, and reviewed the implementation of these standards in the domestic legislation and practice. Also, the role of the Ombudsman institution in the implementation of the international human rights standards in practice was discussed and the participants worked out own arrangements to improve Ombudsman’s expert potential, increase efficiency of the institution’s activity and promote the institution’s competences.

This event was part of the training and capacity building activities of the UNDP “Development of Capacities of National Human Rights Institutions” project. The main objective of the project is to strengthen national capacities for promotion and protection of human rights and access to justice in Uzbekistan. The project will develop the capacities of national human rights institutions to effectively fulfill their mandates, support free legal aid and contribute to human rights awareness raising.