The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), in partnership with the “Yuksalish” Movement and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Regional Office for Central Asia (OHCHR ROCA), has successfully concluded the EQUAL project, a significant initiative aimed at strengthening the protection and enforcement of economic, social, and cultural (ESC) rights in Uzbekistan.
Initiated in 2021, the project has been instrumental in empowering civil society to address human rights violations, particularly those affecting vulnerable and marginalized populations.
Throughout the project, ICJ and its partners focused on enhancing the capacity of civil society actors, enabling them to effectively use international legal mechanisms to safeguard human rights. This initiative has been crucial in advancing legal reforms that are essential to ensuring justice for victims of human rights violations and making international remedies more accessible. The Concluding Event, held in Tashkent, highlighted these achievements, emphasizing the project’s role in embedding international human rights standards within Uzbekistan’s national legal system.
Discussions at the event addressed the ongoing challenges in ensuring that Uzbekistan’s justice system meets its international human rights obligations. The project’s contributions, such as advancing the criminalization of domestic violence and strengthening protections for freedom of expression, were acknowledged as important steps toward ensuring the rights of all individuals, particularly those most at risk of abuse. These efforts are essential in creating a legal environment where victims can seek and obtain justice, and where human rights are rigorously upheld.
The EQUAL project was funded by the European Union through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) and implemented by the ICJ in partnership with the Yuksalish Movement.
Attachment: Press Release_Final event_ENG