The world’s parliaments play a “fundamental” role in ensuring human rights protections for the global citizenry and, as a result, must reflect international human rights standards in their legislation, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon affirmed today as he continued on his Central Asian trip with a visit to Kyrgyzstan.

Alcohol abuse and domestic violence, early and forced marriages and bride kidnappings are among the factors making children in Kyrgyzstan more vulnerable to sexual exploitation and forced labour, warned a United Nations independent expert at the end of her recent visit to the country.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the new leadership in Kyrgyzstan to encourage national dialogue and reconciliation as the Central Asian country seeks greater stability in the wake of last year's overthrow of the government and subsequent deadly ethnic clashes.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the leader of Kyrgyzstan to carry out the key recommendations of an independent inquiry into last year’s deadly ethnic violence in the country’s south as the Central Asian nation prepares to hold presidential elections next month.