Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — A high-level session of the Fifth Samarkand Human Rights Forum was held in Tashkent following the official opening ceremony, focusing on current issues facing the international human rights protection system.
The forum’s theme is “60th Anniversary of the International Covenants on Human Rights and 40th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development: Global Partnership for Human Dignity, Equality and Sustainable Development.”
The session brought together senior officials and leading experts from the United Nations and its bodies, as well as representatives of international and regional organizations, including the OSCE, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Commonwealth of Independent States and Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States.
Key speakers included Chanrok Soh, Chair of the UN Human Rights Committee; Lin Zhang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia; Yevgenia Paramonova, Chair of the CIS Commission on Human Rights; and Kadir Yaman, Secretary of the TURKPA Commission on Education, Culture, Social and Humanitarian Affairs.
Christoph Kamp, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, and Klaus Beck, UNFPA Deputy Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, participated in the session online.
Participants also watched video addresses from Elina Steinerte, Vice-Chair of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture on national preventive mechanisms; Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; Nurlan Yermekbayev, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation; and Nick Hartmann, Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS.
Statements were also delivered by Hadi bin Ali Al-Yami, Executive Director of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and Sergey Lebedev, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
International human rights protection system
During the session, participants reviewed the results and key trends in the development of the international human rights protection system over six decades and discussed existing challenges and prospects for further strengthening it.
Particular attention was paid to the principles of universality, indivisibility, interrelatedness and interdependence of all human rights amid contemporary global challenges.
A separate discussion focused on the future of the international human rights architecture, implementation of the provisions of the International Covenants 60 years after their adoption, and further strengthening of mechanisms for international cooperation.
Participants emphasized the importance of the right to development as a universal human right and a key condition for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, reducing global inequality and ensuring decent living conditions.
Global solidarity in the face of new challenges
The discussions also addressed international solidarity and cooperation amid rapid digital transformation, climate change, armed conflicts and humanitarian crises.
Participants noted that an effective response to contemporary challenges requires coordinated international action and adherence to fundamental principles of international law.
Particular attention was given to the humanitarian dimension of armed conflicts, protection of human dignity and the need to preserve humanity amid wars and crises.
The Fifth Samarkand Human Rights Forum provided a platform for discussing the further development of the international human rights protection system and strengthening global partnership in the interests of human dignity, equality and sustainable development.
The forum was organized by the National Human Rights Centre of Uzbekistan jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the OSCE, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Centre for Development and Justice.
