OSCE - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

06/10/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/10/2021 08:01

OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan co-hosts a training course on election observation

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, together with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), organized an election observation training course for persons with disabilities on 9 and 10 June 2021.

The training course aimed to build capacity of disabled people's organizations (DPOs) for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD was recently ratified by Uzbekistan on 7 June 2021.

Among the 20 participants were leaders of local DPOs, members of the Association of Disabled People of Uzbekistan and representatives of the Central Election Commission. Experts from the United States of America and Ukraine shared practical examples and tools of election observation for persons with disabilities.

Mathieu Lemoine, Acting Head of Mission at the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, congratulated the participants on the recent ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and highlighted the importance of a collaborative relationship between civil society and government agencies in its implementation.

The Project Co-Ordinator in Uzbekistan organized the training course in the framework of its Project on the support to the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. The event was part of the preparation for the upcoming October 2021 presidential election.