Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 14 October 2021, the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights, together with the UN Country Team and the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, held nationwide consultations on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the country.

The event was attended by members of the chambers of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, representatives of ministries and departments, interested government agencies, representatives of international organizations and the diplomatic corps, as well as civil society institutions and the media.

The main goal of the national consultations is to discuss the draft National Action Plan for the implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Uzbekistan and receive proposals and recommendations for further improvement of the project.

Director of the National Center for Human Rights Akmal Saidov, UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan Munir Mammadzadeh, OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan Pierre von Arks spoke at the national consultations.

At the event, it was noted that Uzbekistan ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 7 June 2021. The Republic of Uzbekistan used a unique experience in the process of ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which provides for the incorporation of international standards into national legislation, and then the ratification of an international document.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international legal document that establishes legal guarantees of equality and the rights of persons with disabilities, in particular women and children, to education, health, employment and adequate living conditions for themselves and their families.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 December 2006 and entered into force on 3 May 2008. As of February 2021, 182 out of 192 UN member states have ratified this international document.

In Uzbekistan, social protection of the poor, people with disabilities, youth, women and the elderly is a priority of the state policy in the field of human rights and freedoms.

As part of the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Republic of Uzbekistan, the process of developing a draft National Action Plan has begun, for which a working group has been formed, consisting of experts from relevant ministries and departments.

Based on the proposals of the members of the working group, the National Center for Human Rights, together with 20 ministries and departments, as well as over 10 non-governmental organizations, developed a draft National Action Plan.

The draft National Action Plan was also sent for international expertise to international organizations, including the Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for Central Asia, UNDP offices in Uzbekistan, UNICEF in Uzbekistan, the Office of the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan.

During the national consultations, the participants noted that the implementation of the provisions of the Convention will contribute to improving legislative and law enforcement practice in accordance with international standards, as well as further improving the international image of Uzbekistan. Implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will increase the possibility of introducing modern methods and international standards in the field of protecting the rights of people with disabilities, based on the principle of “Leave no one behind” of the Sustainable Development Goals.

After all, one of the most important tasks today is to support the population in need of social protection, primarily the creation of conditions for a full life for people with disabilities.