On 24 July 2026, a ceremony was held at the “Human Rights House ” in the capital to sign the Action Plan for the Promotion of International Humanitarian Law for 2026–2027 between the National Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights and the Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for Central Asia.
The signing of the Plan marked a further stage in the long-standing cooperation between the two institutions, which in 2026 marks its 33rd anniversary. In 1993, the Republic of Uzbekistan acceded to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 for the protection of victims of war and to their Additional Protocols, thereby affirming its commitment to the fundamental norms of international humanitarian law.
Opening the ceremony, the Director of the National Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights, Akmal Saidov, recalled the historical origins of international humanitarian law. He noted that its emergence was set in motion by the events of the Battle of Solferino in 1859, by Henry Dunant’s book “A Memory of Solferino” and by the adoption of the first Geneva Convention on 22 August 1864.
According to the Director of the National Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights, the 1949 Geneva Conventions today have 196 States parties, which makes them among the few genuinely universal international treaties of our time. He also emphasised that humanitarian traditions have deep historical roots in Uzbekistan as well. In particular, the Red Crescent Society of Uzbekistan, founded in Samarkand in 1925, celebrated its centenary in 2025.
Akmal Saidov noted that the Plan signed is a logical continuation of the long-standing cooperation between the National Centre and the ICRC. Among the most significant joint projects are the preparation, in 2014, of the training manual “International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law”, as well as the presentation, in December 2024, of the transliteration of the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols into the Latin-based Uzbek alphabet.
The Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation for Central Asia, Biljana Milosevic, expressed her appreciation to the National Human Rights Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan for its long-term and consistent partnership, highlighting its substantial contribution to the integration of the norms of international humanitarian law into national practice. She underlined the particular importance of working with the younger generation through the preparation, translation and publication of specialised literature, as well as through educational programmes for students, teaching staff and young professionals.
According to Biljana Milosevic, the promotion of international humanitarian law is one of the core tasks of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The organisation continues to provide humanitarian assistance in areas affected by armed conflict; at the same time, disseminating knowledge of international humanitarian law in peacetime remains an equally important task.
In this regard, cooperation with the National Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights serves as a successful example of consistent and effective work in this field. The Action Plan for 2026–2027 provides for the implementation of joint activities in four key areas:
– publishing activities;
– holding scientific and practical, educational and awareness-raising events;
– improving legislation and law enforcement practice in the field of international humanitarian law;
– establishing, at the National Human Rights Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a dedicated resource room on international humanitarian law, which will serve as a permanent platform for training, academic exchange and the dissemination of knowledge.
Following the ceremony, the parties reaffirmed their readiness to ensure the full and timely implementation of the activities envisaged by the Action Plan, expressing confidence that its implementation will contribute to further strengthening cooperation, promoting international humanitarian law and developing humanitarian education in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Press Service
of the National Centre
of the Republic of Uzbekistan
for Human Rights