Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Today, the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan, together with the Embassy of the United States of America and the Public Foundation for the Support and Development of National Mass Media, celebrated Human Rights Day and held a round table on the state of freedom of speech in the Central Asian region with participation of media lawyers from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

During the event, the European Union-funded Resilience and Engagement with Diverse Information for a Dynamic Environment (REVIVE) project was launched, which aims to strengthen independent voices by providing quality information that enables people across Central Asia to make informed decisions and build an audience that is resilient to propaganda, errors and misinformation.

Every year on 10 December, we celebrate Human Rights Day around the world. This year, more than ever, the European Union is joining forces with partners to celebrate the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to reaffirm its commitment to protecting and respecting human rights around the world.

The participants of the event had the opportunity to discuss the current state of freedom of speech in the countries of Central Asia, exchange views on trends and forecasts, protection of the professional rights of journalists, regulation of the Internet - the work of bloggers, access to the Internet and public information - open and personal data, openness of state bodies.

Achieving human rights, in which the media play an essential role, is not only an imperative of human dignity; it is the cornerstone of democracy, peace and security, and sustainable development. Human Rights Day reminds us that we must defend these values and principles every day of the year.

In her welcoming speech, the Ambassador of the European Union to Uzbekistan Charlotte Adrian emphasized:

“A free, diverse and independent media is essential for the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression and other human rights. The media have an important role to play in building a democratic system. That is why it is a priority for the European Union.”