Cooperation of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the United Nations and its specialized agencies

Since joining the United Nations (UN) as a new sovereign, independent state on March 2, 1992, Uzbekistan has been developing a fruitful cooperation with the UN and its specialized agencies in various fields.

The key priorities of interaction include the fight against the current security threats and challenges, stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, solution of environmental problems and mitigation of the consequences of the Aral Sea crisis, social and economic development, protection and promotion of human rights, promotion of tourism and others. 

The UN Office headed by Resident Coordinator has been operating in Tashkent since 1993.

The United Nations Country Team in Uzbekistan is represented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Volunteers Programme which is administered by the UNDP. 

Agencies such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) contribute to the work of the UN System. The World Bank, as an independent specialized agency of the UN System, also plays an important role in the activities of the United Nations in our country.

The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) is an effective tool for interaction between the Government of Uzbekistan and the United Nations in the context of implementing priorities of the country's socio-economic development in the medium term.  

On the basis of main tasks defined by the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan, high-level political contacts between Uzbekistan and the UN have noticeably intensified in recent years.

Uzbekistan has been actively involved in the activities of the General Assembly and the UN specialized agencies. The President of Uzbekistan attended and addressed the 72nd, 75th and 76th sessions of the UN General Assembly, as well as at the High Level Segment of the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

In June 2017 the UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Uzbekistan and was received by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The Leader of Uzbekistan also met with the Secretary General Guterres on the sidelines of the General Debate of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in September 2017 in New York and the 2nd International Forum "One Belt, One Road" in April 2019 in Beijing. As a result of these meetings Action Plans on developing Uzbekistan - the UN cooperation have been adopted, and they are being implemented.  

The participation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the General Debate of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in September 2017 marked a new stage of constructive and mutually beneficial partnership between our country and the UN. 

In recent years, from the UN rostrum, the President of Uzbekistan has launched a range of important international initiatives on the regional and global agenda.

In particular, the UN General Assembly has adopted six resolutions:

- Strengthening Regional and International Cooperation to Ensure Peace, Stability and Sustainable Development in the Central Asian Region  (June 2018); 

- Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance (December 2018);

- Sustainable Tourism and Sustainable Development in Central Asia (January 2019);

- Declaring the Aral Sea Region a Zone of Ecological Innovations and Technologies (May 2021);

- Strengthening Connectivity between Central and South Asia (July 2022);

- Role of Parliaments in the Achievement of the SDGs (December 2022). 

In addition, at the initiative of Uzbekistan the UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution on Human Rights Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Young People (October 2021). Uzbekistan also initiated adoption by the UNESCO of the Khiva Process Resolution (November 2021) as a result of the International Cultural Forum “Central Asia at the Crossroads of World Civilizations” held on September 14-16, 2021 in Khiva city.

Uzbekistan drafted the Code on Voluntary Commitments of States during Pandemics which has been distributed at UN General Assembly as Uzbekistan’s contribution to the global efforts on combating COVID-19.

Supporting the new spirit of multilateral diplomacy, Uzbekistan together with member countries is currently working on a number of new General Assembly resolutions.

Uzbekistan is a party to all important international agreements and treaties on disarmament and non-proliferation, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions, and others.

Uzbekistan made a significant contribution to strengthening the global nonproliferation regime and regional security by initiating in 1993 at the UN General Assembly a launch of the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia (CANWFZ).

The CANWFZ Treaty was signed in Semipalatinsk city in September 2006. It entered into force in March 2009 after ratification by all five states of the region. On May 6, 2014, at the UN headquarters in New York representatives of the five nuclear states (United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia) unanimously and simultaneously signed the most important international document - the Protocol on Security Assurances to the CANWFZ Treaty. Thus, Central Asia has become the only truly functioning nuclear-free zone in the northern hemisphere of our planet.

Being a party to all 13 UN conventions on combating terrorism, Uzbekistan announced a number of initiatives aimed at consolidating the efforts of the world community in this area.

Our country welcomes the activities of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee, established by resolution 1373 (2001), and fully supports its efforts to strengthen the capacity of the UN member states to counter the threat. The creation of the committee, in particular, has become the result of the initiative by Uzbekistan to establish the International Center for Combating Terrorism announced at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Summit in Istanbul in 1999.

In order to implement the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, announced during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly in March 2022, “Regional cooperation of Central Asian countries within the framework of the Joint Action Plan for the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy” High-Level International Conference was held in Tashkent. The forum resulted in adopting an updated Regional Joint Action Plan.

Uzbekistan closely cooperates with the UN and its specialized agencies on combating drugs. Interaction with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime has been successfully carried out by implementing specific practical projects on developing the capacity of responsible government agencies.

It should be noted that the establishment of the Central Asian Regional Information Coordination Center aimed at combating illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their precursors (CARICC) has been proposed by Uzbekistan.

Our country is making an effective contribution to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. At the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, the International Transport and Logistics Hub has been launched in Termez for centralized and targeted delivery of humanitarian cargo to Afghanistan. The infrastructure of Termez is actively used by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Program, UNICEF, and other UN agencies.

In March 2018, Tashkent hosted an International Conference on Afghanistan. The final declaration of the forum was presented as an official document of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council in April 2018.

In addition, information about the efforts made by Uzbekistan to peaceful settlement of the situation in Afghanistan and referral to the Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan was included in the report of the UN Secretary-General "The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security" published in September 2018.

In July 2022, a new conference on Afghanistan was held in Tashkent demonstrating the great contribution of Uzbekistan to ensuring sustainable peace and stability in the neighboring country.

Currently, the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on launching the International Negotiating Group on Afghanistan is being promoted in the United Nations.

On June 22, 2018, the UN General Assembly adopted a historical resolution “Strengthening regional international cooperation to ensure peace, stability, and sustainable development in the Central Asian region”. The resolution illustrates the broad high-level international support for regional integration in Central Asia.

On December 19, 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted the special resolution "Sustainable Tourism and Sustainable Development in Central Asia" proposed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during the meeting with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in April 2019 in Beijing. The document which had been drafted by Uzbekistan and submitted on behalf of all five Central Asian countries was unanimously supported by the UN member states. More than 50 countries in North and Latin America, Asia, Africa, and other continents co-sponsored the document. This indicates the wide recognition by the international community of the relevance and timeliness of the initiative of the Leader of Uzbekistan.

Collaboration between Uzbekistan and the United Nations on ecology and environment protection has been increasingly intensifying. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev draws the attention of the international community to the Aral Sea tragedy which has become a global issue that requires urgent solutions. Uzbekistan calls on focusing the efforts on “reducing the destructive impact of environmental disaster on the livelihoods of millions of people living in Central Asia, preserving the natural and biological balance in the Aral Sea region.”

In 2018, the Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea region was launched under the UN auspices, implementing the proposal by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced at the General Debate of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended the presentation of the Fund, which took place in November 2018 at the UN headquarters, and declared that “the Fund will significantly improve the living conditions of the local population and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Trust Fund-supported programs have already helped to create new jobs in the region, 45 percent of which have been filled by women. Employment has expanded their opportunities, improved access to health services, and increased their well-being.”

On October 24-25, 2019 Nukus hosted a high-level international conference on declaring the Aral Sea region a zone of environmental innovations and technologies. The forum was held at the initiative of our country jointly with the UN Office in Uzbekistan. It was attended by about 250 participants from 28 countries, leaders, and representatives of international organizations.

Special attention in the partnership between Uzbekistan and the United Nations is attached to preserving and strengthening religious tolerance and solving urgent youth issues. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York announced the initiative to adopt the UN General Assembly resolution "Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance". The Leader of Uzbekistan declared that the main goal of the document is "to ensure universal access to education, the elimination of illiteracy and ignorance." The document aimed at "promoting tolerance and mutual respect, ensuring religious freedom, protecting the rights of believers, and preventing their discrimination."

The resolution "Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance" was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 12, 2018. It was unanimously supported by all UN member states, with more than 50 countries in North and Latin America, Asia, Africa, and other continents as co-sponsors. This indicates the high recognition by the international community of the relevance and timeliness of the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan for the first time has brought forward its candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) for the period of 2021-2023 and became the HRC member with the support of the majority of nations.

Uzbekistan remains an active supporter of lasting peace and the initiator of a comprehensive expansion of cooperation, continuing to pay great attention to interaction with the UN and its member states. The efforts of our country are fully supported by the United Nations, since Uzbekistan’s initiatives are fully consistent with the UN global goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) implements specific projects in Uzbekistan in various areas, in particular, on the development of a green economy in the region affected by the drying up of the Aral Sea as part of the "Aral Sea - a zone of environmental innovations and technologies" initiative.

Cooperation between Uzbekistan and UNESCO in recent years has risen to a new level. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in Paris (2018), Samarkand (2019) and Tashkent (2022).

In July 2022, Uzbekistan for the first time in its history became a member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for 2022-2026.

Cooperation with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) plays an important role in the development of tourism in Uzbekistan. The UNWTO Regional Center for Development of Tourism on the Great Silk Road has been launched in Samarkand. The Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage is also functioning in Samarkand. It has become one of the most prestigious institutions and the first university in the field of tourism in Uzbekistan.

On October 16-20, 2023 Samarkand will host the 25th session of the UNWTO General Assembly.

Uzbekistan develops an active collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO)in fighting against infectious and non-infectious diseases, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and strengthening the national health care system.

In September 2022, the new Biennial Country Agreement for 2022-2023 was signed between the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the WHO Representative Office in Tashkent. The document includes bilateral events that will be organized in Uzbekistan with the participation of the WHO experts.

In recent years, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has significantly intensified its activities in Uzbekistan. Every year in November, the Zamin Foundation together with UNICEF organizes international forums dedicated to World Children's Day. 

UNICEF activities in Uzbekistan include supporting the ongoing reforms on children’s social protection, maternal and child health promotion, improving the education system, expanding access to quality medical services, and other key areas.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has a significant place in the UN system in Uzbekistan.

Currently, the fifth UNFPA Country Program is being implemented through trainings, seminars, conferences on reproductive health, social and legal support centers for women established in our country. Furthermore, the work is underway to update clinical protocols, modernize medical institutions, train and improve the skills of specialists.

In November 2022, together with UNFPA the Demographic Laboratory was launched in order to strengthen the capacity of country’s civil servants on matters of population, development of demographic science and research. 

Uzbekistan fruitfully cooperates with the Fund in the preparation and conduct of the population census.

Uzbekistan has established a close partnership with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). Together with the UN-Women international forums and conferences on gender and youth issues are organized, projects in specialized areas are being implemented, measures to support Uzbekistan's efforts to increase the role of women in society are being taken.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) highly evaluates the progress made in Uzbekistan in recent years on creating conditions for decent work, eradicating forced and child labor, protecting the rights and freedoms of workers. Our country has ratified 20 ILO conventions, including 9 out of 10 fundamental ones. Taking into account the recommendations of the ILO, the Law on Employment of the Population and the Labor Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan have been redrafted and adopted.

International Organization for Migration (IOM) has become one of the significant partners of Uzbekistan. IOM is involved in implementing projects on labor migration, border management, combating human trafficking, and improving the skills of specialists in the recruitment of labor migrants.

 

Cooperation between Uzbekistan and the OSCE

In accordance with the foreign policy priorities, Uzbekistan is committed to expanding multilateral cooperation within international institutions, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The new spirit of Uzbekistan’s engagement with the OSCE has attracted attention of its participating states to the large-scale reforms in our country.

Since obtaining membership in the OSCE (until January 1, 1995 - the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe - CSCE) Uzbekistan has been collaborating with the organization and its institutions on a wide range of issues. The interaction focuses on the implementation of the OSCE principles and obligations, taking into account new challenges and threats to security, the international agenda and the national interests of Uzbekistan.

In 1995, the OSCE Liaison Office in Central Asia was established in Tashkent, which from 1999 had functioned as the OSCE Center in Uzbekistan. In June 2006, it was decided to set up an Office of the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan.

The Office of the OSCE Project Coordinator works on the implementation of priority projects aimed at technical assistance to the national institutions in the development of their institutional capabilities in the areas of security, and sustainable economic, environmental and social development.

In 2017 and 2018, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, in 2022, OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid visited Uzbekistan.

OSCE Chairpersons-in-Office visits Uzbekistan annually. In particular, in 2022, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Zbigniew Rau, in August 2023, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, North Macedonia Foreign Minister Bujar M. Osmani visited our country.

Every two years, Action Plans (Road Maps) for the further development of cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the OSCE are adopted and successfully implemented.

Cooperation with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has been developing dynamically. 

In December 2016, the OSCE ODIHR for the first time sent a mission to our country to observe elections of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The ODIHR mission also attended the parliamentary elections in 2019, elections of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in October 2021, early elections of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in July 2023.

ODIHR Director Mr. Matteo Mecacci has visited Uzbekistan several times. Delegations of Uzbekistan regularly participate in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly sessions.

Furthermore, interaction with the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media has been expanding. On October 18-19 2017, the 19th OSCE Central Asian Conference on Open Journalism in Central Asia was held in Tashkent.

In June 2018, Uzbekistan hosted OSCE international conference on the role of youth in countering terrorism and extremism.

Environmental and economic issues are of special attention in Uzbekistan. In 2020, the Permanent Representative of Uzbekistan to the OSCE chaired the Economic and Environmental Committee of the OSCE Permanent Council.