Some 800 representatives responsible for increasing the role of young people and women in the socio-political development of civil society organizations from across Uzbekistan will take part in the two-day courses, to be held in Urgench, Samarkand, Karshi, Namangan, Tashkent and Andijan from May to September.

As a result of these regional training courses, 160 civil society representatives will be selected to take part in a six-day in-depth training course in Tashkent.

"Civil society organizations play an important role in a modern society and they should have sufficient human capacity to be prepared for such interaction. These training courses will help to enhance the capacity of civil society to better reflect the interests of various strata of Uzbek society," said Ambassador Istvan Venczel, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

Course participants will learn about methods to increase the effectiveness of civil society organizations and the legal framework regulating their operation, the structure of the state authorities and their functions and possibilities for interaction. They will also examine political institutions’ work with young people and women and take part in practical exercises on elaborating short-term and long-term strategic plans, defining priorities, using team work and effectively managing human and financial resources.

These training courses form part of a project to assist the capacity building of civil society organizations of Uzbekistan.