Press Release

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk to conduct official visits to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan 13-17 March 2023

09 March 2023

GENEVA/TASHKENT/ASTANA (9 March 2023) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk will visit Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan over a period of five days from 13 March, at the invitation of the two Central Asian States.

The High Commissioner will visit Uzbekistan from 13 to 15 March, and Kazakhstan from 16 to 17 March. He will meet senior Government officials, the countries’ Ombudspersons, UN officials and members of civil society organizations.

During the Uzbekistan leg of the mission, Türk will also visit the capital of the Karakalpakstan region, Nukus, where he will speak at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

A similar UDHR event will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The High Commissioner is scheduled to hold a news conference in Tashkent on Wednesday, 15 March at approximately 17h00 local time. He is scheduled to hold a news conference in Astana on Friday, 17 March at approximately 17h00 local time. Access to the news conferences is strictly limited to accredited media.

More details about the news conferences, including instructions on registration, will follow in media invitations to be issued locally.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact:

Jeremy Laurence – (travelling with the High Commissioner) jeremy.laurence@un.org

In Tashkent:

Anvar Meliboev - Public Information Officer / anvarjon.meliboev@un.org

In Astana:

Leila Duisekova – +7 701 524-06-64 / leila.duisekova@un.org

Audiovisual

Anthony Headley – +41 79 444 4557 / anthony.headley@un.org

In Geneva

Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or