22 September, TASHKENT – Today the final board meeting of the joint ‘Rule of Law Partnership in Uzbekistan’ project of the Supreme Court, USAID and UNDP was held online.

Representatives of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Judicial Council, the Higher School of Judges of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Tashkent State University of Law, the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, the 'Madad' NGO attended this online meeting.

The meeting’s agenda included a presentation of the project’s results for 2018-2021, focused on achievements made in the direction of:

- Supporting the development and replication of related e-justice systems and interactive services;

- Increasing judicial transparency as a priority, thereby strengthening public confidence in court operation and objectivity;

- Expanding access to free legal aid for vulnerable groups;

- Improving access to justice for women, while strengthening gender equality in the judiciary;

- Introducing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms;

- Developing interaction between the judiciary and the media, and forming a new culture of court journalism;

- Developing manuals, publications and brochures, intended to increase the population’s level of legal literacy, and standardize judicial practice.

It should be noted that from 2015 to 2021, the ‘Rule of Law Partnership in Uzbekistan’ project has played a central role in implementing planned reforms within Uzbekistan’s national courts and the broader judiciary system. These reforms have been in line with the overarching national development objectives for 2017-2021, and both the 2030 Agenda and the global SDGs.