On 10 February 2026, under the leadership of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies (ISRS) under the President of Uzbekistan, government officials, international organisations, and civil society representatives met in Tashkent to align priorities and validate coordination mechanisms for reintegration and rehabilitation activities for the year ahead. The discussions focused on integrating the EU-funded Prosecution, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration (PRR) programme with national strategies, reflecting Uzbekistan’s innovative approach to combining security, justice, and social support. The three-year PRR programme targets returnees from Iraq and Northeast Syria, as well as other vulnerable groups.
Thanks to government efforts, over 500 individuals have successfully returned from Iraq and Syria in recent years, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated national and international support for rehabilitation and reintegration initiatives. These efforts emphasize that reintegration is not only a security priority but also a critical step toward fostering social cohesion.
The EU-supported PRR programme complements existing national initiatives by drawing on the expertise of international partners, including the Global Engagement and Resilience Facility (GCERF), the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ), and the International Centre of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism (Hedayah). Its key objectives include strengthening legal and law enforcement systems, delivering rehabilitation and social reintegration services such as mental health support, vocational training, and community engagement, reducing stigma, raising public awareness, and building national capacity to design evidence-based, long-term strategies for social cohesion.
Through this collaboration between national authorities, civil society, and international partners, the EU-supported programme ensures that reintegration efforts in Uzbekistan serve both as a security measure and as an opportunity to develop resilient, inclusive communities across the country and the broader Central Asian region.
