At the international webinar, to a virtual discussion of which the Ombudsmen of Uzbekistan, the USA, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Turkey, Thailand, Indonesia and New Zealand were invited, the experience of foreign countries in protecting human rights and freedoms during a pandemic was studied. All Ombudsmen who spoke at the event noted that due to the increase in the number of emails sent to them during the pandemic, a separate website was launched and the population was kept informed of the latest news.
According to the Ombudsman of Indonesia, Mohammad Naji, the website, which was launched in April 2020, received 1,600 applications in 4 months, 83% of which were for social assistance. The Indonesian Ombudsman made extensive use of online mechanisms to address these complaints and conduct monitoring. The Ombudsman in Uzbekistan acted differently. During the spread of the disease, the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights personally visited the objects of investigation. Feruza Eshmatova noted that the monitoring participants were provided with protective equipment and measures were taken to eliminate the identified deficiencies. In her video message, she also spoke about the rapid and large-scale measures being taken under the leadership of the President to combat coronavirus infection.
Development of a special manual for employees (training to work during a pandemic) in order to ensure transparency in the dissemination of information about the pandemic among citizens, allocation of soft loans by the state to support private enterprises. In the context of the crisis, proposals were made to ensure that there are no obstacles to the use of public services by citizens, as well as to attract volunteers to assist the Ombudsman and other organizations in their work.