Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 69
Prioritise promotion of civil society activity and human rights in Central Asian engagement
Recommendation
The autocratic nature of the governments in the region and the lack of civil society engagement in most countries represents the foremost threat to peace and stability in the region. As recommended elsewhere, the UK Government should continue to prioritise the promotion of meaningful civil society activity and the meeting of human rights obligations as cross-cutting themes in its engagement with the five Central Asian states.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the importance of promoting civil society and human rights in Central Asia, but doesn't commit to specific new actions beyond what is already stated as cross-cutting themes.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
69
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
Partially Agree 75. The UK is committed to upholding and promoting fundamental human rights in Central Asia, as elsewhere in the world. We work closely with civil society organisations across the region, including through the Integrated Security Fund (ISF), Effective Governance for Economic Development (EGED), EECAD Resilience Programme (ERP) and other bilateral programmes, and will continue to prioritise the promotion of meaningful civil society activity and the meeting of human rights obligations. 76. We raise human rights issues regularly bilaterally, in multilateral fora and in coordination with like-minded partners. Human rights form a crucial part of our annual political discussions with Central Asian countries. 77. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are both on the UK’s list of Human Rights Priority Countries (HRPCs). We review this list annually. We also support human rights and reforms through our programme funding. For example, we supported the revision of the labour code in Uzbekistan to better tackle gender-based discrimination. Our five Embassies in Central Asia maintain close links with local and international human rights NGOs and civil society actors, promoting good governance through our policy and programme work. Conclusion/recommendation 19.
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