The Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan has announced the launch of five new projects under the initiative “EU Support to Civil Society Organizations in Uzbekistan”. EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan Toivo Klaar shared the following statement on this:

– In recent years, cooperation between the European Union and Uzbekistan has been growing across all spheres. A clear example of this is the launch of five new EU-funded initiatives to support civil society, with a total budget of approximately three million euros. Civil society organizations play a crucial role in Uzbekistan’s reform process, and the EU views civil society as one of the fundamental pillars of democracy and prosperity.

These projects aim to support civil society, protect human rights, and create new opportunities in digital rights. They are being implemented in cooperation with several international and local organizations, with planned activities across the Republic of Karakalpakstan and Tashkent, Namangan, Samarkand, Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, and other regions.

In particular, the project “Strengthened Civil Society in Advancing Women’s Rights and Empowerment in Uzbekistan” is being implemented by the international organization ACTED in partnership with the Social Protection and Education Center “Oq Yelkan” (“White Sail”), the “Yuksalish” Information and Consulting Resource Centre in Kashkadarya region, and the NGO Center NIHOL.

Additionally, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), in collaboration with the Development Strategy Center, will launch a project focused on strengthening human rights and legal education. The project “Human Rights in Action: Championing Change with Youth and CSOs” is being implemented by Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband e.V. (DVV) and the “Barqaror Hayot” International Social Educational Center.

The project “Uzbekistan Digital Rights Media Initiative (UDRMI)” will be implemented in collaboration with the Modern Journalism Development Centre (MJDC) and the Legal Policy Research Centre (Kazakhstan). In addition, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), together with the “Yuksalish” Movement, will launch the project “Empowering Civil Society for Inclusive Community Development in Uzbekistan”.

These projects represent important steps toward the development of civil society in Uzbekistan, the protection of human rights, and the strengthening of legal frameworks in the digital sphere. We are always ready to support civil society organizations in Uzbekistan.

Interviewed by Nasiba Ziyodullayeva, UzA