Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  On 10 December, a high-level briefing was organized at the United Nations headquarters in New York, dedicated to the activities of the Regional Expert Council on the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals repatriated from conflict zones.

Deputy UN Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov:

Today, at this event, Uzbekistan presented its approaches to the rehabilitation and reintegration of returnees.

I am very pleased that Uzbekistan has taken on the role of a leader within the UN in drawing attention to this complex issue. The country has extensive experience in addressing this problem, with local authorities working effectively and well-established practices for utilizing the family’s role in overcoming psychological trauma and reintegrating people into normal life.

I understand that this issue is highly relevant for Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states. Citizens have found themselves in a difficult situation both from the perspective of human rights and in terms of a humane approach. Reintegrating these citizens into normal life is one of the key national tasks. This is exactly what President Shavkat Mirziyoyev mentioned to me in one of our conversations, emphasizing that this issue is among his priorities.

I would like to highlight another very important point. Today’s meeting showed that all Central Asian countries are ready to work together within the framework of the Regional Expert Council on the topic of rehabilitation and reintegration. Moreover, the Council has adopted a very sound practice — rotating the chairmanship. Next year, Kazakhstan will take over the chairmanship from Uzbekistan and continue this important work.

I can only congratulate and thank the Republic of Uzbekistan for its multilateral, creative, and constructive approach to addressing this important international issue.

For your information: The briefing was organized by ISRS and the Permanent Mission of Uzbekistan to the UN with the support of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism and the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia.

Speakers at the briefing included UN Deputy Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov, Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Kaha Imnadze, UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari, Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Center Mauro Miedico, former UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism, University of Minnesota (USA) Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Permanent Observer of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the UN Leticia Courtois, as well as the heads of diplomatic missions from Central Asian countries.