Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Tashkent hosted the first Forum of Ombudsmen of Central Asia dedicated to cooperation in ensuring human rights and freedoms today, Dunyo news agency reported.

The main goal of the Forum was the development of international cooperation of the Ombudsmen of Central Asia in the field of human rights, a regional discussion on topical issues of human rights and the consolidation of efforts and opportunities in this direction.

The forum, along with the Ombudsmen of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, was attended by the chairman and members of the Senate and deputies of the Legislative Chamber, representatives of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the National Center for Human Rights and a number of state bodies, members of the Commission under the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman). Representatives of UNDP, the USAID Mission, UNICEF, the Regional Office of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for Central Asia, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, Regional Program Manager for Penal Reform International (PRI) became international participants in Central Asia, representatives of civil society institutions and the media.

During the three sessions of the forum, an exchange of experience took place on the protection and promotion of women, children, persons with disabilities and the importance of using digital technologies, as well as ensuring the rights of persons held in places of detention.

Within the framework of the forum, bilateral Memorandums were signed between the Ombudsmen of the countries of Central Asia.

As a result of the forum, the Tashkent Declaration of the 1st Forum of Ombudsmen of Central Asian countries was adopted.

It was decided that the Forum will be held annually in the countries of Central Asia.