Recommendation 28

HM Government Accepted

Partially Agree (to 27 and 28) 99. Human rights and governance are vital elements of the UK’s work in Central Asia. Both in public and in private we are working to help Central Asian institutions strengthen fundamental rights and freedoms for citizens. We support the development of civil society to effectively hold governments to account. Doing so will enable these countries to strengthen their own resilience and reduce their vulnerability to external and internal pressures. 100. Our Embassies in Central Asia, where feasible, maintain close links with local and international human rights NGOs and civil society actors, promoting good governance through our policy and programme work. We regularly raise human rights concerns with the governments of the region and are working to develop stronger inter-parliamentary exchanges as we seek to strengthen the role of parliaments around the region and share UK best practice. 101. We also work through multilateral organisations such as the Council of Europe, which aims to embed human rights in legislation, institutions and practice - and coordinate our lobbying efforts with like-minded partners such as the EU, US, Germany and France. Encouraging progress on reform is a key message in our diplomatic engagement. We regularly raise cases of corruption, the vulnerability of electoral processes, independence of the judiciary, freedom of assembly and other restrictions on civil society, and freedom of expression, including media freedom. 102. Our work on reform extends beyond governmental engagement. The UK supports civil society and independent media in each country. We work closely with international partners and other international actors to encourage reform and address violations when they arise. The OSCE also plays a role in encouraging these countries to adopt higher standards of human rights. As described above, we have cooperation on economic reforms with Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan via the Effective Governance for Economic Development (EGED) programme, which will be extended to Kazakhstan in 2023/24. 103. Corruption remains a substantial risk across the region. The Central Asian states’ records on governance and meeting international democratic standards have also shown slow progress, as election monitoring reports from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) have illustrated. 104. The UK has notable interests in extractive industries in Central Asia, but our prosperity interests in this region increasingly extend beyond fossil fuels. In Kazakhstan, for example, we are focusing on sectors including critical minerals and education. Inclusive economic development, with a focus on broad based private sector growth in a business-friendly regulatory environment, is a vital ingredient for the long-term resilience of these countries. Likewise, economic diversification and access to international markets will increase regional prosperity and resilience.