CERD/C/UZB/CO/5 page 2 4. The Committee notes with appreciation that the law guarantees the freedom of citizens to choose their language of instruction, and that there are a number of primary and secondary public schools where education takes place in minority languages. 5. The Committee takes note with satisfaction of the statement made by the delegation that the issue of accession to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its Optional Protocol (1967) is currently under examination, and encourages the State party to accede to these instruments without delay. 6. The Committee notes with interest the State party’s practice of establishing National Plans of Action in response to Treaty Bodies’ recommendations, and the information provided by the delegation that a similar Plan would be adopted in respect to the pr esent concluding observations. 7. The Committee welcomes the adoption of new legislation on NGOs which has resulted in the registration of many new NGOs, including those which represent various ethnic groups. 8. The Committee welcomes the information that human rights are included as a subject of instruction in educational curricula. C. Concerns and recommendations 9. The Committee reiterates its concern about the absence of a definition of racial discrimination in domestic law, even if the provisions of the Convention may be directly invoked before national courts. The Committee is of the view that the elaboration of specific legislation on racial discrimination, including all elements provided in article 1 of the Convention, is an indispensable tool for effectively combating racial discrimination. 10. The Committee is concerned that the last census of the population in the State party dates back to 1989, which may affect the accuracy of the data used in the report. The State party is recommended to provide detailed and updated disaggregated data on the ethnic composition of its population in its next report. 11. The Committee is concerned about the lack of comprehensive information on the acquisition, in practice, of permanent residence permits or citizens hip in the State party. The State party is invited to provide in its next periodic report information on the number of persons that were granted Uzbek citizenship, and residence permits, disaggregated by ethnic origin.