THE INTERNATIONAL ONLINE CONFERENCE IS BEING HELD IN NUR-SULTAN

On August 27, 2020, the online international conference  on "XXI Century Constitution – the Rule of law, the Value of Person and Effectiveness of the State " dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan has started its work. The IV Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and equivalent institutions is being held within the framework of the Forum. The conference is attended by representatives of State organizations of Kazakhstan, authoritative international organizations, constitutional control bodies of foreign countries, and prominent academics and public figures. The international Forum was opened by Chairman of Constitutional Council K.Mami, who emphasized that for every nation the Constitution, based on universally recognized values, is the guarantee of stability and sustained development. President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.K.Tokayev delivered a  welcoming speech. The President noted that this year our Constitution turns 25 years. «A new Constitution of Kazakhstan was adopted in 1995 at the national referendum. The First President – Elbasy Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev became an inspirer of this Law. He personally lead the process of drafting of this document. The Constitution has created a solid legal basis for our Independence. A person, his life, rights and freedoms were proclaimed as the highest values of the state. Over quarter of a century, three constitutional reforms have been implemented. Civil society took an active part in this work. However, the creative potential of Constitution is exhausted. Particularly it contains the great opportunities to correspond to the social demands of social-economic and political nature. The Constitutional Council has an important role to play in implementing the provisions of the Basic law. The Council ensures the supremacy of the Constitution on the territory of the Republic, and accomplishes  a considerable work on revealing the substance of constitutional requirements. This year the Council chairs the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions and the Eurasian Association of constitutional review bodies. It is symbolic that this anniversary year, the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan also performs an honorary and responsible mission. K.Mami read out greetings from  the first President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Elbasy N.A.Nazarbayev. It stipulates that "the Basic Law enshrined a fair and balanced combination of the achievements of world civilization and Kazakh values, became the foundation of the state structure. Having chosen a strategy for the progressive development of the country for the benefit of the whole society, all these years we follow the unconditional observance of the spirit and letter of the Constitution. " Congratulations were also given by foreign guests: Mr.Gianni Buquicchio − President of the European Commission for Democracy through Law , Council of Europe (the Venice Comission ), Zh.N.Baishev – President of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union, Dr. Frauke Bachler  – General Director The German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation and Gyorge Szabo – Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan. The programme of the conference consists of three sessions on the role of the Constitution in ensuring the rule of law, the protection of human rights and democratic values in an era of digital transformation, as well as the constitutional principles of modernizing the modern and effective state. Leading lawyers from all continents of the world discuss topical issues of further constitutional and legal development, including those related to the coronavirus pandemic. They represent such international structures as the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission, the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, the EAEU Court, the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation, the German Society for International Cooperation and others. Among the speakers are also the heads of constitutional justice organizations of Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Myanmar, Moldova, Mongolia, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. For participants organized a historical and documentary online exhibition "Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan - the basis of stability and prosperity of the state." This exhibition includes unique archival documents related to the history of the draft Basic Law and the recent constitutional reforms. According to the program, the Congress will be completed with  adoption of the Nur-Sultan Declaration at the end of the working day.