Tashkent Hosts Meeting of the National Consultative Council of the PRR Program

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 10 February, the first meeting of the National Consultative Council of the Prosecution, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (PRR) project was held in Tashkent.

The event was organized by the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS) with the support of the Delegation of the European Union, the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ), and the International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism Hedayah.

The meeting brought together heads of relevant ministries and agencies, representatives of international organizations, the expert community, and civil society institutions. The main objective was to coordinate efforts and develop a common approach within the framework of the three-year PRR program, funded by the European Union and aimed at improving the national system for working with repatriated individuals, as well as strengthening mechanisms for their rehabilitation and reintegration.

The project combines the expertise of three international institutions established under the auspices of the Global Counterterrorism Forum. GCERF is responsible for engaging civil society through grant support for local NGOs, Hedayah oversees strategic communications and educational initiatives, while IIJ facilitates the development of legal mechanisms and institutional practices related to work with returnees. This format of cooperation makes it possible to scale up Uzbekistan’s experience at the international level and integrate advanced legal, social, and communication standards.

Deputy Director of ISRS Bakhtiyor Mustafayev emphasized that international support for the project is recognition of the results achieved by Uzbekistan. According to him, the country has demonstrated in practice that repatriation is not a threat, but an investment in sustainability and security, based on a combination of a humanitarian approach and long-term stability objectives.

In turn, Program Manager at the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan Yana Kurpitsa noted that the PRR project is intended to strengthen national programs for the rehabilitation and reintegration of repatriates, as well as to contribute to enhancing the country’s institutional capacity.