OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan

The Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) assists the Government of Uzbekistan with the implementation of its international commitments in democratization and the rule of law. It supports the development of national human rights institutions, anti-trafficking efforts, capacity-building of national institutions and non-governmental organizations and improving legal education.

Capacity building for civil society

The PCUz provides assistance in enhancing the institutional capacities of the National Association of NGOs. In 2009 the PCUz carried out a 5-day training course in "Skills Building Alternative Reporting for CEDAW" for Uzbek NGOs. This aimed to raise awareness on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and build skills in using the Convention as a framework for collating and presenting information and for monitoring its implementation. As a result, the participants were able to build an Action Plan for writing an alternative report to the CEDAW Committee.

Through a number of roundtables in the regions the PCUz has fostered dialogue between state and civil society on women's empowerment in entrepreneurship, legislative improvement in the sphere of protecting women's health, the role of NGOs in realization of national health programmes, and the role of women in public and political life.

Social protection for vulnerable groups

The PCUz continues to raise the professionalism of public institutions and NGOs in resolving social protection issues for vulnerable groups through the development of methodological guidebooks, the production of social campaign videos, and specialized training for social workers covering international standards protecting social rights and human rights aspects of social work. In 2009, the PCUz supported 10 NGO grassroots initiatives from 6 regions to empower vulnerable groups including women with limited or no access to social benefits. These projects provided new ideas for resolving significant social issues for different categories of vulnerable groups including women, men and children with disabilities, women survivors of domestic violence, and unemployed women.

Combating trafficking in human beings

The PCUz assisted Uzbekistan national anti-trafficking actors in addressing current ant-trafficking trends and more efficient institutionalisation of anti-trafficking policies in the country by means of professional development. In co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Italian MFA and French Ministry of Interior the PCUz organized an Anti-trafficking Study Tour to Chisinau (Moldova), Rome (Italy) and Paris (France) for the Uzbek anti-trafficking agencies to learn and apply good practices into the national context. The PCUz also supported the Training Center for Prosecutors within the General Prosecutor's office through provision of learning aids on anti-trafficking standards and technical equipment.

Providing legal aid to the victims of human trafficking

To ensure that the rights and interests of victims of human trafficking are protected and they have access to effective remedies the PCUz initiated the creation of the legal aid unit within the anti-trafficking NGO "Istiqbolli Avlod" and is supporting the work of lawyers who provide legal aid including protection of the victim's rights during the investigation process and court hearings. The PCUz has committed itself to raising the professional capacity of the group of defense lawyers and in co-operation with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) convened a workshop on protecting the rights of trafficked persons.

Supporting the Ombudsman Institution

The PCUz is continuing its efforts to build the capacity of the Ombudsman Institution in Uzbekistan. The implementation of international best practices into the activity of this national human rights institution is being considered as of utmost importance. Towards this end, the PCUz supported participation of the Institution's representatives in IXth International Ombudsman Institution World Conference and celebrations devoted to the 200 anniversary of the Swedish Ombudsmen, in the Study Tour to the Ombudsmen Offices of Bulgaria and Finland, at the International Conference on "Bioethics, Human Rights and New Technologies: Legal and Ethic Aspects of the Reproductive Health and Family Planning" devoted to the National Human Rights Day of Azerbaijan.

Advancing human rights education

In 2009, the PCUz focused its co-operation with the National Human Rights Centre on the further improvement of human rights education in Uzbekistan. All the activities were devoted to the International Year of Human Rights Learning proclaimed by the Resolution of the UN General Assembly # 63/171 of 18 December 2007. In particular, the International Conference on "Contemporary Issues of Human Rights Education" was organized with the participation of foreign experts from Belarus, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The PCUz is also supporting the development and publication of a manual on "Education in the field of human rights: national and foreign experience".

Promoting human rights standards in the police

Since 2008 the PCUz has been helping develop the Department for Human Rights Protection and Legal Provision of the Ministry of Interior. This involves conducting training courses on theory and international standards of human rights, which covers all regions of the country. These courses cover the basic principles of human rights and the international system of human rights protection; the role of law-enforcement agencies in ensuring certain rights; and practical exercises on protecting and restoring human rights and freedoms. Help is also given in publishing literature, posters and leaflets on international standards in the field of human rights and rule of law.

Improving legal education

An important step in promoting rule of law principles is a sustainable system of re-training of lawyers-practitioners, meeting modern requirements. Targeting the personnel of the justice departments, courts, defence lawyers, law teachers, and legal services of the state structures, in 2009 the PCUz launched a joint project with the Law Training Centre under the Ministry of Justice. The project aims to develop the skills of the Centre's teachers and trainees, to render support in establishment of the Human Rights Resource Centre, to develop the skills of the lawyers-practitioners in implementation of the international law norms and documents of the regional international organizations, to facilitate the study of foreign experience in teaching human rights subjects and the activity of international institutions in ensuring and protection of human rights.