THE RОLE ОF THE NАTIОNАL CENTER FОR HUMАN RIGHTS IN IMPLEMENTING DECISIОNS ОF UN TREАTY BОDIES.

Tаshkent Stаte University оf Lаw 

Mаster’s student in Mediа Lаw 

Аshurоvа Dinоrа Аnvаrqul qizi 

Аbstrаct: This аrticle exаmines the mechаnisms fоr implementing cоncluding оbservаtiоns аnd decisiоns аdоpted by UN treаty bоdies аt the nаtiоnаl level. The reseаrch fоcuses оn the rоle оf Nаtiоnаl Humаn Rights Institutiоns (NHRI), specificаlly the Nаtiоnаl Center оf the Republic оf Uzbekistаn fоr Humаn Rights, in this prоcess. The аrticle аnаlyzes institutiоnаl mоdels fоr implementing internаtiоnаl recоmmendаtiоns intо nаtiоnаl legislаtiоn. Relying оn the “Pаris Principles”, the аuthоr reveаls the Nаtiоnаl Center’s functiоn аs а “bridge” between stаte bоdies аnd internаtiоnаl оrgаnizаtiоns. Аs а result оf the study, scientific prоpоsаls fоr imprоving the mоnitоring system fоr the implementаtiоn оf treаty bоdy decisiоns аre put fоrwаrd.

Keywоrds: UN treаty bоdies, institute, mechаnism, Nаtiоnаl Center, implementаtiоn, humаn rights, mоnitоring, cоncluding оbservаtiоns, nаtiоnаl mechаnism, “hard law”, “soft law”, “Follow-up”. 

MАVZU: BMT SHАRTNОMАVIY ОRGАNLАRI QАRОRLАRINI АMАLGА ОSHIRISHDА INSОN HUQUQLАRI BО‘YICHА MILLIY MАRKАZNING О‘RNI.

Tоshkent dаvlаt yuridik universiteti

ОАV huquqi mutаxаssisligi mаgistrаnti

Аshurоvа Dinоrа Аnvаrqul qizi. 

Аnnоtаtsiyа: Ushbu mаqоlаdа Birlashgan Millаtlаr Tаshkilоti (keyingi о‘rinlаrdа BMT) shаrtnоmаviy оrgаnlаri tоmоnidаn qаbul qilingаn yаkuniy mulоhаzаlаr vа qаrоrlаrni milliy dаrаjаdа ijrо etish mexаnizmlаri tаdqiq qilingаn. Tаdqiqоt mаrkаzidа Insоn huquqlаri bо‘yichа milliy institutlаrning (NHRI), xususаn, Insоn huquqlаri bо‘yichа О‘zbekistоn Respublikаsi Milliy mаrkаzining (keyingi о‘rinlаrdа Milliy mаrkаz) ushbu jаrаyоndаgi о‘rni yоtаdi. Mаqоlаdа xаlqаrо tаvsiyаlаrni milliy qоnunchilikkа implementаtsiyа qilishning institutsiоnаl mоdellаri tаhlil qilinаdi. Muаllif “Pаrij prinsiplаri”gа tаyаngаn hоldа, Milliy mаrkаzning dаvlаt оrgаnlаri vа xаlqаrо tаshkilоtlаr о‘rtаsidаgi “kо‘prik” sifаtidаgi funksiyаsini оchib berаdi. Tаdqiqоt nаtijаsidа shаrtnоmаviy оrgаnlаr qаrоrlаrini аmаlgа оshirishning mоnitоring tizimini tаkоmillаshtirish bо‘yichа ilmiy tаkliflаr ilgаri surilgаn.

Kаlit sо‘zlаr: BMT shаrtnоmаviy оrgаnlаri, institut, mexаnizm, Milliy mаrkаz, implementаtsiyа, insоn huquqlаri, mоnitоring, yаkuniy mulоhаzаlаr, milliy mexаnizm, “hard law”, “soft law”, “Follow-up”. 

ТЕМА: РОЛЬ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОГО ЦЕНТРА ПО ПРАВАМ ЧЕЛОВЕКА В ВЫПОЛНЕНИИ РЕШЕНИЙ ДОГОВОРНЫХ ОРГАНОВ ООН.

Ташкентский государственный юридический университет

Магистрант по специальности права СМИ

Ашурова Динора Анваркуловна.

Аннотация: В данной статье рассматриваются механизмы реализации на национальном уровне заключительных замечаний и решений, принятых договорными органами Организации Объединенных Наций (далее – ООН). Исследовательский центр фокусируется на роли национальных правозащитных учреждений (НПИ), в частности, Национального центра по правам человека Республики Узбекистан (далее – Национальный центр), в этом процессе. В статье анализируются институциональные модели имплементации международных рекомендаций в национальное законодательство. На основе «Парижских принципов» автор раскрывает функцию Национального центра как «моста» между государственными органами и международными организациями. В результате исследования выдвигаются научные предложения по совершенствованию системы мониторинга выполнения решений договорных органов.

Ключевые слова: договорные органы ООН, институт, механизм, национальный центр, осуществление, права человека, мониторинг, заключительные замечания, национальный механизм, «жесткое право», «мягкое право», «последующие действия».

INTRODUCTION. In the contemporary international legal order, the system of human-rights protection is shifting from purely declarative documents to practical mechanisms capable of producing tangible results. Decisions and recommendations adopted by United Nations treaty bodies serve as a “mirror” of member states’ international obligations in the field of human rights. However, the extent to which these “soft law” instruments (i.e., documents of a recommendatory character) are effectively implemented at the national level depends directly on the activities of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs). In the context of Uzbekistan, the National Centre is emerging as the key coordinating body responsible for integrating these decisions into the national legal system.

To understand the essence of the research topic more deeply, it is first necessary to pay attention to the etymology of the concepts “institution” and “mechanism”:

“Institution” (from Latin institutum) denotes an apparatus, establishment, order, or custom. Originally this term conveyed the meaning of “to establish” or “to set up” something. In a legal context, institution refers not only to a building or organization, but also to a system of rules and norms that regulate stable social relations. Therefore, an institutional analysis of the National Centre allows us to view it not merely as an agency, but as a “constellation of arrangements designed to establish a human-rights culture.”

“Mechanism” (from Greek mēchanē) means a device or apparatus. Etymologically, a mechanism denotes the movement of parts that are organically interconnected in order to achieve a certain result. The phrase “national implementation mechanism” implies that state organs, legislation, and monitoring processes must function as a single, coherent whole, operating “like a clock” with precise internal coordination.

In the annex to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated 23 June 2020, “On Approval of the National Strategy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Field of Human Rights,” existing shortcomings in the human-rights sphere at the national level are identified. Findings obtained from analyzing the current situation in the human-rights field in the country, as well as the systematic analysis of recommendations issued within the framework of the United Nations treaty bodies, special rapporteurs who have visited Uzbekistan, the Universal Periodic Review, and other international mechanisms, indicate that in order to ensure effective protection of human rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests, democratic reforms in this sphere must be deepened and consistently continued.

• First, it is necessary to establish mechanisms for ensuring the protection of human rights and legitimate interests, and to eliminate legal gaps in the implementation of international human-rights standards into national legislation and the practice of law enforcement.
• Second, clear mechanisms for implementing human-rights-related activities by state-governance bodies and civil-society institutions in a spirit of cooperation have not yet been developed. In addition, the system of parliamentary and public oversight over the adequate implementation of Uzbekistan’s international human-rights obligations needs further improvement.
• Third, it is necessary to bring the activities of state-power and governance bodies in the field of human rights under clear legal regulation, adopt required programmatic documents in this area, and define a precise procedure for their development and implementation.
• Fourth, it is essential to expand the practice of applying norms of international human-rights treaties in the decisions of courts and law-enforcement bodies, to improve the monitoring system for the observance of the rights of persons held in pre-trial detention facilities and places of deprivation of liberty, and to develop clear mechanisms for implementing the recommendations of treaty-body committees.
• Fifth, it is required to strengthen guarantees for the protection of an individual’s civil, economic, social, political, and cultural rights and freedoms, including by intensifying responsibility for violations of these rights.
• Sixth, it is necessary to systematically foster a culture of respect for human rights and freedoms in society, and to professionally support judges, law-enforcement personnel, and other state-body employees by systematically improving their capacity and training on human-rights issues, so as to ensure full implementation of the recommendations of international and regional mechanisms.

At the same time, in order to further reform the activities of the National Centre, the Presidential Decree No. PQ-4056 “On Improving the Activities of the National Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Field of Human Rights,” effective from 11 December 2018, and the Presidential Decree No. PQ-46 “On Approval of the National Education Programme in the Field of Human Rights,” effective from 8 February 2023, were adopted. These documents are regarded as fundamental foundations that turn the system of human-rights protection in Uzbekistan from a purely theoretical framework into practical mechanisms. From the standpoint of institutionalism theory, their significance can be analyzed as follows:

• Decree No. PQ-4056 – Establishing the primacy of the National Centre

The 2018 Decree re-defined the National Centre as the single, central coordinating body of the state in the field of human rights:

• Institutional strengthening: The Centre was granted not only monitoring powers, but also the authority to provide binding, mandatory recommendations to state bodies on human rights. This transformed the “building” into a real-life institution endowed with substantive powers.
• Bridge to the UN: The Decree formally designated the Centre as the principal national representative for cooperation with United Nations treaty bodies and other international organizations.
• Accountability: A clear procedure (set of “rules of the game”) was established for collecting and systematizing human-rights-related reports submitted by state bodies.
• Decree No. PQ-46  “Protection through Knowledge” (Education Programme)

Signed on 7 February 2023 and entering into force on 8 February 2023, this document is regarded as the “educational layer” of human-rights reforms.

• Institutionalizing society: In order for human rights not to remain mere text on paper, society needs a form of “legal immunity.” The National Education Programme approved by this Decree aims at teaching human rights to all categories of state officials and different segments of the population.
• Training professional cadres: A systematic training system for law-enforcement bodies and the judiciary, based on United Nations standards, has been introduced. This reduces errors in the implementation of UN decisions caused by the “human factor.”

The adoption of Decree No. PQ-4056 and Decree No. PQ-46 indicates that a comprehensive national system for fulfilling Uzbekistan’s international obligations in the field of human rights has been created. While the first document strengthens the institutional structure (the “framework”), the second ensures the content-related and educational sustainability of that structure.

Although the legal foundations for cooperation with United Nations treaty bodies have been established in Uzbekistan, the need remains to further enhance the National Centre’s institutional competences and monitoring methods for implementing international decisions at the national level. The purpose of this article is therefore to reveal the institutional nature of the National Centre and to analyze its participation in the implementation of United Nations decisions through the lens of a new theoretical model.

In modern legal and political scholarship, the concept of “institution” carries a meaning far broader than that of a physical infrastructure or a mere building. As Douglas North, one of the pioneers of institutionalism theory and a Nobel laureate in economics, emphasized, “Institutions are the rules of the game in a society, shaping the patterns of human interaction.”

METHODS. Applying the outlined institutional-theoretical model, an analysis of the National Centre enables us to uncover its essence at three levels:

• Sum of formal rules (Formal constraints) The National Centre is not merely an administrative unit composed of staff and office space, but rather a normative-legal system oriented toward the implementation of the international treaty obligations of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Its internal regulations, monitoring procedures, and reporting mechanisms function as “legal channels” that “import” decisions and recommendations of United Nations treaty bodies (for example, the Human Rights Committee) into the domestic legal order and thereby concretize international obligations into national practice. 
• Institutional “bridge” function (“Bridge” Model). Drawing on Ryan Goodman and Derek Jinks’s socialization theory, states internalize and implement international norms most effectively not only under external pressure, but when domestic institutions assimilate those norms as part of their own institutional logic. In this sense, the National Centre operates as an institutional “bridge” between the global human-rights order and local practices: it mediates international standards (BMT treaty-body decisions, UPR recommendations, soft-law instruments), translates them into domestic procedures, and embeds them into the behavior of state organs and civil-society actors. This twofold perspective-viewing the Centre both as a system of formal constraints and as a social-institutional bridge-provides a richer framework for analyzing its role in the implementation of United Nations decisions and the broader institutionalization of an international human-rights culture in Uzbekistan.

Within this process, the National Centre:

• Performs the role of a transformer that converts the UN’s “soft law” into national “hard law”: it acts as a key node that channels the non-binding, recommendatory character of UN treaty-body decisions (“soft law”) into binding domestic instruments such as Presidential decrees and resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers (“hard law”).

In other words, the National Centre functions not only as a monitor and coordinator, but as an institutional converter that re-codifies international guidance into concrete, enforceable national legal and administrative acts, thereby operationalizing BMT-level recommendations in Uzbekistan’s domestic legal order.

• In the perspective of institutional design and independence (“The Logic of Design”), the way in which a human-rights institution is evaluated depends not on how modern its building is, but on how far it is designed in accordance with international standards (the Paris Principles). The National Centre’s interactions with UN treaty bodies and its participation in national law-making show its functional institutionalization.

In summary, an institutional analysis of the National Centre shows that it functions as a dynamic system transforming international standards in the field of human rights into everyday national practice, rules, and obligations of state bodies. As the classical representative of institutionalism theory, D. North emphasizes, institutions are understood as systems of rules that shape social interactions. From this perspective, the National Centre for Human Rights is not merely an administrative structure or a building, but a system of formal arrangements designed to integrate the decisions of United Nations treaty bodies into the national legal order. 

According to the approach of R. Goodman and D. Jinks, such institutions carry out a “socialization” function, embedding international norms into domestic legal and political practice. This, in turn, ensures that United Nations recommendations are not reduced to mere paper commitments, but are transformed into real, functioning national mechanisms.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. The practical mechanisms of the National Centre for the implementation of decisions of United Nations treaty bodies. The National Centre’s institutional activities in ensuring the implementation of “Concluding Observations” issued by UN treaty‑body organs (for example, the Human Rights Committee or the Committee against Torture) are manifested at three main stages:

• Developing national action plans (“roadmaps”);

United Nations bodies’ recommendations are often of a general nature. The National Centre is regarded as the key body responsible for converting these recommendations into the legal system of Uzbekistan. Once UN recommendations are received, the National Centre develops national action plans for their implementation. For example, governmental decrees of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the implementation of treaty-body recommendations, as well as “roadmaps” and similar recommendatory-character documents (“soft law”), are transformed by the Centre into imperative norms (“hard law”) and applied within the national legal order. This role confirms the Centre’s function as a translating and operationalizing institution that turns abstract international-rights guidance into concrete, binding national rules and institutional practices.

• Monitoring and coordination function;

The National Centre is not merely an implementing body, but also a central body that monitors the execution of these recommendations by other state agencies (such as the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Prosecutor General’s Office). In this context, the National Centre performs the role of an “internal watchdog.” It collects reports from each state agency, analyses them, and issues guidance on how to address identified shortcomings.

• Follow‑up mechanism with the UN (“re‑engagement” mechanism). 

The National Centre acts as the state’s “single information window” before the international community. It submits interim and periodic reports to the UN Committees, and this process constitutes an institutional mechanism that demonstrates the state’s commitment to its international obligations. Thus, the National Centre does not merely function as an agency that collects and transmits statistical data on the implementation of UN decisions but rather appears as a strategic coordinating centre that internalizes international standards into national law and policy. This indicates a high degree of institutionalization of the National Centre. 

Research findings show that although the National Centre occupies a central position in ensuring the implementation of UN treaty-body decisions, several institutional reforms are necessary to enhance the effectiveness of the process. For example: 

• Strengthening the “parliamentarization” mechanism 

United Nations treaty bodies frequently call in their recommendations for an increased role of parliaments in the implementation of international decisions. It is recommended to legally strengthen the mechanism whereby the reports on the implementation of UN recommendations, prepared by the National Centre, are mandatorily heard each year by the chambers of the Oliy Majlis. This may enhance the institution’s political authority and accountability in line with the Paris Principles.

• “Smаrt-mоnitоring”;

At present, data collection is carried out in most cases by traditional methods. A single electronic database designed to monitor the implementation of UN recommendations in real-time should be fully brought into operation. In this system, each responsible ministry (for example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of Health) would be required to upload the implementation status of the relevant provisions. This would help to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy (“paper-free” system).

• Institutionalizing relations with civil society and the media. 

Of course, in this context the role of the “fourth power,” that is, the media, is highly important. The independence and credibility of state reports can be ensured by activating the work of a “Public Council” under the National Centre that monitors the implementation of UN decisions and by broadly involving independent journalists and representatives of non-governmental non-profit organizations (NNT) into this body. 

CONCLUSION. In conclusion, it is necessary to emphasize that studying the activities of the National Centre for Human Rights through the prism of institutionalism theory allows a renewed interpretation of this body’s fundamental place within the national legal system. As the analysis has shown, the National Centre is not merely an administrative building or a static institution, but rather a dynamic institutional mechanism that transforms international human-rights standards into a stable, nationally embedded set of rules and procedures. Functioning as a functional “bridge” between the will of the international community and the implementing power of the state apparatus, it ensures the coherence of the legal order.

The National Centre therefore appears not simply as an administrative structure, but as a strategic institutional mechanism that shapes Uzbekistan’s standing in the international legal arena. From the standpoint of institutionalism theory, this body is the primary channel through which United Nations decisions are “institutionalized” and converted into concrete, everyday legal norms at the domestic level. The proposed reforms will not only strengthen the Centre’s coordinating role, but also elevate its supervisory function to a new level.

As demonstrated in the article, the recommendations issued by international treaty bodies – elements of “soft law” – are, precisely through the National Centre’s coordinating activities, converted into binding national norms, “hard law.” This process guarantees that international standards are not merely inscribed on paper, but are implemented in practice through national “roadmaps” and regulatory instruments. Moreover, the “Follow-up” system (implementation monitoring and re-engagement) operated by the Centre has been identified as one of the most effective means of monitoring the state’s adherence to its international obligations.

At the end of the investigation it can be stated that the effectiveness of reforms in the field of human rights in Uzbekistan is directly linked to the degree of refinement of this national mechanism. Enhancing the National Centre’s institutional capacity – particularly by expanding digital monitoring systems and strengthening its organic linkage with parliamentary oversight – will serve the unconditional implementation of UN decisions at the national level. In this way, a mechanism supported by a solid institutional foundation will continue to act as the key filter and transformer through which international legal norms are embedded into Uzbekistan’s domestic reality, thereby reinforcing the country’s legal authority on the global stage.

LIST OF SOURCES USED

National legal documents

1. О‘zbekistоn Respublikаsi Prezidentining Fаrmоni. (2020). Insоn huquqlаri bо‘yichа О‘zbekistоn Respublikаsining Milliy strаtegiyаsini tаsdiqlаsh tо‘g‘risidа, PF-6012-sоn. Qоnunchilik mа’lumоtlаri milliy bаzаsi. https://lex.uz/uz/dоcs/-4872355 
2. О‘zbekistоn Respublikаsi Prezidentining Qаrоri. (2018). Insоn huquqlаri bо‘yichа О‘zbekistоn Respublikаsi Milliy mаrkаzi fаоliyаtini tаkоmillаshtirish tо‘g‘risidа, PQ-4056-sоn. Qоnunchilik mа’lumоtlаri milliy bаzаsi. https://www.lex.uz/uz/dоcs/-4098056
3. О‘zbekistоn Respublikаsi Prezidentining Fаrmоni. (2023). Insоn huquqlаri sоhаsidаgi Milliy tа’lim dаsturini tаsdiqlаsh tо‘g‘risidа, PF-46-sоn. Qоnunchilik mа’lumоtlаri milliy bаzаsi. https://lex.uz/uz/dоcs/-6378537 

International scholarly literature

4. Gооdmаn, R., & Jinks, D. (2013). Sоciаlizing Stаtes: Prоmоting Humаn Rights thrоugh Internаtiоnаl Lаw. Оxfоrd University Press. https://аcаdemic.оup.cоm/bооk/4460 
5. Hаll, P. А., & Tаylоr, R. C. (1996). Pоliticаl Science аnd the Three New Institutiоnаlisms. Pоliticаl Studies, 44(5), 936-957. https://dоi.оrg/10.1111/j.1467-9248.1996.tb00343.x
6. Nоrth, D. C. (1990). Institutiоns, Institutiоnаl Chаnge аnd Ecоnоmic Perfоrmаnce. Cаmbridge University Press. https://www.cаmbridge.оrg/cоre/bооks/institutiоns-institutiоnаl-chаnge-аnd-ecоnоmic-perfоrmаnce/ААE1E27DF8996E24C5DD07EB79BBА7EE
7.  Pegrаm, T. (2012). Nаtiоnаl Humаn Rights Institutiоns in Lаtin Аmericа: Pоlitics аnd Institutiоnаl Design. In R. Gооdmаn & T. Pegrаm (Eds.), Humаn Rights, Stаte Cоmpliаnce, аnd Sоciаl Chаnge. Cаmbridge University Press. https://www.cаmbridge.оrg/cоre/bооks/аbs/humаn-rights-stаte-cоmpliаnce-аnd-sоciаl-chаnge/nаtiоnаl-humаn-rights-institutiоns-in-lаtin-аmericа/А2F66DEE90680171C9EFD9CDB1АEE707 

Documents of international organizations

1. United Nаtiоns. (1993). Principles relаting tо the Stаtus оf Nаtiоnаl Institutiоns (The Pаris Principles). Аdоpted by Generаl Аssembly resоlutiоn 48/134. 

https://www.оhchr.оrg/en/instruments-mechаnisms/instruments/principles-relаting-stаtus-nаtiоnаl-institutiоns-pаris-principles

2. ОHCHR. (2023). Nаtiоnаl Humаn Rights Institutiоns: Histоry, Principles, Rоles аnd Respоnsibilities. Prоfessiоnаl Trаining Series Nо. 4/Rev.1. https://www.оhchr.оrg/en/publicаtiоns/prоfessiоnаl-trаining-series/nаtiоnаl-humаn-rights-institutiоns-histоry-principles    

I Wish I Were A Mermaid

I remember the sun glistening on the waves going down to the sea. 

I hope to see whales coming up for air.

I think of the sea horse way down the sea.,

Sea dragons gliding across the sea floor.

Even the sea plants dance with the sea.

Oh! If I could go down the sea like a little mermaid dancing around 

the coral with swaying sea weeds.

As a little mermaid I ask the seahorse for a small ride.

Oh! What beauty I could see down into the sea.

MY TASK

I row, row my skiff in your valley of waters

to script virgins into lovers.

I ordain the past to scribe cowards into heroes

and rumor the future to make sinners prophets and preachers.

Contorted within this beggardom of rules, I try to pattern stammerers into orators,

and I torture my way to Heaven while swording into Hell.

ONCE AND THEN AND NOW

I lived my youth from tower to tower.

Imagined marble turned out to be clay.

Once my arbor was fulfilled by flowers.

Then my garden filled up with weeds and toads.

Today is tomorrow’s yesterday.

Circumstances change without endeavor;

conditions, with ease. Flux is forever,

and now my life is roads

and roads and

Roads. 

A SENTRY IS NOT A PARTY

When enlisted by you

I was flagged to make war

on volumes of rebels

though naked as a syllable.

While I waited for you

to wideopen your door

and join in your revels

I squatted by your vestibule

until my body became blue.

Your promise a rumor,

“You’re next, Sir” a never,

I fasted at your festival.

CAMBRIDGE, GOODBYE AGAIN 

I’ll leave in quietude,

as quietly as I came;

I wave silent far farewell

to clouds in the western sky.

Riverside’s gold willows

are young brides at twilight;

their reflections shimmer

but remain fixed in my heart.

The weeds that grow in sludge

sway sway just beneath the ripple

of the gentle waves of Cam.

O, if I could be one weed!

The pool in the elmtree shade

holds not water but a rainbow;

refracted in duckweed

is the dream sediment’s spectrum.

A dream? Just poling upstream

to where the grass is thicker;

boat full-loaded with starlight

and singing aloud with me.

But I cannot sing loudly,

a recessional must be muted.

My summer bugs stay silemt.

Cambridge is too quiet tonight!

I’ll leave in stillness,

as quietly as I came;

flapping my sleeves like flags

won’t drive my clouds away.

–after Xu Zhimo

NEWMAN

I saw him last week

in his baseball cap and dungarees,

sitting on his Jeep.

He had just come back from Hungary.

It was quite a bit

since we’d talked, and I was eager

to know if his trips

in Europe made him any bigger.

“Well, I learned,” he said,

“that some women call poison a gift,

regard pain as bread.

In some places to make love is ‘theft,’

‘kneading dough’ in Dutch,

in Greece, ‘like riding a horse,’ in Spain

cogere (to catch),

scopare (to sweep) — that’s Milan — Germans ‘roll around,’

the Russians ‘have contempt for someone,’

the old up-and-down,

the French ‘jump.’ Ah! Linguistics — such fun!”

…

PEACE AND A PERSON’S ONLINE SAFETY

In a world where many of us use our voices

to share messages of hope, kindness, and peace,

it’s important to remember something just as meaningful: 

OUR PERSONAL SAFETY.

Speaking about peace is a beautiful and powerful act. 

It connects people across cultures, beliefs, and perspectives. 

But no message—no matter how positive—is more important 

than the well-being of the person sharing it.

If a situation online begins to feel unsafe, 

it is always okay to step back.

Choosing safety is not a failure to stand 

for peace—it is a way of protecting yourself.

We can continue to share kindness and understanding 

while also setting healthy boundaries. 

Both can exist together.

Take care of yourselves and one another—online and offline.

SILENT NOISES

Emmanuel Chimezie (Nigeria) in conversation with Abdel Latif Moubarak (Egypt)

Nigerian poet Emmanuel Chimezie, founder of Poets’ Workshop (Global), speaks with Egyptian poet Abdel Latif Moubarak about the emotional and lived reality of Cairo. The discussion moves through darkness, disappearance, inequality, silence, exhaustion, and identity. It shows how the city shapes both everyday survival and poetic expression.

What follows is a simple reflection of Cairo through poetry, presented in clear language.

1. In Cairo, power cuts are now part of daily life. How do you show this darkness in your poetry as something real people live through?

Abdel Latif Moubarak

In my poetry, darkness is not just the absence of light; it is a heavy “material” you can almost touch. I write about the sound of light switches flipped in vain, the scent of candles dragging us back to previous centuries, and phone screens becoming “lonely lanterns” in living rooms. Darkness here is the space where time stops and a forced, quiet intimacy begins.

2. When street vendors are suddenly removed from the streets, how do you write about people who disappear from public life?

Abdel Latif Moubarak

I write about them through the “void” they leave behind. A street vendor is not just a seller; they are a vital part of the street’s geography. When they disappear, I describe the cold pavement and the phantom cries of their trade that still echo in the memory of passersby. Writing about them is an attempt to reclaim their presence in the “public soul” through words.

3. Cairo has rich new buildings and very poor old areas. How do you describe these two very different cities living side by side?

Abdel Latif Moubarak

I describe Cairo as a “patched body,” where the polished glass of modern administrative towers brushes against the rust of ancient balconies. I use visual contrast: the shimmer of a gated community behind high walls versus the dust of alleys where laundry is hung to dry. It is a city living in “parallel timelines” simultaneously.

Abdel Latif Moubarak

4. As rent keeps going up, do you think silence is becoming a way people cope? How does that silence appear in your poetry?

Abdel Latif Moubarak

Silence here isn’t peace; it is a “forced muteness.” In my poetry, it appears as broken sentences or doors closed slowly to avoid notice. This silence is the “stifled scream” within walls we no longer have the luxury of belonging to—it is the language of fearing tomorrow.

5. Cairo traffic takes so much time every day. How do you write about the stress and tiredness of daily travel?

Abdel Latif Moubarak

I write about “wasted time” as if it were a life leaking through one’s fingers. I describe faces reflected in bus windows, tired eyes staring into nothingness, and the roar of engines becoming the “soundtrack” to nervous tension. Daily travel in Cairo is a fishing expedition for hope in a sea of metal.

6. In crowded homes where people can hear each other through thin walls, how do you think privacy exists anymore?

Abdel Latif Moubarak

Privacy in Cairo has become strictly “internal.” We live in a “collective soundscape” where a neighbor’s crying child is part of your dinner table. I write about privacy as a secret whispered in an ear, or a fantasy one escapes to when closing their eyes in a crowd. Walls are no longer barriers; they are “pores” that breathe the lives of others into our own.

7. Cairo streets are loud, but many people are struggling. How do you show both joy and hardship at the same time in your poetry?

Abdel Latif Moubarak

This is the “magic of Cairo.” I write about the loud laugh that erupts from a chest heavy with debt; the wedding held in a narrow alley where people dance atop their sorrows. Joy in my poems is an “act of resistance,” and hardship is the “canvas” that gives that joy its brilliance and meaning.

8. Many young people escape into the internet. How does this change the way you write and express real life?

Abdel Latif Moubarak

The internet has created an “alternative Cairo.” I write about the fragmentation of reality; a young man sits in a crumbling traditional café while his mind wanders through New York or Paris. This disconnect changes my language—it becomes more fragmented and rapid, mirroring the “scrolling” motion on a smartphone screen.

9. In Cairo, people often change how they live just to survive. Do you think identity is stable or always changing?

Abdel Latif Moubarak

Identity in Cairo is “fluid.” We shed our skins every morning to meet the demands of survival. I don’t believe in a fixed identity in a city as turbulent as a hurricane. We are a collection of “compromises” and “small victories” that ultimately form a unique Cairene face unlike any other.

10. If Cairo could talk like a person, what do you think it would say about its people today?

Abdel Latif Moubarak

If the stones of Cairo could speak, they would say: “I am weary from the weight of your broken dreams, yet I still breathe because of your stubbornness. You are harsh with me because you love me, and I am harsh with you because I no longer know how to protect you.”

Closing Remark

This conversation presents Cairo as a place full of contrasts—silent yet loud, broken yet alive. Through poetry, the city becomes both witness and voice, carrying the emotions of its people in every form of struggle and survival.

Meadows Peace 

In the meadow peace and sunlight glows

A quiet hush between what comes and grows, 

The soft grass sways in a calm release 

All the day feels wrapped in a peaceful peace, 

A gentle wind begins to stay

Whispering summers secrets through the sway,

Each petal glistens, calm and free

Moved by the cool breeze in harmony,

No hurried step, birds singing natures sound,

Stillness settling all around 

Where hearts can rest and thoughts cease,

Then life becomes a meadow’s peace.

The sea

Once upon a time..

The sea Once a sailor asked a dove, how is it to fly? and the dove answered, you ask me because you are every day at sea and with your strong boat you tear the waves in two. You have a brave crew and you are not afraid of storms.. Meanwhile I just fly, sometimes low, sometimes high, but I always meet clouds and planes, nothing exciting. You tell me about your adventures… So said the dove and the sailor, who was the captain of a boat, began to tell about the nights with the full moon and the mermaids crying on the reefs burnt with orange and red coral, to weep for their sisters or for the fortunes of travelers

and the stars twinkle merrily high up there in the firmament of heaven. Years ago there lived a dolphin in the waters of the Atlantic and sang and played with the other dolphins of his tribe, until one day he woke up and nothing was the same as before. Everything changed in his neighborhood, they were found to have plastic bottles and tons of tires in every coral cave, the algae got sick and the dolphins got stuck in the deepest caves. -But what’s going on? The sea became sick, the ocean became infected, the mullets answered him as they also passed by, looking for better and cleaner waters. – The sea got sick, but that doesn’t happen, the sea is a living organism

with the power of self-healing, it has iodine and phosphorus and salt, thought the dolphin… deciding to rise to the surface, to go and see up close what exactly happened. As soon as he climbed a little higher, he saw a terrifying sight, plastic bags and bottles were floating, and tires from cars and another pile of garbage. The dolphin started swimming back and forth restlessly and doing somersaults. It’s all true, he said over and over again. The sea became sick and filled with rashes and sores. I have to find a solution, but how can I? I’m small and ….. as he thinks he saw the careta careta  turtle carelessly swimming around, looking for food. I will ask about this careta careta  turtle..

she will be able to help me, since she often rises to the surface to give birth to her young, he thought and quickly made hasty movements with his tail, to reach her.. – What are you saying, did Thalassa get sick? the loggerhead turtle grimaced as he munched on a seaweed, Since when; Does he have a high fever? Let’s vacuum her, he replied and continued swimming towards a more fertile ground that also had plankton. – Suction cups, what is that again? These elders talk with incomprehensible words and never explain the inexplicable to us… all their philosophies and then… we , the new generations we are   lost  and we don’t know what we should do to find solutions!!!!

Lady Turtle Caretta – Caretta , I don’t want tips or suction cups, i need help….The Sea got sick and filled with rashes, and sores . We need to find a medical help, look around you, and  stop chewing.

..The loggerhead turtle stopped munching and looked around, facing a macabre sight, with plastic bags on every coral reef and plastic bottles lying on the bottom, and car tires blocking the entrance to  the main door of  homes of  the Smyrna , of the  

crabs and  the starfish and a  chaos was everywhere… .

Those aren’t viruses, the turtle said flatly and continued munching on her seaweed. – Isn’t it a virus? and how do you know that, wondered the dolphin – I just know it, and I also know who is responsible for this downfall… Probably the people are responsible!!! 

– People?

what is this, swamp fish? asked the dolphin in wonder – No, they are not swamp fish, 

people are people.

 They are different from us because they can stand and walk with their feet and move outside the water, they breathe and live by eating each other.. but also us , the fishes and other animals, but they don’t know how to hide their garbage, to recycle it, like we do , and  they just through their carbage into the sea. They did that.

I have a bad experience with them, I see how they treat me and my children when I go to the surface to give birth. They are monsters!!!- The dolphin was scared but said determinedly, monsters or dragons, I will go fight them and send them back their garbage. The dolphin  said  and swam angrily towards an unknown direction.

after months it was heard in the dolphin family that a small gray dolphin was caught in a fisherman’s net and died like a hero. They said it was found, swimming on the surface and very close to coasts and cities.

They said that every night he carried plastic bottles with his snout and left them on the beach, in the morning the people who went to the beach found mountains of plastic bottles and plastic bags waiting for them and they frowned and shouted and made faces and were very annoyed because they couldn’t bathe or sunbathe and they went to the beginning and asked the Municipality to clean up the waste, because some unconscious people threw it on the shore, and it prevents them from sitting comfortably or drinking their coffee, they couldn’t from the stench .

The municipality called the garbage trucks and collected 3 truckloads of plastic, and he didn’t know where to take it, since he himself knew that plastic doesn’t dissolve easily and takes thousands of years to decompose, but wherever he throws it or buries it , it will be harmful to the environment.. .However the whole story was, he ordered the trucks of waste to be taken to the dump and melted down. . Every night the dolphin continued to carry whatever plastic bag or other plastic he found thrown on the bottom and in the yard of the dolphin’ s house.

He also carried bottles and tin cans of soft drinks, he had also found friends, and the caretta-caretta turtle, and a couple of octopuses were coming to help him in this whole business. But no matter how much they emptied the bottom and how much they tried, the next day, they still found empty plastic bottles buried in the sand and mixed with their food. Yesterday, the Whale almost swallowed a soft drink cap and a small plastic spoon, they didn’t know where all this dirt was coming from, until one day, the loggerhead turtle, who was around the world, explained to them that this was garbage of the human and throw all   into all the seas.

All the fish have moved out of their caves and gone to other coral caves to stay. The loggerhead turtle said that the seas have no more plankton and much of the algae has been poisoned. – But we can’t live like this, in uncertainty and misery, said the dolphin angrily. We have to show them, that we are down here living with our families and the sea is getting sicker day by day. – And what should we do? Asked the turtle,

 they have destroyed everything  the forests and the air. They will never  stop …now they will destroy the sea.

– Should we act, should we send a message to these people? – But how; The turtle once said. There are many of them and they don’t speak the same language as us. They don’t understand us. – They understand us, insisted the dolphin. There are some of them, the little people who understand us. I feel it. We need to alert the little people to help us. To stop throwing their garbage into our sea. We will find a way. We have to if we want to stay alive and with clean seas. – How are you so sure? Caretta-caretta turtle replied. – Some time ago I traveled with my family to see distant relatives,

– our dolphin cousins, who live on a piece of land that is washed by the sea. There I had a strange encounter with a small man, I guess, I didn’t know what kind of animal it was, because I didn’t understand his speech and he didn’t come to the sea, only I was approaching the shore… – You’re still alive, you were lucky. People usually kill dolphins and all other fish, either for food or to make fertilizers for their skin. Monsters I tell you, I know them well, who am forced to wait long nights for them to leave, so that I can go lay my eggs and then I quickly run away and leave the unfortunates to their fate… They are all monsters, continued the Caretta turtle

– -I believe in this little man, he didn’t hurt me, nor did he try to imprison me. We played very often and he taught me many tricks too, I will try to find him and give him a message, the dolphin continued his thoughts optimistically.

.If I manage to get to shore again, there will be a way to send him a message. So I’ll tell you, people spend hours at the sea, on days when it’s always sunny. They sit lying down, and sometimes they turn to the right, sometimes to the left, on huge quilts, I often see them, said the turtle-caretta-caretta. It will be your only chance to send them a message, but only to the little people. I will tell you what you will do, you will find a glass bottle, it will surely be there near the coral reefs, you will bring it here and tell the seahorses and the cuttlefish to come to my house. –

. – But for what reason? He asked the surprised dolphin.-I have an idea, the turtle said meaningfully and continued to chew her seaweed. So it happened, when the sun’s rays were no longer visible, they all gathered in the coral cave of the caretta-caretta turtle. She opened her desk and took two feathers and a piece of paper, she told the cuttlefish to put as much force as she could and blow her ink over the feathers, she began to write and write on this paper and when she had finished folded and put them in the glass bottle that the dolphin holds for them. He turned to the seahorses and told them in a determined voice, now you know what to do.

The sea-horses galloped away with the bottle fastened between them, they swam for some time, until it was daylight when they reached a shore. With an acrobatic figure, they threw the glass bottle towards the shore and it went and got stuck, between some deckchairs, where a family was. A child who was carelessly playing with his buckets a little further, went to collect stones and shells and found the glass bottle. He took it and took it to his grandfather, look what I found, grandfather, a glass bottle with a message inside, it must be a treasure. Grandfather took the bottle, opened the cap and carefully took out the note and read aloud:

Here in this blue land that we inhabit, and you call the sea, we live before you are even born, before you even learn to walk, before you even know what you are?   We not disturb you ,you  not care. 

We demand

Stop throwing your trash here, 

stop throwing your plastic waste in our yard and poisoning our food. Stop right now!»

Signature 

The creatures of the sea

 Dolphins – whales – sharks

 Corals and algae