Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 26 March, a round table was held in Tashkent on the topic “Legal basis for the employment of persons with disabilities in Uzbekistan.” The event was organized by the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights together with the Association of Disabled Persons of Uzbekistan and the Solidarity Center of Kyrgyzstan.

The round table was opened by Akmal Saidov, First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, Director of the National Center for Human Rights.

Domestic and foreign experts, representatives of interested departments and organizations took part in the discussion of the current topic.

“People with disabilities are full members of society,” said A. Saidov. Consistent and systematic work is being carried out in our country to strictly adhere to this principle.

In this regard, in New Uzbekistan, special attention is paid to the implementation of comprehensive reforms aimed at ensuring equal rights and opportunities for all segments of the population based on the principle “In the name of the honor and dignity of man.”

In recent years, the country has implemented a number of legal and organizational measures to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities. In particular, in the new version of the Constitution, for the first time, the norms relating to the rights of persons with disabilities were defined in a separate article, and the law “On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” was adopted. Uzbekistan has joined the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Speaking about organizational measures to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities, it should be noted that the national institutional structure in this area has been radically reformed. In particular, the Agency for the Development of Medical and Social Services under the Cabinet of Ministers and the Interdepartmental Council for Persons with Disabilities were created. Another important achievement in this direction was the creation of the National Social Protection Agency under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

During the round table, the opinions of domestic and foreign experts were heard. During the discussion, important assessments and practical proposals were made.

At the end of the event, a number of new publications were presented, revealing various aspects of the issue of employment of persons with disabilities.

For reference: More than 790 thousand people with disabilities are officially registered in Uzbekistan, about 62 percent of them live in rural areas, about 45 percent are women.

About 123.9 thousand people with disabilities are children under 16 years of age, more than 666.3 thousand people are young people over 16 years old, and more than 201.7 thousand people are people of retirement age.

Currently, more than 300 thousand people with disabilities have the opportunity to work in Uzbekistan. Over 100 thousand of them are provided with permanent jobs.