A three-day seminar on "A Human Rights-Based Approach to Budgeting for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and the Right to a Healthy Environment" has opened in Tashkent. It was organized by the National Human Rights Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan jointly with the Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for Central Asia, with the participation of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Representatives from over 20 ministries and agencies are participating in the event, including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, the National Agency for Social Protection, the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, and the Law Enforcement Academy.

Opening the seminar, Akmal Saidov, Director of the National Human Rights Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan, emphasized that in today's environment, budget policy is one of the key instruments for realizing human rights.

He stated that "it is through the budget that the real priority of human rights in public policy is demonstrated and their practical implementation is ensured." Gulnora Rakhimova, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan, noted that the country's ongoing public finance management reforms are aimed at improving the efficiency and targeting of budget expenditures.

In this context, the significance of the Open Budget initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is particularly emphasized. It has become an effective mechanism for expanding citizen participation in the process of allocating budgetary funds, increasing the transparency and accountability of public finances, and ensuring that the needs of the population are more fully taken into account when setting socioeconomic development priorities.

Igor Grishko, a specialist at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, provided expert support for the event. He presented modern methodologies for analyzing budget policy from a human rights perspective. He emphasized that "a human rights-based budget allows states to more accurately assess the impact of their decisions on inequality and citizens' access to basic services, and also enhances the transparency and accountability of the budget process."

The seminar program covers a wide range of topics, including international standards in economic, social, and cultural rights, mechanisms for monitoring them, the budget cycle and public participation, as well as practical tools for analyzing budget expenditures and revenues from a human rights perspective.

The seminar will result in the development of practical recommendations aimed at further strengthening the integration of human rights into the budgetary and socioeconomic policies of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Press Service The National Center

Republic of Uzbekistan on human rights