About meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
On June 9, 2020, the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN Office in Geneva, Zhanar Aitzhanova, held a virtual meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet. The main purpose of the meeting was to inform the High Commissioner about the progress made in implementation of the Presidential package of political reforms. UN High Commissioner, Madame Bachelet, noted the political reforms carried out by Kazakhstan under the leadership of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Bachelet highlighted the adoption of the law on peaceful assemblies. She also noted the reforms regarding the recently adopted law on political parties, as well as the decriminalization of defamation.
Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan in her response thanked the High Commissioner for the positive assessment of Kazakhstan's reforms during the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in February 2020, as well as for the capacity building projects provided through technical assistance and training, highlighted in a recent OHCHR report for 2019. Aitzhanova emphasized to the High Commissioner the main advantages of the new Law on Peaceful assemblies in comparison with the 1995 law.
Permanent Representative also emphasized the President’s initiative to develop a multi-party system, political competition and pluralism. She noted that as a result of amendments made to the law on political parties, political parties are now obligated to include 30% of women and youth in their ranks and decrease the required signature from 40,000 to 20,000 necessary to register political parties. She also emphasized the initiative of the President to promote the concept of parliamentary opposition, which will be presented for the first time at the level of the Constitutional Law in Kazakhstan. The representative of Kazakhstan also informed the High Commissioner on the important workaimed at strengthening of relations between the state and civil society.
Concluding the meeting, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan highlighted the importance of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UN through treaty bodies, special procedures and other mechanisms of the Organziation and maintaining open and constructive dialogue. She also expressed her support for the UN initiative to reform the UN Treaty body system to optimize and improve its effectiveness.