Institutional mechanisms to protect women’s rights are being strengthened

A meeting took place in Tashkent between Akmal Saidov, Director of the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Nahla Haidar, Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The progress of Uzbekistan’s implementation of its international obligations to eliminate discrimination against women, interaction with the committee, and issues related to preparations for the next CEDAW session were discussed.

Mr. Saidov provided a detailed overview of the center’s activities and the process of Uzbekistan’s implementation of its international human rights obligations. Special attention was paid to implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and to the gender equality reforms adopted under the new Constitution.

At the same time, the Head of CEDAW was informed of Uzbekistan’s preparation of a National Action Plan to implement international treaty obligations in the field of human rights and of the center’s relations with UN mechanisms.

It was noted that Uzbekistan consistently strengthens institutional mechanisms to protect women’s rights.

N. Haidar stressed the importance of active cooperation between the participating states and the committee and highly appreciated the country’s efforts in this direction. She spoke about the current work of CEDAW, including the simplified reporting procedure, which aims to reduce the burden on participating states. The Chair of the UN Committee also raised issues related to the consideration of individual complaints and the activities of its working groups.

The committee’s general recommendations, including those on the equal participation of women in decision-making at all levels (General Recommendation No. 40), were also discussed. The urgency of developing new recommendations on climate change, digitalization, migration, and human trafficking, taking into account their impact on women’s rights, was noted. The importance of providing resources to the treaty bodies and of their interaction with the High Commissioner for Human Rights was also mentioned.

Mr. Saidov invited the Chair of CEDAW and members of the committee’s bureau to participate in the Fifth Samarkand Forum on Human Rights, to be held at the end of September this year, and will be dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights.

Following the meeting, the parties confirmed their mutual interest in developing a constructive dialogue between Uzbekistan and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The next Session of CEDAW, which is scheduled to consider Uzbekistan’s report, is set for 2027.

Nazokat Usmanova, UzA