The First Vice-Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Akmadi Sarbassov, participated in a meeting of the Consultative and Advisory Body, titled the «Dialogue Platform on the Human Dimension». During the meeting, he provided an update on the implementation of recommendations stemming from the Republic of Kazakhstan’s defense of its Second Report on the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.
The event was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Commission under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Tastemir Abishev, Deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aigul Kuspan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Kazakhstan Katie Leach, representatives of interested government agencies, an expert of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and non-governmental organizations.
Speaking at the meeting, Akmadi Sarbassov noted that the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter – the Ministry) cooperates with the UN Committee within the framework of the fulfillment by the Republic of Kazakhstan of international obligations to submit national reports on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (hereinafter – the Covenant).
The first national report on the implementation of the Pact was sent to the UN Committee in 2007 and was considered at a meeting on May 10-11, 2010, as a result of which 37 recommendations were given to the Government. The second national report on the implementation of the Pact was considered at a meeting of the UN Committee on February 27-28, 2019, following the results of the defense, 30 recommendations were given to the Government. The third periodic report on the implementation of the Pact was sent to the UN Committee in April this year.
In order to implement the recommendations, the Concept of Migration Policy until 2027 (November 30, 2022) was adopted, which aims to stimulate the influx of qualified personnel into the country, protect the rights of Kazakhstanis working abroad, eliminate demographic imbalances between the regions of the country and generally «reset» migration policy.
At the same time, work has been intensified to improve migration legislation, the visa regime has been simplified, the procedure for issuing invitations, entry and registration of visiting foreign citizens has been simplified, and the visa and migration portal has been modernized. Also, the registration procedure at the place of residence is simplified and automated as much as possible through the E-Government portal.
In matters of social security, including pension provision, foreigners permanently residing in Kazakhstan also have the same rights as citizens of Kazakhstan, including the right to receive pre-school, primary, basic secondary and general secondary education.
The Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan «On Amendments and Additions to certain legislative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on social protection of certain categories of citizens» was adopted on October 12, 2021, where the List of jobs in which women's work is limited was canceled.
This measure has made it possible to expand women's employment opportunities by ensuring their access to all jobs, including in the fields of industry (oil and gas, mining, manufacturing), transport and construction, which relate to dangerous and harmful working conditions.
The Concept of Safe Work in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2024-2030 has been adopted, which is aimed at developing a national occupational safety management system based on an assessment of occupational risks in the workplace. This work will be accompanied by a full-scale digitalization of the field of labor protection. A digital map of enterprises has been created, which allows real-time monitoring of working conditions and timely response to negative changes. Along with state labor inspectors, trade unions will also provide information for monitoring.
Another strategic document, within the framework of which measures will be taken to ensure safe working conditions for employees, is the Concept of development of the labor market of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2024-2029. Within the framework of the Concept, it is planned to create a competitive, predictable and easily adaptable labor market to ensure high-quality jobs.
Also, this year, a Committee of the State Labor Inspectorate was established under the Ministry, which performs implementation and control functions in the field of labor relations, including labor safety and health, and employment.
At the same time, on June 12 of this year, the Ministry, social partners and the International Labour Organization signed a Roadmap for promoting decent work for 2024-2025.
Regarding the implementation of the recommendation on trade union rights, a new General Agreement was signed this year between the Government, republican associations of employers and republican associations of trade unions for 2024-2026, which provides for a list of nine ILO conventions.
As part of the implementation of the recommendation on minimum levels of social protection, the new social policy being implemented in Kazakhstan is an important aspect of large-scale changes. The foundations of these transformations are reflected in the Social Code.