Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 15 March this year, Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis Tanzila Narbayeva met with a delegation led by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

During the meeting, information was given on important political and legal processes related to the constitutional reforms taking place in our country. In particular, it was noted that the draft Constitution in the new edition was prepared in two stages based on the results of studying the opinions and proposals of the people through a nationwide discussion with the participation of all segments of the population and the general public. It was emphasized that in the course of the nationwide discussion of the draft Constitutional Law, over 220,000 proposals were received, every fourth of which was reflected in the draft.

The main thing is that the main part of the updated Constitution was made up of norms relating to human rights and freedoms. Yesterday, at a regular plenary session of the Senate, a resolution was adopted to hold a referendum of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the draft Constitutional Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan”. According to the decree, the referendum is scheduled for 30 April 2023.

During the dialogue, an exchange of views took place on enhancing the role of parliament in the implementation of the international obligations of countries through the statutory and treaty bodies of the UN on human rights.

In her speech, the Chairwoman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation with the UN and its specialized structures, and from this point of view, further expanding constructive ties with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which is considered the main body responsible for managing the activities of the UN in the field of human rights rights, including mutual dialogue aimed at strengthening the capacity of parliamentarians in the field of human rights.

In turn, Volker Türk expressed full support for the results achieved and the measures currently being implemented in Uzbekistan to ensure gender equality and women’s rights. The High Commissioner praised Uzbekistan’s efforts to return women and children from conflict zones and reintegrate them into society, noting that the work being done in this direction is an example for many countries.

During the conversation, attention was paid to the issues of strengthening the role of women in society and the state, the development of a social inclusive environment and civil society institutions.

As a result of the meeting, which was held in a constructive and practical spirit, an agreement was reached on further strengthening cooperation aimed at implementing mechanisms for more reliable protection of human rights in society.