The Public Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan continues its work

NUR-SULTAN, September 17, 2020 - A meeting of the Public Council on activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held online.

Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi, in his opening speech, noted that according to the agenda, the Council members will have to discuss important issues such as the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the amended Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan On Diplomatic Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan and also draw attention to the need to strengthen the role of the Public Council as a platform where members of the Council could take an active part not only in discussing aspects of foreign policy, but also developing proposals and recommendations on anti-corruption issues, which corresponds to the tasks voiced by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the State of the Nation Address.

Chairman of the Public Council, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Yerman, in turn, stressed the relevance and timeliness of the topics raised at the meeting, which will undoubtedly contribute to strengthening the dialogue between government agencies and civil society.

During the meeting, First Deputy Foreign Minister Shakhrat Nuryshev also spoke about the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs amid the coronavirus pandemic and Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Arken Utenov spoke about the draft of the amended Law On Diplomatic Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Dr. Liliya Ispenbetova, an expert at Adal Bilim Anti-Corruption Project Office and Director of the Asian Research Center for International and Comparative Law, delivered a report titled “The recommendations for improving the efficiency of public councils in preventing and fighting corruption”.

In her remarks, Ispenbetova spoke about the mechanisms that exist to ensure public control and the monitoring of the work of government agencies by council members, including their participation in events organized by government agencies, access to information and reviews of citizens’ requests.

Ispenbetova noted the important role of public control not only in ensuring the openness and transparency of government agencies but also in preventing corruption.

During the discussions, the members of the Public Council made a number of proposals for effective interaction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The next meeting of the Public Council reviewing the work of the Ministry is expected to occur at the end of this year.