Three of Uzbekistan’s leading legal academics have been recognized for their proposed solutions to some of the most difficult aspects of reforming Uzbekistan’s judicial system.

On November 18 an awards ceremony was held at the Tashkent State Law University (TSLU), recognizing the winners of the nationwide ‘Competition of Scientific Studies of National Experts and Students of Law Universities regarding Judicial and Legal Reform’. This competition has been organised in collaboration between TSLU and the ‘Rule of Law Partnership in Uzbekistan’ project of USAID, the Ministry of Justice and ourselves.

Following the success of the first such competition held in 2018, this second event has sought to continue developing solutions to challenges faced in implementing the Action Strategy for the Five Priority Areas of Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2019, judicial reform in Uzbekistan, and the Sustainable Development Goals.  

“Achieving the ambitious goals laid out for government and judicial reform in Uzbekistan naturally requires engaging with those at the forefront of legal thought, including innovative academicians. Naturally, old problems can only be resolved through new solutions,” said Civil procedural and economic procedural chair manager Davlatjon Khabibullaev.

The proposals put forward in this year’s competition, combined with those gathered from the competition held in 2018, will be highly instrumental in informing on-going legal reform processes in Uzbekistan.

The 2019 ‘Competition of Scientific Studies of National Experts and Students of Law Universities regarding Judicial and Legal Reform’ has seen the participation of 61 academicians, including PhD, Dsc, masters and undergraduate students of the Tashkent State Law University, The Academy of the National Guard and the Academy of the Ministry of interior affairs.

The competition has sought to support legal experts and researchers in their work preparing analytical papers on topics related to improving Uzbekistan’s national legal and judicial system. Winning submissions have been chosen for the quality of their analysis, understanding and delivery of solutions to problems, their clarity and innovativeness, and their use of scientific methodology.