Initiatives of President of Kazakhstan in Field of Human Rights Protection Welcomed in Council of Europe

Strasbourg, 23 June 2021 – Director of External Relations of the Council of Europe Zoltan Taubner was informed in detail about further measures under implementation in the human rights sphere as initiated by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

At his meeting with Kazakhstan’s Consul General Anuarbek Akhmetov, the Council of Europe’s senior official welcomed the ongoing political reforms in the country and new effective initiatives that would contribute to the sustainable development of the state. Among them are the signing of the President’s Decree from 9 June 2021 “On further measures of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of human rights” and approval of the “Plan of priority measures in the field of human rights”.

“This is great news for the Council of Europe, which is interested in implementing a number of joint programs with Kazakhstan,” Taubner emphasized.

According to him, “particular importance of this Decree and newly adopted Plan is that it provides a mechanism of implementation, as well as regular reporting on specific results.”

Among the priorities outlined in the Plan, he noted the importance of implementing such directions as increasing the effectiveness of interaction with non-governmental organizations and eliminating discrimination against women.

Taubner commended the successful implementation of the Neighborhood Co-operation Priorities for Kazakhstan for the period of 2019–2022 and stressed the importance of a positive example of work with the country not only in Central Asia, but also in regions such as the Maghreb and the Middle East. This position is shared by numerous member-states of the Council of Europe.