News and press releases

As part of ongoing efforts by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to strengthen democratic institutions and respect for human rights in the OSCE region, ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci visited Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia on 7-17 November 2023. This began

On 23 October, in Tashkent, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) – together with the National Human Rights Centre, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and its Regional Office for Central Asia, the United Nations Development Programme in Uzbekistan and the Office in Uzbekistan of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation – organized an International Forum titled: "Youth Rights: Possibilities and Mechanisms of Protection". The Forum commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights.

From 26 to 30 August, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan – jointly with UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Development Programme within the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – organised the second phase of a series of capacity-building training courses for representatives of disability-focused NGOs who aspire to participate in Uzbekistan’s 2024 parliamentary elections. The objective of this second phase was to complement negotiation techniques, focus of last July’s training, with public speaking skills.

ASTANA, 11 August 2023 — The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani concluded his visit to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The trip focused on strengthening regional co-operation and the OSCE’s engagement in addressing the broad range of security challenges the region is facing.

From 18 to 21 July 2023, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), in close collaboration with the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – Regional Office for Central Asia (UN OHCHR ROCA) held a specialized training course titled “Professional Development of State Agencies for the Preparation of the Sixth Periodic Report Of Uzbekistan on the Implementation of the [United Nations] Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” in the Tashkent region.

On 10 July, in Tashkent, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), together with the Public Fund to Support and Develop National Media in Uzbekistan and the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), held a roundtable discussion on the Freedom of Media in Digital Age.

From 5 to 7 July, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan in collaboration with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Association of Disabled People of Uzbekistan organized a training course on enhancing negotiation skills. This marks the first phase of a series of capacity-building training courses for representatives of disability-focused NGOs who aspire to participate in Uzbekistan’s 2024 parliamentary elections.