Tashkent Hosts International Conference on Human Rights in Digital Era

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Tashkent hosted the international conference "Human Rights in Conditions of Digital Transformation: Modern Approaches," organized by the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights (Ombudsman) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The forum, timed to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence, gathered ombudspersons from more than 25 countries alongside representatives from national human rights institutions, international bodies, parliamentarians, and civil society organizations.

Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis Tanzila Narbaeva opened the conference, emphasizing that while digital transformation provides social and administrative opportunities, it introduces structural challenges for human rights protection. Narbaeva identified key national priorities including securing personal data protection, managing artificial intelligence deployments responsibly, preventing online harassment and discrimination, and ensuring equitable access to digital public services across all demographic groups.

The conference proceeded across three thematic sessions focusing on:

• Protecting the rights of women and youth in digital environments while combating cyberbullying and online violence;
• Enhancing personal data protection frameworks;
• Expanding inclusive digital public services for persons with disabilities.

Participants emphasized the necessity of embedding human rights principles into digital technology design and deployment, while expanding the supervisory role of national human rights institutions.

The conference concluded with the signing of bilateral and multilateral agreements intended to strengthen institutional cooperation. The primary outcome of the forum was the adoption of the Tashkent Declaration, which establishes shared international principles for safeguarding human rights in the digital era, expanding digital inclusion, and improving legal mechanisms for personal data privacy online.