From quality education in the field of human rights to raising the culture of human rights

On February 7 this year, the decree of our President Shavkat Mirziyoyev "on approval of the national program of education in the field of human rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan"was adopted. In accordance with the decision, two important documents were approved – the national program of education in the field of human rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan and the "road map" for the implementation of this program.
The director of the National Center for human rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan has been appointed as responsible and personal responsibility for the effective organization of the implementation of this decision. Director of the center Akmal Saidov on the content and significance of the decision.
- Education in the field of human rights is very important to ensure full – fledged participation of people in all processes of decision-making on the personal, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental fronts, as well as in the Prevention of offenses, violence and conflicts, - said A.Saidov. – In this sense, the next new decision of the president of Uzbekistan on the development of this sphere is of great importance, adopted for the first time in the history of mankind during the entire world-wide campaign, which began on December 10, 2022 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the authoritative international legal document – the Universal Declaration
The decision is aimed at achieving the following three main goals:
first main goal: further improvement of education in the field of human rights in Uzbekistan;
the second main goal: ensuring the implementation of the national strategy of the Republic of Uzbekistan on human rights;
the third main goal: consists in the effective and timely implementation of the tasks set at the fourth stage of the world educational program in the field of human rights.
It is known that the UN Declaration on education and training in the field of human rights, adopted on December 19, 2011, imposes certain responsibilities on UN member states regarding the provision and promotion of education and training in the field of human rights. So far, about 60 countries, including Finland, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, Azerbaijan, have adopted their national programs on the recommendations provided for in this declaration.
Now Uzbekistan has taken a worthy place in their ranks.
– If you give information about the history and current state of attention to education in the field of human rights in Uzbekistan.
– Speaking about the state and prospects for the development of education in the field of human rights in our country, it should be noted that important and consistent steps have been taken in the same area in the following years at the initiative of the head of state. In 2019 alone, two documents were signed, which became of great importance in the same direction.
The first document is the decree of the president of Uzbekistan adopted on January 9, 2019 "on the radical improvement of the system of raising legal consciousness and legal culture in society." By this decree, the concept of raising the legal culture in society was approved. The concept outlined directions for strengthening the rule of law in our country by raising the legal culture of the population.
The second document is the program of National actions for the implementation of the provisions of the UN Declaration on education and upbringing in the field of human rights adopted by the councils of the legislative chamber and Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan on July 15, 2019. A "roadmap" was also approved on the implementation of the National Action Program.
The "roadmap" on the program of National actions adopted within the framework of our parliament and its implementation was primarily aimed at implementing the provisions of the UN Declaration on education and training in the field of human rights. At the same time, the goal of raising the culture of human rights was envisaged.
Today, at the meetings of the parliamentary commission on compliance with the international obligations of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of human rights of the Oliy Majlis, information is regularly heard on the program of National actions for the implementation of the provisions of the UN Declaration on education and upbringing in the field of human rights and its "roadmap" execution.
The "road map" consists of 6 directions and includes the tasks set out in 24 points. Over the past period, within the framework of the implementation of this document, including state bodies, civil society institutions, the media, educational institutions were widely involved in the popularization of universal values among the population, the principles of respect and observance of human rights, as well as in the process of ensuring the use of legal information by citizens.
If you also touch on the topic of ensuring the implementation of the second main goal envisaged by the presidential decree, that is, the national strategy of the Republic of Uzbekistan on human rights.
– The national strategy of the Republic of Uzbekistan on human rights and its "road map" was approved by the decree of our president on June 22, 2020. The adoption of a long-term strategy in the field of human rights undoubtedly contributes to the effective implementation of state policy in this area, the formation of respect for Human Rights and freedoms, the further strengthening of the country's reputation in the international arena, including the improvement of the position of Uzbekistan in the international economic and political-legal rating and indexes.
Also, in accordance with the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers "on measures to further increase the legal literacy of employees of state organizations"adopted on March 13, 2020, the regulation on the procedure for increasing and assessing the level of legal literacy of employees of state organizations was adopted. In accordance with the charter, the materials of the training program on the legal literacy of employees of state organizations are independently mastered through an electronic platform, and every three years the level of their legal literacy is assessed.
Of great importance in this regard was the approval of the program of measures to raise the legal culture in society in 2022-2023 by the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of May 16, 2020.
Most importantly, according to the decree of the president "on additional measures to radically improve legal education and science in the Republic of Uzbekistan"adopted on April 29, 2020, measures are being implemented to ensure independent activity of the Tashkent State Law University, as well as to establish law faculties in the state and Law Institute, Namangan, Samarkand and Termez state universities in the
In this, the special rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on the independence of judges and lawyers D.Based on the recommendations of Garcia-Sayan, much attention is paid to the ever-expanding scale of training legal personnel.
In this regard, I believe that the decision of our president is an important guideline for accelerating the implementation of all measures within the framework of the National Strategy and bringing it to an effective end.
What training courses were organized by the National Center for human rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of education in the field of human rights?
– It is advisable to dwell on the implementation of the decision of the Cabinet of ministers "on the organization of training courses for the development of personnel skills in the field of human rights compliance and its protection under the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights"adopted on August 12, 2019. Because it was on this decision that "training courses for personnel development in the field of compliance with human rights and its protection" were organized under the National Center for employees of state bodies and civil society institutions.
In particular, a special training module "human dignity-highest value" has been developed to improve the qualifications of the personnel of the head of the judicial and law enforcement bodies in the field of human rights. On the basis of this module, in November 2020 – January 2021, 40 webinars were organized and more than 400 senior employees were trained. 9 international-class specialists were involved in webinars.
In order to ensure the implementation of the decree of the president of Uzbekistan "on additional measures to identify cases of torture and improve the system of their prevention"in November-December 2021, training courses were organized on the topic "fight against torture: international practice and national experience" in cooperation with the National Center, the Ministry of internal affairs and the prosecutor general's office. This training was attended by employees of bodies and penitentiaries carrying out 1 thousand 200 Operational-Search, Investigation, inquiry, preliminary investigation activities from the Republic of Karakalpakstan, regions and Tashkent City.
These training courses were organized in may 2022 for prosecutors from the Republic of Karakalpakstan, regions and the city of Tashkent, the Department of control over investigative networks, the Department for the investigation of serious crimes. It also listened to the reports of experts from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Central Asia and the Department for narcotics and crime.
What is the state of scientific activity in the National Center in the field of education in the field of human rights?
- On December 9, 2021, a consortium of higher educational institutions under the International Master's program in the field of human rights was established, which united the National Center, the Academy of the prosecutor general's office, the University of world economy and diplomacy, The Tashkent State Law University. At the Academy of the prosecutor general's office, the magistracy "international law on Human Rights" was opened.
By the decision of the Higher Attestation Commission, the specialty 12.00.13 – "human rights"(law and sociology in jurisprudence) was introduced into the "list of scientific and scientific pedagogical personnel of the highest category". The Scientific Council, which provides the degrees of Doctor of science (DSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), operates at the National Center.
What other practical work has been done by the National Center on the development of education in the field of human rights?
-Through the efforts of the National Center, an international conference on "education in the field of human rights: international experience and national practice" was organized on December 10-11, 2021 in a hybrid format. This international conference is dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the International Human Rights Day and the UN Declaration on education and training in the field of human rights.
 Also, the manuals" human rights: for members of Parliament"," goals of Parliament and sustainable development " were published in Uzbek and presented to deputies and members of the Senate of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis. For the first time in mamlaktiz, the official text of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the law "on the rights of persons with disabilities"was published in Braille.
Over the past year, the Center has published more than 40 practical manuals, reviews and methodological literature on the issues of compliance with international human rights obligations. These books were distributed to more than 80 state bodies and organizations, non-profit organizations.
Today, the National Center is preparing to launch an electronic platform with the aim of introducing electronic courses in the field of human rights. The electronic platform will host materials on education in the field of human rights.
Since 2020, competitions on the topic "education and research in the field of human rights" have been held. In accordance with the decision of the president, from June 1, 2023, every year we also hold the national competition "education and innovation in the field of human rights and freedoms".
In his report on the activities of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2021, he positively assessed his cooperation with Uzbekistan on the implementation of recommendations of mechanisms protecting international law and the training of employees of state bodies and civil society institutions.
The report notes a number of information about the activities carried out in cooperation with the Department of the UN High Commissioner for human rights of Uzbekistan. Including:
about 200 law enforcement officers take Online Courses on the implementation of Uzbekistan's international obligations to ensure human rights and prevent torture;
22 representatives of National Institutes of human rights and civil society institutions in training on international practices and standards for monitoring and reporting in institutions with limited freedom of movement;
50 representatives of non-profit organizations in webinars and trainings dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights, women's rights, the development of social partnership, the development of knowledge on international mechanisms in the field of human rights;
50 of the representatives of persons with disabilities, organizations protecting their rights and interests, relevant state bodies and UN agencies took part in trainings within the framework of the Joint Program on the rights of persons with disabilities.
– In the first paragraph of the presidential decree, it was noted that the Global Forum "human rights education" was held in Samarkand. If you dwell on this in short.
-The initiative to hold this Global Forum was put forward by the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly and the 46th session of the council on human rights. On this basis, on December 5-6 last year, the Global Forum "Education in the field of human rights" was organized in Samarkand to discuss the development of human rights education.
The Global Forum summarizes the UN Declaration on education and training in the field of human rights and the intermediate results of the implementation of the UN World educational program on human rights. The presentation of advanced experience, practice and innovative approaches in this area was organized. Opinions were exchanged and recommendations were developed on improving the system of education and training in the field of human rights at the international, regional and national levels.
The Global Forum was attended by more than 120 international experts and representatives of more than 2 thousand national organizations. Also at the exhibition of literature on human rights education, more than a thousand books and scientific journals with about 250 titles dedicated to human rights education were presented.
Leading professors and teachers of various universities of the world organized "master classes on the rights of Iinson" for educators, students of higher educational institutions in all regions of the country, employees of state bodies, representatives of non - profit organizations, a total of more than 7 thousand listeners.
Important work was carried out to inform the population and the international community about the new Uzbek policy in the field of human rights protection. More than 300 information and information and analytical materials were posted on the national and world information fields. The number of views of Global forum materials on the Internet and social networks exceeded 250 thousand.
The Global Forum highly appreciated the policy and initiatives of Uzbekistan to ensure human dignity, rights, freedoms and legitimate interests, the work carried out in the new Uzbekistan in the subsequent years on the protection of human rights, the development of education in the field of human rights, the formation of a culture of human rights in society.
The final document of the Global Forum – the Samarkand action plan for the development of education in the field of human rights in Central Asia was adopted.
– At the beginning of our conversation, you noted that continuing the fourth stage of the world educational program in the field of human rights in the presidential decree was defined as one of the main goals. What has been done about this?
– It is important to pay attention to the fact that the world educational program consists of a series of successive stages aimed at specific sectors and problems of national efforts in education in the field of human rights. In particular:
first phase – 2005-2009) - associated with human rights education in primary and secondary schools;
the second stage (2010-2014) is dedicated to education in the field of human rights in the system of higher education and in the program of professional training of teachers and coaches, civil servants, law enforcement officers and the military;
the third stage (2015-2019) – special attention was paid to the training of media experts in the field of human rights, recognizing the important role of free, independent and pluralistic media in promoting justice, preventing discrimination, respecting human rights.
In turn, from 2020 to 2024, the fourth stage of the world educational program in the field of human rights is being implemented, which allows you to create an inclusive, peaceful and peaceful society aimed at educating and educating young people in the spirit of equality, compliance with human rights and non-discrimination.
In the effective implementation of measures in this regard in Uzbekistan, an important guideline was the decree of the president "on the establishment of the National Commission for the implementation of the fourth stage of the world educational program in the field of human rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan"adopted on June 7, 2021.
On the basis of this document, it was envisaged to develop a national program of education in the field of human rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan, taking into account the norms of international treaties and standards, recommendations of UN law-enforcement structures, as well as historical, national and cultural values of Uzbek society. Here, yesterday, by the decision of the president, this national educational program and a "road map" for its implementation were approved.
The National Education Program is aimed at the rules of the UN Declaration on education and upbringing in the field of human rights and further improvement of education in the field of human rights in our country, as well as the effective and timely implementation of the tasks set at the fourth stage of the world educational program in the field of human rights. His project was discussed with the participation of representatives of the Department of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Committee on economic, social and cultural rights, as well as national experts.
On the basis of the national program of education in the field of human rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan approved by the head of State:
Since the 2023/2024 academic year, educational and special courses on "human rights", "women's rights", "child rights" will be introduced in the system of professional and higher education;
before the investigation, educational courses are constantly organized to combat torture for employees of the inspection, inquiry, investigative bodies and penitentiary institutions;
training courses on human rights and gender equality will be introduced in the system of retraining and professional development of senior staff;
An electronic platform for education in the field of human rights will be created, and through this platform it will be possible to conduct training courses and seminars-trainings "online;
In the category" human rights", manuals and brochures are published and seminars-trainings are held on this basis;
"Corner of literature in the field of human rights" will be organized in the information and library centers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and regions. Its fund is constantly provided with state-language collections of international treaties, Educational, Scientific and methodological and international publications in the field.
In conclusion, the adoption of the decision of the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan to approve the National Education Program in the field of human rights will serve to ensure that the tasks set within the framework of the fourth stage of the UN World Education Program are fully implemented by our country, as well as to develop the necessary skills and