The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Mongolian Institute of Human Rights and Democracy jointly organized a regional human rights seminar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on October 12 and 13. The seminar addressed human rights issues and the prevention of torture in central Asia.

At the invitation of the OHCHR, P.Oyunchimeg, a member of Mongolia’s National Commission of Human Rights served as an expert advisor at the seminar.

Representatives of human rights organizations from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, and Georgia took part in the seminar. P.Oyunchimeg spoke about the anti-torture efforts of Mongolia’s National Commission of Human Rights, noting that Mongolia was the first country in the region to formally adopt anti-torture initiatives.

The seminar was held in English and Russian and afterwards the delegates voted to endorse the Dushanbe Declaration for protecting human rights activity.