Regional Dialogue (RD) is an international NGO based in Slovenia with over 15 years of experience in providing training, consultancy, legal and technical assistance in the areas of Rule of Law, Anti-corruption and Compliance, Justice Reform, Human Rights, Law Enforcement, Transparency and Media Freedom.

 

RD’s areas of work include:

• public sector anti-corruption (AC) and corruption risk management,

• criminal justice sector reforms,

• strengthening of justice sector higher education (law universities, and continuous education for prosecutors, judges, and attorneys, etc.),

• justice sector capacity building with emphasis on judicial transparency and independence,

• digitalization and the use of modern information technologies and artificial intelligence solutions in justice/AC sector and in strengthening transparency and good governance,

• support and assistance to civil society groups and institutions,

• support towards a free and independent media.

 

RD’s current projects in Uzbekistan are funded by Department of State INL and DRL bureaus and focus on:

• Improving anti-corruption capacity;

• Modernizing the criminal justice system;

• Enhancing the capacity of legal professionals;

• Strengthening educational capacity of legal education institutions;

• Strengthening the role of the Chamber of Advocates and the role of defense attorneys;

• The legal community, including law students, expand their engagement in their communities and civil society.

 

RD actively supports legal awareness building among the population by organizing public events and creating a platform for Uzbek and Western experts exchanges about development challenges typical for transitioning into a free democratic system. RD also promoted and actively supported cooperation among government institutions, civil society, and media. RD’s work has been implemented with the support of the US State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) grants since 2014. Prior, RD has been funded by EIDHR, ABA ROLI, the German Foreign Ministry, the UK FCO, UNDEF, USAID, USIP.

 

RD’s head office in Slovenia was founded in 2008 by three female professionals. Its branch office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, was registered in 2011. With a specific focus on Uzbekistan and Central Asia, RD operates with staff members located in Slovenia, Uzbekistan and the US, and is guided by an eminent international Advisory Council – judges, lawyers, academics, researchers, prosecutors, civil society activists and journalists from the US, Europe and Uzbekistan.

In its 10+ years’ presence in Uzbekistan, RD has organized over 400 events and trained close to 10,000 participants, all with the aid of experts from the US, Canada, and the EU. Their expertise has actively assisted Uzbek working groups focused on different justice and judicial sector reforms and legislation. RD experts engaged in teaching specialized classes at law universities and justice sector institutions (for prosecutors, judges, governmental lawyers, members of the chamber of advocates etc.) and consultations on a number of legislative and regulatory projects in the country.

RD’s notable partners in Uzbekistan:

Since its inception, RD has developed good working relationships and contacts with the Ministry of Justice (G UZ Liaison for NGOs), the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Academy of the Prosecutor General Office, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Supreme Judicial School, Supreme Court, Research Center under Supreme Court,  Anti-corruption Agency, Chamber of Advocates, Yuksalish, Development Strategy Center; Police Academy, Ministry of Justice Training Center, Research Institute for Legal Policy under the Ministry of Justice, Tashkent State University of Law, University for World Economy and Diplomacy. Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, The Mass Media Public Fund, Ombudsman, National Human Rights Center, Civic Initiative Support Center, National Association of NGOs of Uzbekistan (NANNO UZ), Association of Businesswomen of Uzbekistan, International Journalist Training Center, Imam Al Bukhari Center – Samarkand, Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, etc.

US partners:

US Federal Judicial Center, Boston College Law School, Berkely University Judicial Institute, US Federal Magistrate Judges Association.