Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – 30 June 2018 is the International Day of Parliamentarism, which aims to emphasize the importance of the parliamentary system and the role of parliaments in improving the lives of people around the world.

This International Day was proclaimed in 2018 by a resolution of the UN General Assembly in honor of the anniversary of the founding of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. It was on this day in 1889 in Paris that the first international conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union was opened. Today, 178 states and 12 associate members are members of the largest association of parliamentarians.

Nowadays, the importance of the institution of parliament in ensuring the rights and freedoms of man and citizen is constantly growing. Parliaments are called upon to organize the functioning of a system of protection and restoration of violated rights, to ensure the fulfillment of international obligations of states in the field of human rights.

Today, the parliament of Uzbekistan is quite actively promoting the issue of ensuring human rights. Work on bills is carried out with mandatory consideration of the fulfillment of Uzbekistan’s international obligations in the field of human rights, the effectiveness of the adopted laws governing human rights is monitored and their implementation is monitored, parliamentary control over the work of executive authorities in fulfilling human rights obligations is carried out.

The parliament also holds consultations with national human rights institutions and representatives of civil society on human rights issues, while preparing national reports on the implementation of international human rights obligations, parliamentarians participate in national consultations, and other work is being done in this direction.

In 2018, the Parliamentary Report on Human Rights was first presented. In May 2020, the lower house of Parliament heard information on the implementation of international human rights obligations, adopted the National Action Plan to implement the recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council.

To date, the Parliament of Uzbekistan has approved and is implementing 5 Road Maps for the implementation of international human rights obligations. In May of this year an online parliamentary hearing was held on the implementation of the Roadmap for implementing the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shahid, with his participation.

This activity of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan was highly appreciated by the leadership of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. An article posted on the IPU official website states: “IPU welcomes the latest measures of the Uzbek parliament to introduce international human rights standards at the national level.”

On 10 June, the Parliament of Uzbekistan held the first joint parliamentary forum in the form of a video conference with the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the theme “The role of parliaments in implementing the recommendations of the UN charter and treaty bodies: the example of the UN Human Rights Council and the Human Rights Committee”.

An important event for the national system for protecting human rights was the adoption of the resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan from 22 June 2020 No. UP-6012 “On approval of the National Strategy of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Human Rights”. In accordance with the resolution, a Parliamentary Commission on the observance of international human rights obligations will be formed, as well as a quarterly hearing of information from the heads of ministries and departments on the implementation of the National Human Rights Strategy and the Road Map to it.