This event was organized by the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and marks the 15th anniversary of establishment of the Ombudsman Institution in the country.

"The theme of our conference is very topical. A key priority of the OSCE is to support the participating States in building a genuine democratic civil society and legal state based on the principles and rules of law," said Ambassador Istvan Venczel, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

Discussions focused on the international experience of co-operation between national human rights institutions and civil society institutions, interaction of the Ombudsperson with state bodies, non-governmental organizations and media, and instruments to improve the efficiency of co-operation between civil society and national human rights institutions.

"Undoubtedly, the topic of our conference is very important not only for the Republic of Uzbekistan, but for all 'young democracies', and for the international community, since resolving existing problems in each country is not possible outside the context of global developments," said Sayyora Rashidova, the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights (Ombudsperson).

The conference brought together representatives of both Chambers of the Uzbek Parliament, ministries and state structures, law enforcement agencies and judicial bodies as well as legal scholars and representatives of NGOs and media. The Ombudsman of Tajikistan and representatives from the Ombudsman Offices of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Poland, Sweden and Ukraine, as well as from the French Justice Ministry, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and OSCE Central Asian field operations are also taking part.