Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 10 June 2020, the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis hosted an international parliamentary forum in the form of a video conference on the theme “The role of parliaments in implementing the recommendations of the UN charter and treaty bodies: the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Committee on human rights.”

The event for the first time in the history of Uzbek parliamentarism was organized by the Legislative Chamber and Senate of the Oliy Majlis together with the international organization of world parliamentarians - the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Permanent Mission in the Republic of Uzbekistan and the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

It was attended by IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Gianni Magazenni, heads of the chambers of the Parliament of Uzbekistan, representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, ODIHR / OSCE and other international organizations and foreign experts, deputies of the Legislative Chamber and members of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis.

This event was held ahead of the International Day of Parliamentarism.

National parliaments play a key role in international relations, ensuring well-being, protecting human rights and freedoms, strengthening the rule of law at both the national and international levels.

The event became an online platform for constructive dialogue among parliamentarians. It heard reports of the IPU, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Parliament of Uzbekistan.

Some work is carried out in this direction by the Senate of the Oliy Majlis. As the Chairman of the upper house of parliament Tanzila Narbaeva noted, in accordance with the recommendations of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a parliamentary commission on SDGs was created in the structure of the Oliy Majlis.

Also, as part of the Universal Periodic Review, the Commission on Gender Equality began its work, the Committee on Gender Equality was formed in the Senate, as well as the National Commission against Trafficking in Human Beings and Forced Labor. In addition, the reports of the Oliy Majlis Commissioner for Human Rights, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are heard annually.

Along with this, training of senators and deputies of local Kengashes on human rights issues is periodically organized.

Speaking at the event, the Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, Nurdinjon Ismailov, noted that the country is improving its legislative base, Uzbekistan has accumulated national parliamentary traditions, and uses international and best foreign experience. This serves to strengthen the legal foundation of the state, improve the quality of lawmaking, strengthen parliamentary control, and improve the lives of citizens.

It was noted that the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis is actively promoting the issue of ensuring human rights. This work is carried out by fulfilling international obligations and implementing them into national legislation, monitoring the effectiveness of adopted laws, parliamentary oversight of the activities of executive authorities, adopting “road maps” for implementing the recommendations of the UN charter and treaty bodies and other areas.

The Parliament of Uzbekistan is a full member of the international parliamentary community and takes an active part in the activities of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and other international forums of parliamentarians, said First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis Akmal Saidov. Uzbekistan supports the initiative of the IPU and OHCHR in adopting the “Principles of Parliament and Human Rights” to include provisions on the role of national parliaments and the IPU in modern international relations in the Declaration on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.

Summing up, the participants noted that the Parliamentary Forum will continue the constructive dialogue of parliamentarians, will open up new opportunities for the development of inter-parliamentary dialogue on human rights, sustainable development and cooperation.