Tashkent, 13 October 2020: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) jointly with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Human Rights Centre in Uzbekistan (NHRC) presented the National Recommendation Tracking Database. This database developed by OHCHR aimed at advancing the State's information management capacity and facilitating the implementation of human rights recommendations.

"Today, strengthening information management capacity in the field of human rights plays a pivotal role in the implementation of treaty obligations and human rights recommendation. We see that the Member States are enhancing their cooperation with the UN human rights mechanisms, which, in turn, results in the significant increase in the number and scope of the recommendations", emphasized Ryszard Komenda, Regional Representative for OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia. 

In turn, Antti Korkeakivi, Chief of the Anti-Torture, Capacity Building, Coordination and Funds Section of OHCHR, underlined that "NRTD provides NHRC with effective tools, allowing for clustering the recommendations, coordinating planned activities with national and international partners and reporting on the achieved progress. We welcome the Government of Uzbekistan decision to enhance its efforts on the implementation of human rights obligations and recommendations and launch NRTD".

During the event, OHCHR presented the National Recommendation Tracking Database (NRTD) - an online tool that facilitates the recording, tracking and reporting on the implementation of human rights recommendations deriving from the UN human rights mechanisms, the Treaty Bodies, the Universal Periodic Review and the Special Procedures. NRTD provides new possibilities to structure and process human rights recommendations, strengthen coordination within state structures and measure human rights progress. In addition, it promotes transparency and participation of civil society representatives.

"The roll-out of the National Database will allow us to import the relevant international human rights recommendations derived from the UN human rights mechanisms into the National Recommendations Tracking Database of Uzbekistan, prepare our own comprehensive and holistic plan for the implementation of human rights recommendations, cluster and track recommendations and decisions in the field of human rights, also stemming from regional and national mechanisms at the national level", pointed out Professor Akmal Saidov, First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Director of the National Center for Human Rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In the course of strengthening the tracking and reporting capacity of NHRC, OHCHR presented the tailored version of NRTD customized jointly by OHCHR, UNDP and NHRC to the local context of Uzbekistan. Participants were able to see practical aspects of working with human rights recommendations through NRTD: editing and clustering recommendations, assigning implementation responsibilities and tracking the progress of implementation.

Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan, underlined that "operationalization of NRTD could help to formulate the national plan of actions better to fully implement recommendations of international human rights institutions covering specific activities, indicators, and targets on human rights."

During the presentation, NHRC and OHCHR representatives discussed the role, and core functions of NHRC as a state structure mandated to coordinate and prepare reports to and engage with international human rights mechanisms, existing challenges in NHRC work and possible ways of enhancing its capacity.

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To assist States to adhere to their human rights treaty obligations and facilitate their engagement with United Nations human rights mechanisms, OHCHR offers access to the NRTD to interested States through a technical assistance package customized to their capacity needs. Technical assistance includes support to the establishment or strengthening of a functioning National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up (NMRF) and the development of a plan to implement recommendations or a roadmap to have one and gradually enter it in the NRTD.