Section 2. Human Rights and the Rule of Law

3. The German Side assures the Uzbek Side of its intention to support Uzbekistanʼs rule-of-law reforms and the strengthening of human rights. The Sides seek to intensify cooperation in the field of law, in particular in the fields of economic law, intellectual property law, criminal law and criminal procedural law, including juvenile criminal law, as well as combating corruption and protecting human rights. The possible conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Ministry of Justice of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan on legal and judicial cooperation is currently being examined. Concrete projects would be implemented mainly by the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation e.V. (IRZ) in cooperation with the Uzbek Ministry of Justice and other partner institutions. Possible forms of cooperation include a mutual exchange of experience, the organisation of expert talks and training for the judiciary and administrative staff from the (Justice) Ministry, as well as support for the development of legislative bills and reform projects in the above-mentioned areas.

4. The German Side is considering the possibility of cooperation through technical legal assistance from the Max Planck Foundation in the field of prevention of torture. In addition, the German Side already provides support to the Deutsche Welle Academy project “Freedom of Opinion and Media Development in Uzbekistan”.

5. In order to facilitate compliance with the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains published in the Federal Law Gazette on 22 July 2021 (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz), the Sides seek closer exchange between authorities (for example, through information projects, online consultation workshops by the Helpdesk Business and Human Rights, as well as through initiatives of the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHK), Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

6. In order to facilitate an exchange of experience and to enhance cooperation with the German Institute for Human Rights, a visit to the Federal Republic of Germany by a delegation of the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Ombudsman Institute is envisaged for 2023.