Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan hosts over 38,000 known stateless persons – the largest number in the sub-region – mostly ex-citizens of the former Soviet Union who have not yet acquired or confirmed the citizenship of successor states. In 2021 alone, Uzbekistan resolved 33,000 cases of statelessness.

At the end of 2021, Uzbekistan hosted 12 refugees recognized by UNHCR according to its mandate – all are from Afghanistan. In November 2021, the Government of Uzbekistan reported that 13,020 Afghan citizens had arrived in the country in 2021 on short-term visas. In light of the conditions in Afghanistan, these people cannot return, and UNHCR considers that they may need international protection.

UNHCR runs a Regional Humanitarian Logistics Hub at the Termez Cargo Centre to enhance pre-positioning and rapid delivery of Core Relief Items to Afghanistan and other countries.

UNHCR supports Uzbekistan in realizing its ambition to join and implement the UN Refugee and Statelessness Conventions – expressed in its 2018/2019 Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights. The Kazakhstan Multi-Country Office provides oversight, funding, and strategic direction of UNHCR interventions in Uzbekistan.