The international conference ‘E-justice in Uzbekistan: Current Status and Prospectives for Development up to 2025’ was held on September 27 at the Conference Hall of International Hotel Tashkent, hosted by the ‘Rule of Law Partnership in Uzbekistan’ project implemented by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan, USAID and UNDP. Bringing together foreign experts from US, Europe and Asia, this conference overviewed progress achieved to date in the growth of Uzbekistan’s E-justice systems, particularly the E-SUD national case management system, along with potential areas for reform and development.

To date, the development of E-justice tools in Uzbekistan has been a fundamental part of on-going justice reform, as reflected in the Strategy of Actions for the Five Priority Areas of Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2020, and mirroring SDG 16. They have helped ensure Uzbekistan’s citizens can easily access the courts to resolve their concerns through legal means, therefore ensuring that their rights and interests are respected.

This conference brought together 100 attendees and speakers from Uzbekistan and abroad. Attendees from Uzbekistan included specialists from the Agency for Project Management under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, from the ICT and Information Security Department of the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan, from the Tashkent University of Information Technologies, and from the firm ‘Uzbektelecom’. International speakers included Georg Stawa from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Constitutional Affairs, Reforms, Deregulation and Justice, Weon Young Jeon from the companies AI & BidData Solution & Consulting, and ITG Solution & Consulting, and Young Sik Kim from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Following a key part of the work of the ‘Rule of Law Partnership in Uzbekistan’ project, this conference overviewed the best international applications of E-justice in order to determine the most effective ways by which the tool can be applied in Uzbekistan. Previously the project has conducted a number of international conferences, along with study tours abroad and other related events, focused on the exchange and discussion of best practices with a focus on their potential application in Uzbekistan.

The particular topics covered during this conference included the current state of the use and implementation of ICT and E-justice tools within Uzbekistan’s judiciary and courts system, along with reviews of the current legislation that supports ICT introduction.  The application of meta-data in the judiciary/courts context, and the integration of E-justice information systems with other existing state body information systems were also both discussed.

International experience presented at the event has included an overview of the European Ethical Charter on the use of AI in Judicial Systems, the application of big data and AI at the Korean Supreme Court, etc. The conversations had at the international conference covered the practical application of E-justice systems, the means of training and preparing staff, and the need for legislative support.