E/C.12/UZB/CO/1 page 2 5. The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the State party to promote equality between men and women, including the establishment of the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan and the setting-up of a minimum quota of 30 per cent for women candidates for Parliament elections. 6. The Committee welcomes the full and disaggregated information on the vaccination programmes carried out in the State party. 7. The Committee welcomes the adoption of the National Personnel Training Programme to improve the quality of education and the use of interactive methods of instruction in the learning process. 8. The Committee welcomes the information that public education in the State party is free and compulsory until the completion of secondary education and that it is conducted in seven languages. C. Factors and difficulties impeding the implementation of the Covenant 9. The Committee recognizes that the effects of the Aral Sea ecological catastrophe in the State party have posed obstacles to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights by the population in the State party. D. Principal subjects of concern 10. The Committee notes with regret that no information was provided on specific decisions of domestic courts where reference has been made to the provisions of the Covenant. 11. The Committee is concerned about the reported lack of independence of the judiciary in the State party. 12. The Committee notes with regret that the statistical data provided by the State party do not always allow for a clear evaluation of the progressive implementation of the economic, social and cultural rights enshrined in the Covenant. 13. The Committee is concerned that the State party has not adhered to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its Optional Protocol (1967). The Committee is also concerned about the absence of a specific law for the protection of refugees, which may negatively affect the enjoyment of their economic, social and cultural rights. 14. The Committee is concerned that the compulsory residence registration system (propiska) limits access to a range of human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, for individuals who wish to move to another district where they are not registered. 15. The Committee is concerned about the revival of traditional stereotypes in relation to the role of women in society and the reappearance of phenomena such as polygamy and forced marriages. It is also concerned about persistent gender inequalities in the State party, particularly in the fields of vocational training, employment, and low representation of women in public life and managerial posts, both in the public and private sectors.