On 28-29 September 2026, the 5th Samarkand Forum on Human Rights was held in Uzbekistan, marking the 60th anniversary of the International Covenants on Human Rights and the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development. The opening ceremony was addressed by Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis T. Narbayeva, Speaker of the Legislative Chamber N. Ismoilov, and UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan S. Machl. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights V. Türk sent a message of greeting to the delegates.
SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev delivered a video address to the Forum participants, which he described as an authoritative platform for developing coordinated approaches to current issues on the human rights agenda. The Secretary-General briefed the participants on the outcomes of the 26th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States (Bishkek, 1 September 2026), emphasizing that the Bishkek Declaration on the 25th Anniversary of the SCO, adopted by the leaders, reaffirmed the indivisibility and interconnectedness of human rights and the inadmissibility of "double standards" and interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states.
He also noted the commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and generally recognized norms of international law, to respect for the right of peoples to determine their own development paths, and to promoting equal dialogue and the exchange of experience in the field of human rights.
The Samarkand Forum, established in 2018 on the initiative of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is held once every two years with organizational support from the National Centre for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan.