Civil Society Development Discussed at Kazakh Foreign Ministry

Astana, October 30, 2023 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a regular meeting of the Consultative and Advisory Body «Dialogue Platform on Human Dimension» (hereinafter - «DPHD» CAB).

The event included MP’s of the Kazakh Parliament, Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Commission under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a judge of the Supreme Court, representatives of the Central Election Commission, the Constitutional Court, the Office of the Ombudsman for Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan, relevant ministries, Kazakh human rights NGOs, as well as guests of the platform – representatives of international partners, including the United Nations Development Programme, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Alua Nadirkulova in her speech  emphasized the role of civil society in the implementation of constitutional reforms adopted as a result of the 2022 referendum.

The participants of the meeting of «DPHD» CAB discussed the right of access to information, ensuring transparency in the activities of state bodies and protection of the right to privacy, as well as the reform of electoral legislation, institutions and procedures in the light of the past presidential and parliamentary elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Discussions of the agenda were open and constructive; and a set of recommendations was formulated for further joint work of government agencies and NGOs.

In conclusion, the participants of the «DPHD» CAB summarized the results of the event and planned to hold the next «DPHD» CAB meeting in November of this year.

Background: «DPHD» CAB was established in 2013 at the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  The platform is an effective tool to facilitate dialog between the Government and the civil sector. Various topical issues of human rights protection are discussed on the platform with the participation of international organizations (UNDP, UN OHCHR, OSCE, etc.) as observers.