Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Uzbekistan is taking effective steps towards fulfilling its international human rights obligations, focusing on the elimination of child and forced labor, protecting the rights of children and women, and combating torture. This is confirmed by the assessment expressed during the consideration of the 4th national report of Uzbekistan at the 44th session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the UN Human Rights Council.

The delegation of Uzbekistan, headed by the First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and Director of the National Center for Human Rights Akmal Saidov, took part in the consideration of the report in Geneva from 8 to 10 November.

As part of this review by the UPR Working Group, the country is demonstrating progress and implementation of previous recommendations, which received a positive response from the 84 country delegations that spoke on the issue. Constitutional reforms aimed at ensuring fundamental human rights and freedoms are assessed.

Other key points were development strategies such as the New Uzbekistan Development Strategy and the Uzbekistan 2030 Strategy, which were recognized for their assistance in promoting and protecting human rights. Cooperation between Uzbekistan and UN human rights structures is also considered important.

The discussed report also notes Uzbekistan’s achievements in eradicating child and forced labor, including in the cotton industry, as well as in the fight against human trafficking. The session participants emphasized the importance of Uzbekistan’s steps in the field of education, preventing violence against women, freedom of speech and media, combating corruption and torture.

The session participants welcomed the attention of the Government of Uzbekistan to the issues of ensuring rights and expanding opportunities for people with disabilities and the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In general, most countries expressed support for democratic reforms in Uzbekistan and recommended that the country continue its efforts to achieve sustainable development, strengthen social policy and develop the institutional foundations of human rights and freedoms. During the discussion, recommendations were made from individual countries on Uzbekistan’s accession to a number of international treaties.