To expand cooperation between the United States and Uzbekistan and improve the rule of law, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator Javier Piedra and Minister of Justice Ruslan Davletov signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will support Uzbekistan’s judicial reform process, the US Embassy in Tashkent said in a statement.

The MOU will allow the United States and Uzbekistan to work together to develop new laws and regulations, advance the legal profession, and expand the legal enabling environment for civil society and non-governmental organizations in Uzbekistan.

Mr. Piedra, who oversees USAID’s development assistance in Central Asia, is in Uzbekistan on his first official visit to Central Asia. At the signing ceremony, Mr. Piedra noted, "USAID has long partnered with Uzbekistan to strengthen public access to and trust in Uzbekistan’s civil court system, and today’s MOU represents another important milestone in the broad and deepening partnership between our two nations. This expansion of U.S.-Uzbekistan cooperation will improve Uzbek citizens’ access to justice and help make the court system more transparent and effective."

The United States and the Government of Uzbekistan work together to strengthen the court system with programs that have provided professional training and legal education to judges and other court personnel; organized study tours to the United States and Europe; supported legislative initiatives that increase access to justice; and engaged in activities that facilitate dialogue and promote transparency between the people of Uzbekistan and their courts. In recent years, USAID has helped the government establish a country-wide electronic court management system for civil cases that is now operational in all of the civil courts in Uzbekistan.