Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The final document of the Fifth Samarkand Forum on Human Rights, held in Uzbekistan on 28–29 September 2026, has been adopted as an official document of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly under reference A/81/444.
Titled “Samarkand Vision 2040: Global Cooperation for Human Dignity, Equality and Sustainable Development,” the document has been published in all six official UN languages.
It consists of a preamble, six sections and 24 paragraphs, accompanied by a roadmap for implementation.
The preamble highlights several significant anniversaries: the 60th anniversary of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development; and the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The document also refers to the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2024 Pact for the Future.
It sets out six guiding principles and calls for action in nine priority areas: implementation of international treaties at the national level; the right to development and social justice; building inclusive societies; demographic change and intergenerational solidarity; women's rights and climate justice; the digital environment and artificial intelligence; environmental protection and climate change; prevention of statelessness; and peace, security and international humanitarian law.
Forum participants called for a significant reduction in statelessness by 2040 and urged greater attention to the environmental and social consequences of the Aral Sea crisis.
They also welcomed the development of the first Regional Action Plan for Central Asia to implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Other initiatives highlighted included Uzbekistan's decision to assume the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement in 2027–2029 and the country's hosting of the 16th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in 2031.
Participants also supported the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' initiative to establish a Global Alliance for Human Rights.
They proposed turning the Samarkand Forum into a permanent platform for international dialogue and creating a Samarkand Digital Cooperation Platform to support implementation of the two International Covenants.
The accompanying roadmap outlines eight measures and is indicative and voluntary in nature.
In 2027, a system of indicators for the priority areas is to be developed, alongside consultations on the concept of the digital platform. Between 2027 and 2030, the document's provisions are to be incorporated into national strategies and action programmes.
The roadmap also envisages a first voluntary progress review in 2028 and an assessment in 2030 of the document's links with the Sustainable Development Goals.
A commemorative review is scheduled for 2036, marking the 70th anniversary of the two International Covenants, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development and the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. A final voluntary review is planned for 2040.
Uzbekistan's National Centre for Human Rights has been designated as the implementing body for several of the roadmap's measures.
