The Uzbek Ambassador to the United States, Javlon Vakhabov, held talks with the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief Ahmed Shahid, Dunyo news agency reported.
The Special Rapporteur welcomed the adoption of the new Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations Law and underscored that this act brings many positive changes to the legislative system for ensuring religious freedom.
He noted that the adoption of this act was the beginning of a new stage of interaction aimed at ensuring effective law enforcement, which allows maintaining an inclusive space for all religions and beliefs.
Highly valuing the degree of cooperation of the Uzbek government with the office, other international structures and the expert community, Ahmad Shahid confirmed his readiness to continue the established constructive dialogue with the government of Uzbekistan.
In this context, Ahmad Shahid expressed his readiness to visit Uzbekistan in early September to launch a technical assistance program with the support of the Ralph Bunch Institute for International Studies at the City University of New York (CUNY-RBI) and the Essex University School of Law (Essex-HRC).
The program provides for a series of seminars and trainings for relevant government agencies, representatives of civil society and religious organizations. The program will also provide advice on the development of a national monitoring and evaluation system based on UN human rights indicators.
The UN Special Rapporteur welcomed the plans to hold an international forum "Dialogue of Declarations" and emphasized the special significance of the adoption of the "Bukhara Declaration" following the conference. In his opinion, Uzbekistan had historically been the center of enlightened Islam with a rich heritage of religious and confessional diversity.
Ahmad Shahid confirmed his readiness to provide the necessary consultative assistance in the development of the draft Bukhara Declaration, as well as to visit Uzbekistan again in December to attend the conference.
