Uzbekistan meets Swedish and Danish migration officials

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A bilateral meeting was held in Tashkent at the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights with representatives of migration authorities from Sweden and Denmark, focusing on human rights and migration policy.

The meeting brought together Akmal Saidov, Director of the National Center for Human Rights, Emma Simicich, Senior Analyst at the Swedish Migration Agency, and Alex Hemingson, Senior Adviser and Head of the Department for International Relations at the Danish Immigration Service.

The main purpose of the discussions was to explore potential areas of cooperation and exchange information on the situation in Uzbekistan in the context of migration and human rights protection.

During the talks, the Uzbek side presented the key areas of the Center’s work, including legislative, institutional, educational and monitoring activities. Special attention was given to the adoption of the updated Constitution, which expands citizens’ rights and freedoms and enshrines the right to appeal to international human rights bodies.

It was also noted that Uzbekistan has established a multi-level human rights monitoring system covering parliamentary, executive, judicial, public and international mechanisms. In particular, the Uzbek delegation presented its periodic report under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in Geneva on 21–22 April 2026.

The Director of the Center also informed the foreign partners about the Samarkand Human Rights Forum, held regularly since 2018 every two years. The fifth edition of the forum is scheduled for 2026 and will mark the 60th anniversary of key international human rights covenants.

Representatives of the Swedish Migration Agency and the Danish Immigration Service shared information about their countries’ Country of Origin Information (COI) units, noting that they provide analytical support but do not make individual asylum decisions.

The sides also discussed migration policy issues, including reforms in Uzbekistan, civil registration systems, and migration flows. It was noted that Uzbekistan is actively developing cooperation in labour migration with various countries and works with the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides expressed mutual interest in further cooperation, including information exchange, combating human trafficking, and supporting legal labour migration.

The Uzbek side also invited Swedish and Danish representatives to participate in the upcoming Samarkand Human Rights Forum.