Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 11 November 2021, the National Human Rights Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan jointly with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, presented translation of Handbooks for Parliamentarians on the prevention and reduction of statelessness as well as on refugee protection in the Uzbek language.

These Handbooks are jointly published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UNHCR and serve as practical tools for parliamentarians in establishing and maintaining asylum system, as well as in drafting and implementing national legislation on statelessness and citizenship.

The presentation was attended by deputies of the Legislative Chamber and members of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

“Resolving the problem of statelessness is an issue that has entered the political agendas of several countries around the world. The intention of Uzbekistan to finally solve the problem of statelessness in the country was voiced by the President of Uzbekistan from at the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council,” said Akmal Saidov, First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the country, Director of the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In particular, according to the current updated law “On Citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, a new procedure has been established for granting citizenship directly to stateless persons registered at the place of permanent residence in Uzbekistan before January 1, 2005, as well as permanently residing in the country for 15 years.

“We are delighted to having supported the translation of these important publications into the Uzbek language, thereby bringing the protection of refugees and stateless persons, with its long history and good models, closer to esteemed Members of the Oliy Majlis here in Uzbekistan. Effective parliamentary diplomacy strongly aligns with the global mandate of the UN Refugee Agency. We trust that these translations will support the development of effective national legislation, practices, and institutions to protect refugees and stateless persons, to prevent and end statelessness,” said Mr. Hans Friedrich Schodder, UNHCR Representative for Central Asia.

Participants in the event stressed the importance of partnerships in tackling the problem of statelessness. According to the parliamentarians, “translating publications of international documents into Uzbek will help members of Parliament become familiar with the general principles of international human rights and statelessness law and learn how international standards are implemented in national legislation and law practice.”

The translation of publications once again underlines Uzbekistan’s commitment to constructive cooperation with international organizations in the field of human rights.

The Handbook for Parliamentarians No. 27 “A Guide to international refugee protection and building state asylum systems” addresses contemporary challenges and sets out applicable international legal standards and obligations for refugees and others in need of international protection in a way that is intended to be as accessible and yet as comprehensive as possible. The Handbook for Parliamentarians No. 29 ‘Good practices in nationality laws for the prevention and reduction of statelessness’ offers practical examples of domestic legal provisions that allow States to avoid childhood statelessness entirely, establish procedures to identify stateless persons and facilitate their naturalization; and ensure that any deprivation or loss of nationality does not leave individuals stateless.