Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, has arrived in Uzbekistan to observe the elections for the first time.

On December 20, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, arrived in Uzbekistan to observe the elections for the first time.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), established in 1990, provides support, assistance and expertise to participating States and civil society to promote democracy, rule of law, human rights and tolerance and non-discrimination. ODIHR observes elections, reviews legislation and advises governments on how to develop and sustain democratic institutions. The Office conducts training programmes for government and law-enforcement officials and non-governmental organizations on how to uphold, promote and monitor human rights.

Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir (Iceland) began her tenure as Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on 19 July 2017.

Gísladóttir has 35 years of leadership experience working on human rights, democratic governance and the rule of law at the international, national and local levels. Before taking up the position of ODIHR Director, she served from 2014 to 2017 as Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia at UN Women and Country Representative to Turkey, while from 2011 to 2014 she was Country Representative of UN Women to Afghanistan. From 2007 to 2009, Gísladóttir served as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland.

Over the past three years, cooperation between Uzbekistan and the OSCE/ODIHR has reached a qualitatively new level. In 2018, ODIHR Director Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir visited Uzbekistan to attend the first Asian Human Rights Forum.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the OSCE/ODIHR was signed aimed at developing mutually beneficial cooperation in improving legislation in accordance with international standards and best practices.

The fruitful interaction with the Bureau was manifested during the adoption of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the draft of which was submitted for examination and improved in accordance with the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR.

On December 23, a press conference of the OSCE/ODIHR Mission will be held, at which preliminary conclusions on the results of voting will be announced.