The International Commission of Jurists today opened its Winter School on international human rights law in Tashkent, organized in cooperation with the Development Strategy Centre and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for Central Asia (ROCA).
The Winter School, taking place from 15 to 19 December 2025, brings together judges, lawyers, civil society actors, members of national human rights institutions and academics from across Uzbekistan. It focuses on the application of international human rights law and standards in national practice, with particular attention to the role and work of the United Nations Treaty Bodies.
The programme places emphasis on universal human rights treaties, the interpretation of treaty provisions by UN Treaty Bodies, and the use of their jurisprudence and Concluding Observations by national actors.
Sessions are delivered by ICJ experts as well as current and former members of United Nations Treaty Bodies, including the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, allowing for direct engagement with practitioners involved in the international supervision of States’ human rights obligations.
Throughout the week, participants examine a broad range of civil and political rights, including judicial independence, fair trial guarantees, non-discrimination and the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment, as well as economic, social and cultural rights such as the rights to education, health and adequate housing. Particular attention is given to the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities.
The programme concludes on 19 December with a moot court exercise designed to strengthen participants’ ability to identify relevant international standards and apply them in simulated judicial proceedings at the national level.
Background
The Winter School is organised under the EU-funded Strengthening Human Rights Implementation, Education and Legal Development (SHIELD) project, implemented by the ICJ in partnership with the Strategy Development Centre.
Contact
Sitora Rakhimova, Legal Consultant, International Commission of Jurists: sitora.raximova@icj.org
