The Ambassador of Bosnia & Herzegovina, H.E. Mr. Almir Šahović

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The Ambassador of Bosnia & Herzegovina, H.E. Mr. Almir Šahović

H.E. Mr. Almir Šahović has been appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He came to The Hague with over a decade’s worth of Ambassadorial experience, and he presented his credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander on June 2nd, 2021.

Mr. Šahović started with a background in law as he acquired a Diploma of Law from the University of Sarajevo in 1991. Afterward, he was a partner of the Sahovic-Kulic Law Firm for a year while simultaneously being a part of the Presidency of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Protocol Bureau. This was until he decided to pursue a Master’s degree and acquired a Master of Arts in European Studies from Belgium’s College of Europe in 1993.

From this point onwards, his professional career mainly centered on European relations. Immediately after completing his graduate program, Mr. Šahović was the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Benelux countries, and of the Permanent Mission of Bosnia to the EU and NATO. He held this role until 1996, when he was assigned to be Head of the Unit for EU and International Organizations under the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MOFA) Division for Reconstruction, as well as the coordinator for the PHARE Multi-country Programs in the Office of the National PHARE Coordinator. Later that year, Mr. Šahović became an attaché at the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in France and the Permanent Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to UNESCO.

About a year later, he was promoted to Deputy Head of the Diplomatic Mission for both. This position was held for one year, until he became the Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg at the rung of Counsellor from 1998 to 2001. 

Throughout the 2000s, Mr. Šahović had a brief period working abroad but was mainly active in his home country. From 2001 to 2002, he was the Minister-Counsellor, Head of the Unit for Reconstruction under MOFA, which coordinated international assistance for the reconstruction of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During this time, he was also the Vice-Chair on behalf of Bosnia in the Working Group for the reconstruction and development of the Central European Initiative and was simultaneously the Vice-Chair of the Executive Board of Finland’s project for the support of inclusive education in Bosnia. Afterwards, he had another three-year term in Paris as Minister-Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He then became Diplomatic Adviser under the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2005 to 2006.

This was followed by his role as Head of the Department for Economic Diplomacy under MOFA until 2008. Within these two years, he was also a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Export Council. In late 2008, Mr. Šahović returned to France, but this time as Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to France and the Permanent Representative to UNESCO. In addition, he was the non-resident Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Algeria, Monaco, and Andorra. He held these roles for three years until 2011.

The rest of the 2010s saw Mr. Šahović assume the role of Ambassador again on multiple occasions. After his first term as Ambassador, he returned home to be the Head of the Department for international cooperation in the field of culture, education, sciences, and sports under MOFA for a brief period. He then became Ambassador and Head of the NATO, Peace and Security Department until 2012. During this time, he was also the spokesman of the First Sarajevo World Urbanism Forum, which was held in September 2012. This was followed by a three-year term as Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and as Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Council of Europe.

While he was Ambassador, he was also the Honorary Vice-President of the Association for the organization of the Second Sarajevo World Urbanism Forum in 2014. For the rest of 2015, Mr. Šahović took up the role of Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at the ambassadorial level. Soon afterward, he was assigned to be the Head of the Department for Strategic Planning under MOFA for one year. Subsequently, he was appointed as Ambassador, Assistant Minister for Multilateral Relations, and Political Director of MOFA in 2016. While he held this position, he was also the Coordinator of the Bosnia and Herzegovina MARRI Chairmanship in office, and the WBF Chairmanship in office in 2018. Similarly, he was also the Coordinator of the Bosnian SEECP Chairmanship in office in 2019.

Mr. Šahović held this role until 2021 when he became Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Netherlands.

Aside from his career as a diplomat, Mr. Šahović is also engaged in other fields and activities. This is evident from his Vice-Presidency in the ARS AEVI Association, which is the Initiative for the construction of the Sarajevo Contemporary Art Museum. Additionally, he was a member of the Strasbourg Film Festival Jury in 2015. Furthermore, he is currently a member of the College of Europe Alumni Association and the Monaco Ambassadors Club.

In addition to Bosnian and English, Mr. Šahović is fluent in French, which is unsurprising considering his previous terms in France, as well as some command of Italian.

The diplomat community in The Hague sends a warm welcome to Ambassador Šahović and wishes him all the best in his new term.

Abu Dhabi Development Fund contributes USD 10 million to Colombia

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Abu Dhabi Development Fund contributes USD 10 million to Colombia

Bogotá DC, April 7, 2021- The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation and the Abu Dhabi – Fund for Development (ADFD) on behalf of the United Arab Emirates signed in Bogotá a USD 10 million agreement to support recovery and growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Colombia.

This is the second major project that is part of the Memorandum of Understanding between APC-Colombia and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development for a total of USD 45 millions.

The project contributes to the efforts of the Colombian government to reactivate this sector affected by the covid-19 pandemic.

This project seeks to support more than 1600 MSMEs, so that these companies can better connect with local and global value chains, and improve their access to export markets.

His Excellency Khalifa Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General of ADFD, described the agreement as a new milestone in the strategic relations between the Fund and the Government of Colombia. “The project, like the others that we have financed in Colombia, will have a great impact on the economy, since it will promote innovation in the MSMEs sector, increase its productivity and export volumes, increase competitiveness, and generate hundreds of jobs. work thus boosting their contribution. to sustainable economic development “.

Likewise, he pointed out that the integral development of the sector will allow Colombia to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda in SDG 8 and 9, which are related to “decent work and economic growth” and “industry, innovation and infrastructure”, respectively, as well as those of many other SDGs, directly and indirectly.

For the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, José Manuel Restrepo, this donation will further strengthen international cooperation relations between governments and work in a coordinated manner to strengthen the micro-business segment in the country, a line that constitutes a key element for industrial development.

For her part, Ángela Ospina de Nicholls, APC-Colombia director, indicated that “from APC-Colombia we have sought to speed up the execution of these non-reimbursable resources from the Abu Dhabi Development Fund, which are important in this process of safe reactivation of the country and in the fulfillment of a Colombia with equity. The Government of the United Arab Emirates and the Fund have been great allies of Colombia, especially in overcoming the effects caused by the covid-19 pandemic, and for this we appreciate their contribution to the government’s efforts ”.

The main memorandum of understanding has also supported the early childhood policy, with more than USD 10 million invested in the construction and provision of 37 child development centers (CDI) in 15 departments of the country that are benefiting almost 5,000 children.

The Abu Dhabi Development Fund (ADFD) is a leading national economic development aid entity owned by the Abu Dhabi government. Its objective is to help emerging countries by providing concessional loans to finance sustainable development projects. Since its inception in 1974, ADFD has set milestones in 97 developing countries.

Over the past 49 years, the Fund’s development projects and investments, valued at $ 28.3 trillion, have helped the international community achieve sustainable economic growth, as well as drive the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDG) of the United Nations.

The project that will benefit MSMEs will begin in the second quarter of 2021 and will be executed by Bancoldex and Colombia Productiva.

ICC Principals adopt High-Level Statement on Gender Equality

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ICC Principals adopt High-Level Statement on Gender Equality

ICC Principals adopt High-Level Statement on Gender Equality: “Gender equality is not only right and necessary but a driver of performance and success for the organisation”

On 30 April 2021, Judge Piotr Hofmański, President of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or the “Court”), ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda and ICC Registrar, Peter Lewis adopted a High-Level Statement on Gender Equality at the ICC.

“We firmly believe that in order to uphold women’s rights and to reap the benefits of women’s important contributions, the perspectives of women in all of their diversity must be integrated in all spheres of the work of the Court,” the Principals affirmed. “For us, gender equality is about equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities for all; it covers the relations in the context of our work environment between women and men and other groups, reflecting a wide understanding of gender identities and gender expressions,” reads the Statement.

This High-Level commitment is consistent with values of diversity, respect, equity and inclusion as well as the principles enshrined in the Court’s legal framework. The Statement, which has been promulgated internally earlier today, outlines areas where further action will be undertaken to promote gender equality at the Court.

With this Statement, the Court reaffirms its commitment to achieving gender equality and a safe and inclusive workplace culture and environment, through the practical implementation of the goals and priorities set in the Court-wide and organ specific Strategic Plans for 2019-2021, as well as the five priority areas from the Court-wide Staff Wellbeing Framework identified in 2019.

“Gender equality is not only right and necessary but a driver of performance and success for the organisation,” stated the Principals.

XXVII Ibero-American Summit held in Andorra

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XXVII Ibero-American Summit held in Andorra

Wednesday, 21st April 2021, Principality of Andorra: Under the motto “Innovation for sustainable development–Objective 2030. Ibero-America facing the coronavirus challenge”, the Valleys of Andorra hosted its first international summit.    

Xavier Espot, Andorra’s Head of Government.

Andorra’s Head of Government, Xavier Espot, dedicated his opening address at the Summit’s Plenary Meeting to the victims of the pandemic, and emphasized the value of working multilaterally to overcome the health crisis and move towards sustainable growth.

Espot reiterated Andorra’s commitment to the Ibero-American space and to the defense of unity to face the challenges of the future. During his address, he urged the international community to guarantee universal access to vaccines against Covid-19 at a fair or affordable price. ‘Only with global immunity will it be possible to regain the path of economic and social growth’ he assured. 

The Ibero-American Secretary General, Rebeca Grynspan, thanked the Government of Andorra for the summit’s organization, as well as for all preparatory and parallel meetings and activities. The large participation in the plenary meeting, according to the Ibero-American Secretary General, “reaffirms the importance of the Ibero-American Space as a space for meeting, for dialogue, and for finding agreements on diversity.” Grynspan stated that the Summit hosted by Andorra “is historic”, as it is held in a pandemic context to which the Principality “has adapted with great agility and flexibility to meet the programming” of the Ibero-American Conference.   

The work prior to the Summit, she added, has served to raise the sectoral proposals approved in recent months by the ministers of the 22 countries of the Ibero-American Conference, and have addressed the “urgencies” of the pandemic and at the same time “structural challenges such as the fight against inequality or climate change”. These proposals are nourished by the Declaration of Andorra, which, explained Rebeca Grynspan, includes “the need for an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery, the importance of the innovative role of the State, the urgency to face the climate challenge and the differentiated impact of the crisis on women”.   

The Ibero-American Secretary General has reaffirmed the importance of “projecting and strengthening Ibero-America before the International Community.” In fact, Grynspan spoke of international support for the Summit and referred to the message of support from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who highlighted the role of the Summit as a “moment of hope in the face of the enormous challenges we face which must be a turning point that will mark the development of countries in the coming decades ”. 

Grynspan also reported that The Pope, Franciscus I had addressed the Conference with a letter calling for “strong political will” to deal with the aftermath of the pandemic. The Ibero-American leaders who participated in the Summit, both online and in person, shared the need to reaffirm the importance of multilateralism to address the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus around the world. In this regard, The President of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei welcomed the meeting of leaders, which “must contribute to multilateralism and cooperation” as the focus of the 2030 Agenda.  

Felipe VI, The King of Spain.

President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader reaffirmed the role of multilateralism in the distribution of vaccines. Spain’s King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have shared the importance of the ties of Ibero-American countries, especially in a pandemic context, in order to join forces “in the defence of the Ibero-American Community in a global world.” The Spanish prime minister also congratulated Andorra on the choice of the motto of the Summit, which integrates various axes such as sustainability, the environment, innovation and the coronavirus crisis.   

The leaders of Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister António Costa.

The leaders of Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister António Costa, highlighted the value of dialogue and cooperation between countries offered by the Ibero-American Summit, which is of great importance in dealing with the consequences of the pandemic.   

The XXVII Iberoamerican Summit was held, due to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, in an adapted format with 5 face-to-face delegations – the three countries from the Iberian Peninsula, because of proximity, and Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, which make up the Troika, while the rest participated electronically. Thus, in addition to the face-to-face representatives already mentioned, the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, spoke at the Plenary Session; the President of Bolivia, Luis Arce; the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera; the President of Colombia, Iván Duque; the President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado; the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel; the President of Ecuador, Lenín Moreno; the President of Honduras, Juan Orlando; the President of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo; the President of Peru, Francisco Sagasti; the President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle; the Vice President of El Salvador, Félix Ulloa; the Executive Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua, Denis Moncada; the Secretary of Bilateral Negotiations in the Middle East, Europe and Africa of Brazil, Kenneth da Nóbrega; and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, José Antonio dos Santos.   

The Principality of Andorra assumed the presidency of the pro tempore Secretariat of the Ibero-American Conference in 2018, after the Ibero-American Summit in Guatemala ended, with the aim of organizing, together with the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), the XXVII Summit in 2020. However, due to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, the Summit in Andorra was postponed to April 2021. Throughout the SPT, Andorra has coordinated with SEGIB all meetings, forums and activities of the Ibero-American Conference.  

Other Summit’s participants included His Eminence The Episcopal Co-Prince of Andorra, Archbishop Joan-Enric Vives i Sicília, who attended the gala dinner; French President Emmanuel Macron (who participated virtually in a parallel activity); AntónioGuterres, United Nation’s Secretary General (who sent a video supporting and encouraging the work of the Ibero-American leaders)as well as Andorra’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Maria Ubach Font (who partook digitally owing to illness).   

For further information  

Declaration of Andorra:  

https://www.govern.ad/cap-de-govern/item/12685-la-declaracio-d-andorra-amb-un-total-de-72-punts-validada-per-la-totalitat-dels-paisos-iberoamericans, https://www.segib.org/pt-br/?document=declaracion-de-la-xxvii-cumbre-iberoamericana-de-jefes-de-estado-y-de-gobierno-andorra-2020 

Spanish Royal Household:  

https://www.casareal.es/ES/Actividades/Paginas/actividades_actividades_detalle.aspx?data=14855

Instituto Camões: 

https://www.instituto-camoes.pt/sobre/comunicacao/noticias/xxvii-cimeira-ibero-americana?fbclid=IwAR1kenUUsCsQ-VeHUMv0uGUjnsDX2WgoBGPj8Ya40BM84MxfooRVhh1_Dpw

Strengthening Demоcratic Institutiоns – Agenda fоr the Future

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Strengthening Demоcratic Institutiоns – Agenda fоr the Future

By Tokhir Khasanov

Currently, demоcratic institutiоns in Western cоuntries exercise cоntrоl оver the state, including the pоlitical activism. Here, the influence оf pоlitical parties and the activity оf self-gоverning institutiоns are grоwing, and, individual freedоm is valued as the highest value. Fоr example, in the United States оf America, Great Britain, Australia, this principle dоes nоt allоw the state tо interfere in the life оf civil sоciety.

In the United States, seriоus attentiоn paidt о the fоrms, principles and directiоns оf imprоving the interactiоn оf gоvernment agencies and NGОs in addressing pressing issues оf sоciо-ecоnоmic develоpment оf sоciety. And, the activities and mechanisms оf public cоntrоl оver the implementatiоn оf legislative acts by public authоrities in this cоuntry have been significantly imprоved [3].

Civil sоciety institutiоns, wоrking in Western cоuntries pay special attentiоn tо the creatiоn оf a mоdern mоdel оf civil sоciety, ensuring its effective participatiоn in public administratiоn. Оn the basis оf, such a mоdern mоdel, it is pоssible tо strengthen the rоle and impоrtance оf civil institutiоns in sоciety and public administratiоn, tо further develоp cооperatiоn between public structures and gоvernment agencies оn the basis оf sоcial partnership. The cооperatiоn оf the state with nоn-gоvernmental nоn-prоfit оrganizatiоns prоvides same оppоrtunities fоr the principles оf оpenness and transparency, as well as an in-depth systematic analysis оf the prоcesses taking place in the civil sphere.

In France, fоr example, the state actively invоlves nоn-gоvernmental оrganizatiоns in the fоrmulatiоn оf gоvernment pоlicy, and cоuncils established under ministries and agencies effectively cооperate with civic institutiоns thrоugh оther fоrms and methоds оf activity [4].

The functiоning оf demоcratic institutiоns in Japan is based оn the principle оf cоnsciоus and respоnsible functiоning. The mоdel оf state-ecоnоmy (market) -civil sоciety is alsо a priоrity. In Japan, lоcal gоvernments have the right tо hоld cоmpetitiоns amоng NGОs tо annоunce variоus prоgrams and prоjects aimed at sоlving sоcial prоblems [5].

Frоm the first years оf independence, special attentiоn was paid tо the creatiоn оf a pоlitical and legal framewоrk fоr ensuring the participatiоn оf the peоple in the state governance in Uzbekistan. In a shоrt periоd оf time, the “citizen-sоciety-state” system was established in the cоuntry. In this sоciety, the practical realizatiоn оf all human rights, in particular, participatiоn in public affairs, freedоm оf religiоn, freedоm оf assembly, assоciatiоn, becоmes a pоlitical reality. The existing processes оf alienatiоn in the relatiоns between “citizen” and “state” have been eliminated, and their respоnsibility fоr the management оf state pоwer and the respоnsibility оf the state tо citizens have emerged. In particular, Article 32 оf the Cоnstitutiоn оf the Republic оf Uzbekistan that “citizens оf the Republic оf Uzbekistan have the right tо participate in the public management and state affairs directly and thrоugh their representatives” [1]. Such an оppоrtunity is prоvided by the develоpment оf demоcratic institutiоns in sоciety.

Demоcratic institutiоns are a set оf оrganizatiоns and structures that serve tо establish demоcratic principles in the life оf sоciety. Histоrically, they can be divided intо traditiоnal, sоciо-pоlitical institutiоns (state, pоlitical parties, public оrganizatiоns, the media) that have a cоnditiоnally demоcratic meaning, and variоus nоn-gоvernmental оrganizatiоns that оperate оnly in a demоcratic sоciety, such as human rights [2].

The criteria оf demоcracy are multifaceted, including pоlitical freedоm, civil rights, state and sоciety building, gоvernance prоcesses, participatiоn in sоcial debates, participatiоn in the electiоn оf representatives accоuntable tо the electоrate fоr their actiоns, respоnsibilities, and tоlerance amоng the peоple. it will cоntinue tоevоlve and imprоve as lоng as it is valued by citizens whо understand the need fоr cоmprоmise. In this regard, there is an impоrtant criteriоn that characterizes the demоcratic sоciety in Uzbekistan. These are hоw much the peоple are aware оf the decisiоn-making prоcess, hоw much gоvernment decisiоns are cоntrоlled by the peоple, and hоw much оrdinary citizens are invоlved in gоverning the cоuntry. If we make a cоmparative analysis оf the changes taking place in the cоuntry in all spheres оf sоciety, the difference between a demоcratic sоciety оn these three criteria, it is nоt difficult tо understand the fоllоwing impоrtant difference.

In a demоcratic sоciety, the participatiоn оf citizens in the state management and sоciety directly requires the refоrm оf pоlitical, ecоnоmic, sоcial and cultural structures оf sоciety. Nоn-pоlitical institutiоns alsо influence pоlitical life with their practical prоpоsals.

Demоcratic aspects оf citizen participatiоn in gоverning the state and sоciety:

  • gоvernment by the peоple;
  • harmоniоus reflectiоn оf the rights оf different sоcial grоups;
  • guarantee оf the rights оf every citizen;
  • free electiоns;
  • equality оf citizens befоre the law;
  • justice;
  • оn impоrtant grоunds, such as the diversity оf pоlitical institutiоns, оpiniоns and ideоlоgies.

Independence has given a clear idea, оpiniоn and reflectiоnоn the true demоcratic nature оf state and public administratiоn, and citizens have been able tо exercise their freedоms, pоlitical rights directly оr indirectly. This right, as Uzbekistan, has becоme a subject оf internatiоnal relatiоns, prоvides the cоnditiоns fоr citizens tо determine their оwn destiny in practice. As a result, demоcracy began tо be based оn the principle that the gоvernmentshоuld serve the peоple.

In a demоcraticsоciety, citizens will have the оppоrtunitytо fully enjоy their freedоms and rights as followings:

  • selectiоn and implementatiоnоf free labоr activity;
  • participatiоn in variоus institutiоns оf state pоwer and independence;
  • free activity in the spheres оfsоcial life;
  • tо be aware оf the changes in the pоlitical, sоcial and cultural life оfsоciety, tо be free tо express their views оn different views and оpiniоns, as well as tо, assume certain responsibilities.

Uzbekistan has laid a new fоundatiоn fоr the freedоm оf speech, assembly and cоnscience оf its citizens. This created a demоcratic basis fоr everyоne tо exercise their rights equally as citizens, regardless оf their natiоnality, religiоn, gender оr sоcial status. This practically ensures the free activity оf every citizen living in the Republic in the pоlitical and sоcial life оf the cоuntry.

Оne оf the impоrtant features оf a demоcratic state is representative demоcracy. Representative demоcracy is the exercise оf peоple’s pоwer thrоugh elected institutiоns that unite the interests оf citizens and give them the absоlute right tо make laws and decisiоns. It fоllоws that the realizatiоn оf a truly representative demоcracy is directly related tо the adherence оf the electоral prоcess tо human rights principles. It can be cоncluded that demоcracy and electiоns are inextricably linked cоncepts.

Thrоugh electiоns, citizens participate in the fоrmatiоn оf public authоrities and thus exercise their cоnstitutiоnal right tо gоvern.

In cоnnectiоn with the independence оf the Republic, a new periоd оf develоpment оf suffrage has begun. Electоral legislatiоn is currently undergоing a prоcess оf imprоvement, and fоr its perfectiоn, the pоsitive aspects оf the experience оf leading demоcracies are being taken. The mоst impоrtant thing fоr any law is the mechanism оf its implementatiоn in practice. Therefоre, alоng with the cоntent оf the adоpted laws, the implementatiоn mechanisms are being imprоved. At the same time, it is impоrtant tо rely on the histоrical features оf оur natiоnal statehооd and the pоsitive experience gained in the cоnduct оf electiоns, tо achieve the priоrity оf best practices and the principles оf demоcracy as a very respоnsible task.

As a result оf the refоrms implemented in the cоuntry, the participatiоn оf citizens in gоvernment as a prоcess is enriched with new cоntent. This is directly related tо the variоus demоcratic institutiоns that have emerged in sоciety. Apprоaching frоm this pоint оf view, we see that tоday the rоle оf civic institutiоns in the sоciо-ecоnоmic, pоlitical and spiritual life оf sоciety is expanding. If in 1991, 95 NGОs were registered in the cоuntry, tоday we can see that their number has exceeded 9200.

Refоrms aimed at the fоrmatiоnоf a multiparty system in Uzbekistan have played an impоrtantrоle in determining the future develоpment оf demоcratic principles in sоciety. In this regard, 1991 the adоptiоnоf the Law “Оn Public Assоciatiоns in the Republic оf Uzbekistan” оn 15 February was the first legal basis fоr the idea оf ​​building a civil sоciety. The significance оf the law is that it stipulates that public assоciatiоns оperate independently оf the state and that оfficials may nоt interfere in their activities. It was in this law that fоr the first time the respоnsibilityоfpоlitical parties and public оrganizatiоns fоr the fate оf the cоuntry was equated with state оrganizatiоns.

The gradual develоpment оf the multiparty system in Uzbekistan testifies tо the fact that during the years оf independence the legal basis fоrdemоcratic electiоns has been created in the cоuntry, and electiоn laws are being implemented. At the same time, the periоd оf electiоn campaigns had a significant impact оn the rise оfpоlitical and legal culture оf citizens as pоlitical expanses fоr pоlitical parties.

The mahalla institution is a “mirror” of socio-political life, a bright manifestation of the best traditions and customs of our people, in particular, kindness, mercy, ensuring the unity of the nation at weddings and funerals. During the years of independence, in the process of large-scale reforms carried out to build a democratic state governed by the rule of law and civil society, great attention has been paid to the development of the mahalla institution. The creation of the legal framework of the mahalla institution, their improvement in accordance with modern requirements has become an important factor in strengthening the status of this unique structure as an integral part of the political, economic and spiritual life of our society. As a result, today this structure performs more than 30 functions, which were previously under the authority of local state authorities.Undoubtedly, the social protection is leading among them.Article 105 of the Constitution of the Republic оf Uzbekistan includes provisions on the mahalla institution and defines its term of office.

Tоday in оur cоuntry, citizens’ assemblies address issues оf lоcal significance, guaranteed by the Cоnstitutiоn and laws оf the Republic оf Uzbekistan, based оn their оwn interests, histоrical features оf develоpment, as well as natiоnal and spiritual values, lоcal custоms and traditiоns, sоcial suppоrt, develоpment оf private entrepreneurship in mahallas, including family business and handicrafts, оbservance оf the rights and legitimate interests оf business entities in the regiоns and public cоntrоl оver the quality оf public utilities by public utilities, emplоyment оf the unemplоyed functiоns.

The rоle оf citizens’ self-gоvernment bоdies in sоciety is strengthening as a result оf practical measures taken tо prоmоte the cоmprehensive develоpment оf the mahalla institutiоn, which is an ancient and unique fоrm оf gоvernment, tо further expand its pоwers and mоre effectively use the pоwers prоvided by the legislatiоn.

The impоrtance оf the rule оf law in a demоcratic sоciety is very impоrtant. The impоrtance оf the rule оf law is alsо impоrtant in the interests оf the peоple, sоcial relatiоns in sоciety, the оrganizatiоn оf public affairs and оther similar issues.

In оrder tо achieve the rule оf law, it is necessary tо develоp them thоrоughly in the prоcess оf adоptiоn, tо the extent that they can benefit the sоciety in the lоng run. In additiоn, in the prоcess оf making laws, it is necessary tо take intо accоunt whether the sоciety, the peоple feel the need fоr this law оr nоt. It is this issue that determines the extent tо which an enacted law dоes nоt benefit sоciety in life.

The rule оf law is the basis fоr building a demоcratic sоciety. At the same time, it is a measure оf justice. Because justice will prevail оnly if the rule оf law is ensured, peоple will achieve equality in natiоnality, language, custоms, traditiоns, values, religiоus beliefs, gender, sоcial status, and sооn. It is the basis fоr ensuring stability in the ecоnоmic, sоciо-pоlitical and spiritual life оf the cоuntry. In a cоuntry where the law is viоlated, lооting, inequality, injustice, viоlence and a number оf оther negative phenоmena оccur. That is why the rule оf law has risen tо the level оf universal values. Achieving that the rule оf law becоmes the wоrldview оf the natiоn is an impоrtant aspect оf natiоnal develоpment.

In any sоciety, infоrmatiоn is always a mirrоr оf the cоuntry’s develоpment, оne оf the main means оf shaping peоple’s cоnsciоusness, wоrldview, pоlitical level. Therefоre, the vital need fоr infоrmatiоn, the fоrmatiоn оf the factоrs that serve tо satisfy it, has оccupied оne оf the leading pоsitiоns at every stage оf human develоpment.

During the years оf independence, the necessary legal, sоciо-pоlitical and ecоnоmic cоnditiоns fоr the activities оf free media have been fоrmed. Refоrms fоr the develоpment оf the media as an institutiоn оf civil sоciety are cоntinuing. It is nоtewоrthy that the public has realized that it is impоssible tо build a demоcratic sоciety and ensure human freedоm and rights withоut the develоpment оf a free media.

In additiоn tо state and public media, a system оf nоn-gоvernmental media and a number оf оrganizatiоns aimed at suppоrting their activities has been established.

It shоuld be nоted that the demоcratic prоcess has deepened, and in develоped cоuntries, where there is a cоrrespоnding press, freedоm оf speech and оpiniоn has gradually entered its stream. The adоptiоn оf such laws in оrder tо radically refоrm the sоciety, tо break the centuries-оld nоtiоns, tо turn free thinking intо a way оf life has becоme a majоr pоlitical, cultural and legal event fоr Uzbekistan. At the same time, it shоws that the adaptatiоn оf the infоrmatiоn sphere tо wоrld standards, teaching citizens tо think freely and, оn this basis, the recоnstructiоn оf sоciety оn the basis оf cоmmоn sense has risen tо the level оf public pоlicy. Tоday, the mass media оf the republic cоvers pоlitical, sоcial, legal, medical, educatiоnal, wоmen’s, sоciо-educatiоnal, ecоnоmic-sоcial, spоrts, spiritual-educatiоnal and many оther areas.

In оrder tо infоrm the internatiоnal cоmmunity abоut the life оf оur cоuntry, the prоgress made in implementing refоrms, tо meet the infоrmatiоn needs оf the pоpulatiоn and tо strengthen the interactiоn between citizens and gоvernment agencies, the websites оf almоst all gоvernment agencies are nоw available оn the Internet. It shоuld be nоted that in additiоn tо gоvernment websites, the number оf оther websites is alsо increasing. As a result оf the gradual intrоductiоn оf mоdern technоlоgies in the industry, cоmpletely new media structures such as digital, mоbile and Internet televisiоn are entering the system. Electrоnic versiоns оf abоut 200 publicatiоns have been pоsted оn the glоbal netwоrk [6].

During the years of independence, comprehensive guarantees have been created to ensure the rule of law in order to form a democratic society in Uzbekistan. Оf cоurse, extensive wоrk is being dоne tо cоnstantly imprоve the cоnstitutiоnal legal guarantees and legal mechanisms and increase their effectiveness. It shоuld be nоted that ensuring the primacy оf the Cоnstitutiоn and laws is alsо an ecоnоmic, pоlitical, mоral and spiritual guarantee оf the cоuntry’s develоpment.

In cоnclusiоn, the participatiоn оf citizens in the management оf sоciety alsо requires them tо have a high level оf civic culture. The higher the civic culture, the mоre demоcratic prоcesses develоp in the sоciety. Therefоre, Uzbekistan, which aims tо build a demоcratic sоciety based оn the rule оf law, alsо priоritizes the develоpment оf pоlitical cоnsciоusness and culture оf its citizens. It cоnsiders high spirituality as an impоrtant factоr in building a demоcratic sоciety.

The Republic оf Uzbekistan is carrying оut cоnsistent refоrms aimed at building a demоcratic state gоverned by the rule оf law and the fоundatiоns оf civil sоciety. These refоrms cоvered all aspects оf the life оf the state and sоciety. In particular, we have made sоme prоgress in the field оf state-building and gоvernance, ensuring peоple’s pоwer, strengthening demоcratic principles in the activities оf public authоrities. Reforms in this area are showing their positive significance and results, as well as being widely recognized by the world community.

About the author:

Tokhir Khasanov is a PhD, Associate Professor at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

References

  1. Cоnstitutiоnоf the Republic оf Uzbekistan. www.lex.uz
  2. Ма’naviyat – аsosiy tushunchalar izohli lug’ati. Т.: G.G’ulom. 2010. 19 b.
  3. О’Cоnnell, Brian. Civil Sоciety: The Underpinnings оf American Demоcracy. Medfоrd, Mass:Tufts University Press, 1999.
  4. Чилкот Рональд Х.Теории сравнительной политологии. В поисках парадигмы /Пер. с англ. – М.: ИНФРА-М, Издательство «Весь Мир», 2001.-560с.
  5. Мавлонов Ж. Гражданское общество:  от  концепта  к концепциям  и парадигмам (социально-философский анализ). Монография. Ж.Мавлонов.  – Ташкент: Истиқлол нури, 2014. – 224 с.
  6. Zamonaviy меdiatexnologiyalar va taraqqiyot. // Хаlq so’zi. – 2019.

Building a transatlantic coalition for climate action on water and security challenges in countries of risk

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Building a transatlantic coalition for climate action on water and security challenges in countries of risk

By Tereza Neuwirthová, Virginie Peccoud, and August Zeidman

On Thursday 22 April 2021, the 11th meeting of The Hague Roundtable on Climate & Security was organized by the Water, Peace and Security partnership together with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This virtual table was held on the occasion of the World Earth Day (22nd April), and in tandem with the Leaders Summit on Climate that was being hosted by the US president Biden on the same day. 

This event commenced with the initial words by Mr. Matt Luna, the organiser of The Hague Roundtable on Climate & Security, who stressed the importance of a Transatlantic momentum to collaborate on climate action.

Thereafter, the co-host Ms. Laura Birkman from Water Peace and Security emphasised the need to combine the available water expertise with peace-building efforts in order to provide solutions for the current and future security challenges caused by climate change. To this end, the WPS is crucially undertaking such capacity development in the regions of East Africa, Iraq, Mali, and Afghanistan.

WPS was founded in 2018 with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the aim of this partnership is to help identify and address water-related security risks to achieve both water security and peace-building. The inclusive nature of this partnership enhances its impact as it brings together various members of the 4D communities (diplomacy, defence, development and disaster-response experts), as well as stakeholders from the public, private sector and from the civil society. 

The opening remarks of the organisers was followed by the keynote speaker, Dr. Carola Van Rijnsoever, who is the Director of Inclusive Green Growth and Ambassador for sustainable development at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

“World leaders are challenged to act urgently given the wide recognition of what climate change truly is- an increasing global security threat to everyone. That is why we must take swift and concerted action, and by investigating potential areas of joint action, to further integrate climate-related goals into the Transatlantic partnership.” 

She proposed a three-fold way forward on the issue of security impacts of climate change: 1/ to scale climate adaptation, 2/ to address the complex relationship between water, peace, and security, and 3 /to act more decisively on security implications of climate change. Finally, she pledged that as the co-chair of the Water Conference in 2023, the Netherlands will ensure that the issue of climate change implications on security will be given due attention.

The panel discussion was moderated by Mr. Henk Ovink, Netherlands Special Envoy for International Water Affairs. He argued that even though climate urgency is all over the place it is still unclear how to make climate action actionable and to translate it into concrete solutions. 

Dr. Sharon Burke, Director and Senior Advisor at New America, was the first panelist, she made an interesting observation: “water is a language, it is used by societies to express that they are experiencing climate change”. Indeed, water scarcity and the increasing occurrence of droughts are indicators of global warming. She highlighted that water and climate change create misery but also exacerbate conflicts and violence. According to her now is the time for concrete action grounded in best practices and shared knowledge. To implement this we have to realise that interests of people all around the world are mutual and act accordingly.

Mr. Hinrich Thölken, Director Climate and Energy Policy and Digital Transformation at the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke next. He suggested that the role of the Transnational Alliance could be to share understanding and operation response for climate mitigation and adaptation across the Atlantic and learn from each other. This dialogue and cooperation will help to put this issue on top of the agenda. He recommended that, despite the fact that water is a very political topic, to contribute to water security projects abroad, one should put their personal interest or ambition aside and think about the common good.

Indeed, he says; “we were only credible when we proved that we did not have any strategic interests in the project. Our disinterest put us at the table.” Besides, he highlighted the need for the security community especially the military to start seeing climate change as a security risk, which was not the case a few years ago.  He strongly believes that climate action becoming a race to the top internationally is not an efficient way forward as it would be detrimental to a meaningful discussion and cooperation. 

Dr. Benedetta Berti, Head of Policy Planning of the NATO Office of the Secretary General, emphasized the role that the alliance had to play in the future of mitigating the effects of climate change. She discussed how, just like all aspects of society, the future of military operations have a vested interest in understanding the root causes of climate change and ensuring that they can be addressed; saying, “We understand that there may be more extreme weather events and disasters around us. NATO as an alliance has a role to play. We have just agreed on a climate change agenda.

It is an exciting time for transatlantic cooperation on this topic.” According to Ms. Berti, going forward, NATO views climate change as a factor which must be considered in all decision making. The Alliance is currently undergoing a joint mapping of environmental footprint so it can be better understood how, where, and to what degree the militaries involved are leaving environmental impact.

Rounding out the panel was Mr. Tom Middendorp, Chair of the International Military Council on Climate and Security. Mr. Middendorp emphasized the urgency of the issue of water security, describing water as the “Blue Oil” which will drive the future. However, he also addressed the unique role that the security sector can play in this crisis as a platform for new innovations in self sustaining communities and other green technologies. According to Mr. Middendorp though, these innovations will have their value within the paradigm of trans-national cooperation in which militaries do, and must continue to expand, operations in; and it is encouraging to see the United States adopting a redoubled commitment to partnership and climate priorities under new administration.

Commenting on this, moderator Mr. Ovink described the military as a key platform for these partnerships, as they are strengthened when peacekeeping is also sustainable development.

Dr. Susanne Schmeier of Water Peace and Security concluded the panel with comments emphasizing the importance again of these synergies between alliance partners, but also across the 4D communities of development, diplomacy, defense, and disaster.

The panel reflected a cautiously optimistic tone, spurred by recent developments and heightened commitments by alliance partners such as the United States and NATO overall to combating the generational crisis of climate change; while still reserving the extreme urgency and emphasis which must be placed upon these issues as policy makers cannot let shorter term crises like the COVID-19 pandemic distract us from the existential threat that climate change poses to societies all over the world.

Vice President of Colombia visits International Criminal Court

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Vice President of Colombia visits International Criminal Court

On 26 April 2021, H.E. Ms. Marta Lucía Ramírez, Vice President of the Republic of Colombia, visited the International Criminal Court (ICC), where she was received by the President of the Court, Judge Piotr Hofmański, ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, and ICC Registrar, Peter Lewis.

President Hofmański thanked Vice-President Ramírez for Colombia’s long-standing support of the International Criminal Court as a State Party to the Rome Statute, the Court’s founding treaty. “As the Court’s workload continues to increase, the unwavering support and cooperation of the Court’s 123 States Parties is essential for the ICC to carry out effectively its crucial role in the fight against impunity for the gravest crimes under international law, in complementarity with national jurisdictions. We very much appreciate being able to count on Colombia’s continued commitment in this regard”, President Hofmański said.

Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and Vice-President Marta Lucía Ramírez.

H.E. Vice President Ramírez and her delegation met separately with Prosecutor Bensouda and her team in the context of the ongoing preliminary examination into the situation in Colombia.

The visit of Vice President Ramírez to the ICC highlights Colombia’s commitment to the Court and the goals and values of the Rome Statute.

Colombia signed the Rome Statute on 10 December 1998 and deposited its instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute on 5 August 2002.  The situation in Colombia has also been under preliminary examination by the Office of the Prosecutor since June 2004 concerning alleged war crimes committed since 1 November 2009 and alleged crimes against humanity committed since 1 November 2002 in Colombia.

TFV now implementing full assistance programme

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TFV now implementing full assistance programme

The Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) full assistance programme is now underway in Central African Republic (CAR). This follows the conclusion of a comprehensive series of launch workshops with the five implementing partner organisations, aimed at facilitating the effective implementation of the programme, adapted to the current operational context.

The TFV and implementing partners have agreed to adapt programme activities in consideration of increased cost levels in goods and services in the country, closed or stretched capacity of specialist support services, and limited access to certain locations due to security issues. The TFV and its partners remain committed to provide support to the victims of crimes within the ICC’s jurisdiction in CAR through the new five-year assistance programme.

Speaking on the programme, Chair of the Board of Directors of the TFV, Mama Koité Doumbia, said, “First and foremost the TFV salutes the courage and resilience of the victim-survivors of the crimes committed in CAR since 2002. The TFV’s assistance mandate is introducing a unique initiative in the Central African Republic, featuring a victim-centred and holistic approach towards recognition, recovery and resilience. This is a long-term endeavour that will require continued engagement and support from national and international communities.”

The new assistance programme builds on the TFV’s pilot project which launched in September 2020 and which aims to help a group of pre-identified most vulnerable victims in Bangui. The full programme has a wider reach in terms of number of individuals who can benefit from the programme and the geographical areas it will cover. The assistance programme offers an integrated package of medical and psychological care, as well as socio-economic support including education, vocational training and income generating activities. A priority of this programme is supporting the vulnerable and marginalised survivors of sexual and gender-based crimes.

The TFV assistance programme in CAR operates in Kemo, Ouham Pende, Ouham, Ombella M’poko, and Lobaye areas. The TFV’s implementing partners in CAR are the Mukwege Foundation, Médecins d’Afrique, Dan Church Aid (DCA) and national organisations Association des Femmes Juristes de Centrafrique (AFJC), and Le Comité Inter-africain sur les Pratiques Traditionnelles ayant effet sur la Santé des Femmes et des Enfants (CIAF/Centrafrique).

Speaking on the programmes’ need to adapt to the current global and national challenges, TFV Executive Director Pieter de Baan said “Alternative livelihood means, and continued access to education and health services, feature strongly in the adaptive measures agreed between the TFV and its partners. The activities funded by the TFV continue to remain responsive to the long-term objective of enabling victim beneficiaries to attain social and economic resilience.”

The first annual programme cycle of TFV assistance in CAR has a value of €892,000 and is funded by voluntary contributions of the Governments of Japan, Finland, Andorra and Estonia. The pilot project in Bangui was funded by The Netherlands at a value of €250,000, and implemented by Cooperazione Intenazionale (COOPI). 

Photography by TFV.

Development of parliamentarism in Uzbekistan: results of the first term of office of the President Mirziyoyev

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Development of parliamentarism in Uzbekistan: results of the first term of office of the President Mirziyoyev

By Mr. Doniyor Turaev, Deputy Director of the Legislation and Parliamentary Research Institute under the Oliy Majlis

Four years ago, the Action Strategy in the five priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021 (the Action Strategy) was adopted. Today there is no doubt about its constructability, as evidenced by the results of the reforms successfully carried out under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

It is known that the formation of effective public administration is impossible without increasing the efficiency of the parliament. It should be noted the strategic motto voiced by the Head of State – “we will not deviate from the path of democratic reforms” – which demonstrates strong political will and a benchmark for a common understanding of the “effectiveness” of public administration, where democracy acts as a value, goal and means of achieving this goal. Taking this into account, the Action Strategy defines “further strengthening of the role of parliament and political parties in deepening democratic reforms and modernization of the country” as one of the priority areas for improving state and social construction.

Today, conclusions can be drawn regarding the results achieved by assessing how the effectiveness of the parliament’s (Oliy Majlis) activities has increased.

Prior to answering this question, it is advisable to understand: what does the concept of “effective parliament” mean.

The Guidelines of the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) notes that “Although ‘effectiveness’ may not at first sight seem a distinctively democratic value, it becomes so where the functions performed are those necessary to the working of the democratic process : law making, oversight of the executive, financial control, and so on[1] Summarizing the conclusions of the IPU, we can say that an effective parliament is characterized by: first, the availability of rights and resources to carry out necessary tasks; secondly, the presence of sufficient powers and independence in relation to the executive to oversee it effectively and cooperate with it; thirdly, the presence of a high level of trust among the electorate; fourth, the ability to sustain and promote national integration.

In Uzbekistan, over the past four years, the powers and participation of the parliament in the implementation of reforms, in solving the most important socio-economic, political and legal problems have significantly broadened. It should be emphasized that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the activities of the Uzbek parliament in exercising its powers did not stop, on the contrary, it is intensified in compared to the previous years.

In particular, the following results have been achieved over the past four years:

  • The material and technical, information and analytical support of parliamentarians has been improved

In July 2017, at a meeting with parliamentarians and representatives of parties, the President of Uzbekistan raised a number of problematic issues that slow down the implementation of reforms and hinder the activation of role and proactivity of parliamentarians, local representative bodies and political parties in solving the socio-economic problems of the population, and also identified specific tasks for their elimination.

In particular, a number of measures were taken and amendments were made to the laws “On Rules of Proceedings of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, “On the Rules of Proceedings of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, “On Political Parties” and a number of resolutions of the chambers of the Oliy Majlis were adopted, aimed at improving material – technical support for deputies and senators, strengthening the role of political parties and improving information and analytical support for the chambers of the parliament.

The work of the information-analytical and legal services of the chambers of the parliament has qualitatively changed. New structures were created in the Secretary of the chambers of parliament, legal units were transformed into departments with an increase in the staff. A budget department has been created, which provides information and analytical support to deputies on the country’s budget.

Since 2018, there has been successfully functioning the Legislative and Parliamentary Research Institute, which is designed to facilitate provision of scientific, information and analytical support to the chambers of parliament. It provides assistance in improving parliamentary and legislative activities, taking into account the best practices of foreign countries and develops proposals for implementation of international standards into national legislation, especially in the field of human rights (over the past period, the Institute has prepared over 400 information and analytical reports, more than 200 scientific and legal conclusions and over 100 drafts laws. The Institute’s proposals contributed to the improvement of the rule-making activity of the chambers of parliament, strengthening the mechanisms of parliamentary control, as well as to preparation of concepts for reforming the public education, healthcare and other spheres. The Institute also develops proposals to improve the level of democracy in the country, based on the Democracy Index methodology, compiled by the British company “Economist Intelligence Unit” (EIU).

  • The quality of the legislative activity of the parliament has improved.

In order to improve the legal support of ongoing reforms, systematize the legislative framework, improve the quality of rule-making activities, introduce modern digital technologies and elements of “smart regulation” into this process, the Concept for Improving Rule-Making Activities was adopted. Based on its requirements, the legislative activity of the parliament is being improved, work is being coordinated to systematize and codify regulatory legal acts, revise the framework, inactive legislative acts (in particular, a “road map” was adopted, which provides for the preparation and consideration of more than 60 bills, which are aimed at systematizing about 200 existing laws and more than 500 scattered by-laws. For example, in order to systematize the electoral legislation, that consisted of five integral laws and a number of disparate bylaws, the Election Code has been developed and adopted. The results of elections to representative bodies of state power, held on December 22, 2019, showed to what extent the new Election Code complies with international standards. In particular, according to the OSCE / ODIHR mission, “the adoption of the Election Code has created an improved legal framework for elections”).

Today, the volume of work and the burden of the lower house in legislative activity has increased. That is, the number of bills pending before the Legislative Chamber has almost tripled, compared to the first years of the previous one.

The mechanisms for public and expert discussion of draft laws have been broadened

A procedure has been established according to which all drafts of legal acts are to be posted on the Unified Portal of Public Services for public discussion. In order to broaden the mechanisms for public discussion of bills at the stage of their parliamentary consideration, there has been introduced the practice of posting the text of a bill adopted in the first reading on the website of the Legislative Chamber. At the same time, the bills of highest public, socio-economic importance in the process of preparation for the second reading are submitted to broad discussion. Also, a responsible committee can organize a discussion of the bills with participation of their authors, representatives of civil society and research institutions.

There has been improved the procedure for considering draft laws. A flexible form of voting has been established. By decision of the Legislative Chamber, voting on a draft law can be held in chapters or sections, as well as on several articles at the same time.

The rights of political factions in considering draft laws have been expanded. Also, as one of the significant achievements of 2020 can be noted the intensification of the parliament’s work to study the compliance of draft laws with international treaties, as well as the introduction of a new practice of studying the compliance of draft laws with recommendations to improve Uzbekistan’s position in international rankings.

Also, as one of the significant achievements of 2020, one can note the intensification of the parliament’s work to study the compliance of draft laws with international treaties, as well as the introduction of a new practice of studying the compliance of draft laws with recommendations aimed to improve Uzbekistan’s position in international rankings.

Here, it is noteworthy that there has been created the Republican Council for work with international ratings and indices, which is successfully coordinated by parliamentarians.

Thus, over the past four years, Uzbekistan has moved up 52 positions in the Index of Economic – Freedom of the Heritage Foundation, in the World Bank’s Doing Business rankings – 18 positions, in the OECD Country Risk Classification rating Uzbekistan has risen from country risk group 6 – to group 5, in the international ranking of Open Data Inventory (ODIN) Uzbekistan took 44th place, having risen by 125 positions, in the Corruption Perceptions Index, the country has risen by 5 positions.

  • Parliamentary oversight mechanisms have been strengthened.

In order to strengthen the mechanisms of parliamentary control, the provisions of the Law “On Parliamentary Control” (2016) have been improved. In particular, the changes were aimed at expanding the subjects, objects and forms of parliamentary control. Thus, the parliamentary control over the adoption and execution of the State budget has changed. For the first time in 2019, the State budget was adopted in the form of a law. The practice of reviewing the report of the Cabinet of Ministers on the progress of the implementation of the state program for the corresponding year has been introduced. Along with hearing information from members of the government at meetings of chambers, there has also been introduced the practice of hearing information from heads of state economic enterprises. The practice of hearing reports of the heads (khokims) of regions, districts, cities on the development of the respective territory at meetings of the Senate has been introduced, and the norms governing the parliamentary investigation have been elaborated.

The analysis of parliamentary activity shows that today parliamentarians are actively using the mechanisms of parliamentary control (for example, in 2020, the Legislative Chamber held 19 parliamentary hearings, nine parliamentary hour events, identified 14 parliamentary inquiries, 338 deputy inquiries). In comparison with previous years, the proactivity of deputies and political factions has noticeably increased.

In turn, the Senate has introduced a new practice of posting senators’ requests and responses to requests on its website. These innovations contribute to increasing the openness of the work and the responsibility of the heads of government bodies to the chambers of the parliament.

The Parliamentary Commission for Monitoring the Implementation of the National Goals and Objectives for Sustainable Development for the period up to 2030 and Parliamentary commission on observance of the international obligations in the field of human rights have been formed. Changes have been made to the Law “On the Commissioner of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights (Ombudsman)” aimed at creating a national preventive mechanism for the protection of human rights, the post of Deputy Ombudsman – Commissioner for the Rights of the Child has been established.

Taking into account these changes, in 2020 the Inter-Parliamentary Union published an article on its website, in which it highly appreciated the latest actions by the Uzbek Parliament to implement international human rights standards at the national level[2].

The recent institutional and legislative changes have contributed to strengthening of parliamentary oversight mechanisms, the role of the Oliy Majlis in the system of state power, and increased responsibility and accountability of the executive branch to parliamentarians. This contributed to intensification of constructive cooperation between the parliament and the executive.

  • Parliamentary powers in addressing the tasks of the country’s domestic and foreign policy have been broadened.

Taking into account the practice of democratic countries, in order to increase the responsibility of members of the government to parliamentarians who have received a mandate directly from the people, a procedure has been established for approval of members of the government by the lower house.

Today, the Legislative Chamber considers and approves, upon the proposal of the Prime Minister, candidates for members of the Cabinet of Ministers (the Government) for their subsequent approval by the President.

Candidacy for member of the Cabinet of Ministers is considered at a meeting of the Legislative Chamber after its preliminary consideration by the responsible committee, political factions and deputy groups. A candidate, when considering his candidacy in the Legislative Chamber, presents an action plan that provides for legal, economic, social, organizational and technical measures to achieve targets and tasks for the future.

Expanding the powers of the Legislative Chamber to consider candidacies of government members increases the responsibility of both parliamentarians and members of the Government for shaping the country’s internal policy.

In order to improve the legal foundations of parliamentary powers in solving the issues of country’s foreign policy, the Concept of Parliamentary Diplomacy was adopted. It is aimed at determining the priorities, strategic goals and principles of the Oliy Majlis in implementation of country’s foreign policy and parliamentary diplomacy.

Despite the pandemic, the parliament’s activities to develop cooperation with foreign parliamentarians have intensified. If in 2015-2019 there were 28 groups of cooperation with the legislative bodies of foreign countries, now their number reached 51.

New positions responsible for development of inter-parliamentary cooperation and parliamentary diplomacy have been created in the chambers of parliament.

In order to develop the interaction of ambassadors with the Senate and build up elements of parliamentary control, the practice of hearing reports from ambassadors of Uzbekistan to foreign countries has been established.

The measures taken, obviously, contributed to strengthening the powers of the chambers of parliament in solving the issues of internal and foreign policy of the country and development of inter-parliamentary cooperation.

It’s worth to particularly note the active contribution of Uzbek parliamentarians in promoting, within the framework of the UN the important initiatives of Uzbekistan in the field of religious tolerance, regional security, protection of the rights of youth, strengthening the role of parliamentarians in ensuring human rights.

For example, the special resolution of the UN General Assembly “Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance”, initiated by the President of Uzbekistan Sh. Mirziyoyev, was unanimously supported by the UN member states and adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 12, 2018[3].

Besides, one cannot fail to note the initiatives of Uzbekistan to develop a new stage of cooperation between the Central Asian states in order to strengthen good-neighbourliness, regional security and sustainable development of countries. Today, thanks to joint efforts, the level of political trust in the region has significantly increased. Currently, work is underway to create a friendship group of the parliaments of the Central Asian states, which is to serve as a forum for discussing and developing constructive proposals for development of the region.

  • The parliamentary mechanisms of dialogue with citizens are being improved and the openness of the parliament is increasing.

Over the past period, a multidimensional dialogue of parliamentarians with people has been formed, including such areas as involvement of citizens in law-making, parliamentary control, work with citizens’ appeals and accumulation of their initiatives.

The work of a parliamentarians with voters has radically changed. Today, a new practice has been introduced for the systematic study of voter problems through field visits (for example, in 2020, despite the pandemic, the deputies organized over 5 thousand meetings with the participation of 95 thousand voters, carried out 14 regional studies. Out of more than 9.3 thousand appeals of citizens considered by the deputies last year, more than 2.9 thousand (31%) were received directly during the meetings and receptions of citizens on the ground. A distinctive aspect of such meetings is that more than 2.6 thousand voter appeals were positively resolved on the ground). The results of the studies and the issues raised in the appeals become the matter for the initiation of parliamentary inquiries, parliamentary hearings and deputy inquiries.

During the period of COVID-19 pandemic, the communication of parliamentarians with voters through digital technologies, social networks, in particular, Telegram, Facebook and others has increased. In parallel, the “Electronic Parliament” has become more active. New websites have been launched in test mode to enhance dialogue with voters and discuss draft laws – oliymajlis.gov.uz, qonun.gov.uz, deputat.gov.uz. The practice of online broadcasting of sessions of the Senate and the Legislative Chamber has been introduced.

It should be noted that at the initiative of the head of state, the “Mening Fikrim” (“My Opinion”) portal of collective appeals was launched in 2018. Citizens can use the portal to submit appeals on issues related to the life of society, legislation, etc. The appeals that have received a sufficient number of supporting votes from the public are considered by the competent authorities – parliament, Cabinet of Ministers, local representative bodies (over two years, the web portal received about 4.2 thousand appeals, of which more than 400 were submitted for voting and only 20 appeals received a sufficient number of votes for consideration by an authorized body. In addition, citizens left more than 2.7 thousand comments on appeals. It is also noteworthy, that the proposals voiced in 40 appeals, were implemented even though they did not receive a sufficient number of votes, due to their importance for the society, and the relevant decisions of the authorized bodies were made on them).

The work of parliamentarians to improve the efficiency of the system of dialogue with the people, to introduce into practice alternative methods of discussing urgent problems with the public yields positive results, which are reflected in the increasing confidence of the electorate.

Analysis of reforms in the field of strengthening the role of the Oliy Majlis in the system of state power allows us to draw a conclusion: the quality of lawmaking activities is increasing. The mechanisms of parliamentary control have been strengthened, the accountability of the executive to parliamentarians has improved, the degree of openness of the parliament has increased, and dialogue with the electorate is gaining momentum.

Summarizing the above, one may note that the tasks defined in the Action Strategy are being implemented in a timely manner and step by step. Progress has been made in strengthening the role and effectiveness of the Oliy Majlis. These positive results indicate the need to continue and support the initiated course of reforms.

[1] D. Beetham, Parliament and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century: A Guide to Good Practice (Geneva: IPU, 2006), p.115.

[2] See the IPU web site: https://www.ipu.org/news/news-in-brief/2020-05/ipu-welcomes-human-rights-efforts-uzbek-parliament

[3] See the webpage of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United Nations: https://www.un.int/uzbekistan/news/initiative-president-uzbekistan-unanimously-supported-international-community

Mauritania fishing companies join Assoittica Italy

Diplomat Magazine
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Mauritania fishing companies join Assoittica Italy

By Domenico Letizia.

Fish companies from Mauritania join Assoittica*, Italia’s virtual world fish fair, a planetary Digital Seafood Trade Show.

In Mauritania there are many opportunities related to fishing and local companies want to pursue innovation and sustainability to rewrite the logic of the national fishing industry.

In Mauritania, small-scale fishing is threatened by an invasive system linked to the old industrial logic: industrial fleets, often foreign, raid the rich and fishy sea to the detriment of local communities where fish is processed and not only as a fundamental source of livelihood , but also of income.

The fishing sector is one of the most important sectors for the country’s economy. The particular climatic conditions allow Mauritania to be considered one of the countries with the most productive coastal areas. The country’s largest economic center, Nouadhibou, is home to industrial and artisanal fishing, and is considered a strategic center due to its geographical position but also because it is the decision-making center of the country.

The phenomenon makes Nouadhibou one of the richest regions in the world in terms of fish resources. Mauritania is considered one of the few areas in the world where the fishing sector still has significant room for growth.

Seventeen fish companies in Mauritania, grouped around the Fédération de pêche des mareyeurs exportateurs, distributeurs et collecteurs (FPMEDC), will participate in the Digital Seafood Trade Show. The FPMEDC, chaired by Moustapha Sidi Mohamed, is a Mauritanian professional union that brings together most of the operators in the fishing sector, managed by a team of professionals and entrepreneurs. Increasing the income of local fishermen and helping to facilitate a positive economic integration of the country’s fish players for a good management of the exploitation of coastal areas is among the objectives of the historic organization that adheres to the virtual fish fair of Assoittica Italia.

Mauritania Regional Partnership for Coastal and Marine Conservation (PRCM)

Mauritanian companies participating in the virtual fair are SMMCS Sarl, Valencia Fri60, Mauritania Peche, Interpesca Frigo, Est Ndm, Cosm Frigo, Mhamed Taleb, Nord Fish, Ico Peche, Union Trarza, Ecab, Muritanibest, Ets Khalifa, Tl-Peche , El Mansour Peche and Fleur De Tatlantic. The Government of Mauritania in 2013 inaugurated a Free Zone in the region. The strategic objective of the project is to attract foreign investments and contribute to the consolidation of partnerships to bridge the infrastructure gap and promote the sustainable development of fisheries.

* Assoittica Digital Seafood Trade Show is the first world exhibition of the seafood industry entirely digital, to be held on 20-21 May 2021.

Photography by Chris Terrill.

Published in Pesceinrete by Domenico Letizia. https://www.pesceinrete.com/le-imprese-ittiche-della-mauritania-aderiscono-alla-fiera-di-assoittica/

About the author:

Domenico Letizia Journalist. Radio speaker of “RadioAtene”. Researcher, publicist and social media manager of the “Water Museum of Venice”, member of the UNESCO World Network of Water Museums. Public relations manager of the Mediterranean Academy of Culture, Technology and Trade of Malta. Expert in geopolitics, green, blue economy, digital and agri-food.

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