The engagement in Uzbekistan builds on our previous training programmes in Central Asia.
In the early 2000s, RWI implemented a number of diverse human rights capacity development activities for participants from the region in cooperation with the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. These included biannual human rights training courses in 2005-2006, ‘training of trainers’ programme dealing with human rights and project management for representatives of civil society in 2008, and Certificate Programme on Project Management, Human Rights and Conflict Sensitivity for Central Asia and Afghanistan in 2010.
The bilateral engagement with Uzbekistan was initiated by the country’s Academy of the General Prosecutor’s Office. In 2019, the Academy’s representatives met with RWI in Lund to discuss the areas for potential cooperation. These materialised in 2020 with the support of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), via OSCE Project Coordinator’s office in Uzbekistan.
The main focus of the collaboration is the ‘Human Rights’ specialisation of the Academy’s MA programme.
In 2020, RWI conducted review to finalise the structure of the specialisation and developed the first module on the right to a fair and efficient trial. The first lectures on this subject were delivered to the Academy’s students in 2021, along with interactive exercises such as mock trial. The collaboration also includes workshops on human rights pedagogy for the Academy’s staff as well as development of another module on the rights to liberty and security of a person.
Academy staff at RWI headquarters in Lund, 2019
Education on the Right to a Fair Trial
Teaching Uzbek Prosecuters and Legal Professionals about the Right to a Fair Trial
Zuzana Zalanova
Ms. Zalanova has been promoting human rights, good governance, and civic engagement in various capacities in Europe and Central Asia.
Since joining RWI in 2018, she has led RWI programme in Belarus (until 2020), initiated and expanded RWI programme in Armenia, and broadened regional engagement with initiatives in Uzbekistan and the Western Balkans. Her expanding portfolio includes four projects in Ukraine, supported by sub-regional engagement in Poland and Moldova.
In 2023, Ms. Zalanova also assumed the role of Acting Executive Director of the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC), an international nongovernmental consortium established in 2002 to help coordinate and support the efforts of legal professionals to rebuild justice institutions in conflict and post-conflict countries. Through its member organisations and individuals, ILAC is comprised of more than 3 million legal professionals worldwide, including judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and court administrators.
Ms. Zalanova teaches regularly international development, human rights, and project management at three faculties of the Lund University in Sweden.
Before joining RWI, Ms. Zalanova worked for the United Nations in Ukraine, leading the UN Volunteers programme with a focus on civic and youth engagement. She previously coordinated rule of law programmes of the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) in Mongolia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, supported regional human rights and justice initiatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Europe and Central Asia, and managed the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum, a platform of civil society actors from the EU and Russia.
Ms. Zalanova holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a master’s degree in Security Studies, and a joint (bachelor’s and master’s) degree in International Relations with a specialisation in Non-Profit Management from her studies in the Czech Republic (Charles University, University of Economics) and the United Kingdom (University of Reading).
Zuzana Zalanova
Ms. Zalanova has been promoting human rights, good governance, and civic engagement in various capacities in Europe and Central Asia.
Since joining RWI in 2018, she has led RWI programme in Belarus (until 2020), initiated and expanded RWI programme in Armenia, and broadened regional engagement with initiatives in Uzbekistan and the Western Balkans. Her expanding portfolio includes four projects in Ukraine, supported by sub-regional engagement in Poland and Moldova.
In 2023, Ms. Zalanova also assumed the role of Acting Executive Director of the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC), an international nongovernmental consortium established in 2002 to help coordinate and support the efforts of legal professionals to rebuild justice institutions in conflict and post-conflict countries. Through its member organisations and individuals, ILAC is comprised of more than 3 million legal professionals worldwide, including judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and court administrators.
Ms. Zalanova teaches regularly international development, human rights, and project management at three faculties of the Lund University in Sweden.
Before joining RWI, Ms. Zalanova worked for the United Nations in Ukraine, leading the UN Volunteers programme with a focus on civic and youth engagement. She previously coordinated rule of law programmes of the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) in Mongolia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, supported regional human rights and justice initiatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Europe and Central Asia, and managed the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum, a platform of civil society actors from the EU and Russia.
Ms. Zalanova holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a master’s degree in Security Studies, and a joint (bachelor’s and master’s) degree in International Relations with a specialisation in Non-Profit Management from her studies in the Czech Republic (Charles University, University of Economics) and the United Kingdom (University of Reading).