OSCE organizes human rights training for lawyers in Samarkand

Participants in the training "International Mechanisms for the Protection of Human Rights in the UN System", 4 to 9 May, Samarkand. (OSCE/Aziza Shomirzaeva) Photo details

Currently, judicial and legal reforms are one of the top priorities for the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and there is no doubt that lawyers play a crucial role in these processes.

This is why the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan - together with the Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Uzbekistan and experts from the Centre de la Protection Internationale (Centre of International Protection) - organized the training titled "International Mechanisms for the Protection of Human Rights in the UN System", held from 4 to 9 May in Samarkand. The event aimed to further develop the capacity of lawyers to protect and defend and human rights.

Overall, 36 participants (22 women and 14 men) took part in the training and focused on important topics including the role of the United Nations (UN) in the protection and the promotion of human rights, the procedure before the UN Human Rights Committee, the right to life and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as the right to a fair trial.

Ms. Nadia Yakhlaf-Lallemand, Head of the Human Dimension at the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, noted how the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan 2022-2026 reflects the Government's priorities to develop legislation expanding the powers of lawyers to provide effective legal aid, increase their participation in pre-trial and conciliation procedures, and ensure accessibility of legal aid to the population.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator will continue to support judicial and legal reforms taking place in the host country in line the aforementioned Development Strategy, particularly by contributing to the institutional and professional development of the Chamber of Advocates and its members.