About Uzbek-American seminar in Washington

At the Institute for Study of Central Asia and Caucasus at the J.Hopkins University in Washington (USA) held an international seminar on "Current issues on improvement of the efficiency of judicial administration of justice".

It was attended by representatives of the State Department, the Federal Judicial Center, USAID, the Ministry of Justice, non-governmental organizations, various courts and private law firms, the US federal judges, US experts on the study of civil society, as well as representatives of Uzbekistan, operating in the legal field.

The seminar discussed the main directions of the judicial and legal reforms in Uzbekistan and the use of modern information and communication technologies to ensure transparency and openness of courts, as well as the US experience in this field. The meeting was given detailed information about the development of the judicial system in our country. An important component of this event was to discuss further cooperation between the US and Uzbekistan in this area.

Opening the workshop as a moderator, director of Institute for Study of Central Asia and Caucasus at the J.Hopkins University F.Starr emphasized that the development of the judicial system in the country have so far been the subject of discussion by the researchers. He pointed to the need to assess the establishment and improvement of the legal system "from scratch" in a country that has completely abandoned the old system and chose the way of development, including the formation of a new system of relations in the judicial sphere. In this regard, he stressed the importance of the event with direct participation of legal experts from both sides and expressed the hope that the seminar will provide the US side to get to know about the progress achieved in Uzbekistan in the implementation of judicial reforms.

Director of the Federal Judicial Center J.Fogel expressed appreciation for comprehensive and detailed information provided by the Uzbek side on existing national legal and judicial reform and the challenges ahead.

The representative of American private law firm "White & Case" H.Ham draw audience’s attention to the strong commitment of Uzbekistan to ensure the rule of law, which is manifested in the full protection of investors’ rights and their property, as well as compliance with its international obligations in this area. Recalling their positive experience with the Ministry of Justice of Uzbekistan, H.Ham noted the growing role of international arbitration in disputes regarding claims and, at the same time stressed that the Uzbek side does not accept illegal investment activities in the country.

Senior research assistant at the Center for Civil Society Studies at the J.Hopkins University V.Sokolovsky in his speech focused on the rule of law in relation with the development of civil society. Referring to his repeated visits to Uzbekistan in 2013-2014, V.Sokolovsky said that in fact convinced of the practical realization of the principle "From a strong state to a strong civil society". However, he praised the role of the ’mahalla’ as an institution of mediation and pre-trial proceedings, reflects the values ​​and mentality of the Uzbek people.

This seminar aroused positive feedback of American expert circles who have expressed interest in a closer acquaintance with the development of the judicial system in our country. It was noted that the practice should continue similar meetings in Uzbekistan and in the form of debate that could further reveal the legal and philosophical significance of the reforms in the country.

IA "Jahon", Washington