NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Ministry of Information and Public Development gave start to the ninth Civil Forum week on Nov. 23 in Nur-Sultan. The forum will offer 12 virtual meetings between heads of ministries and representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The forum will last through Nov. 27.
Photo credit: Kazakhstan’s Civil Alliance facebook page.
The forum is themed “Society and the State: 30 Years of Partnership and Development.” During the week, the participants will discuss topical issues, including the main directions of the new concept for the development of civil society, citizen participation in decision-making, mechanisms and opportunities for public control, the competitiveness of NGOs, prospects for trilateral cooperation between society, government, and business, among other topics.
According to Minister of Information and Public Development Aida Balayeva, the forum has established itself as “a reputable and useful platform in establishing mutually beneficial cooperation with government agencies and NGOs.”
The forum that was organized at the initiative of Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev opened the road for civil initiatives wide and accessible to promote a positive agenda in this direction, despite the current restrictions associated with the pandemic, Balayeva said during the opening of the ninth Civil Forum.
“Dialogue between representatives of government authorities, the expert community, business community, and civil society will further contribute to the development of equal cooperation and confidence-building,” she said. “In this regard, the search for joint solutions to overcome existing and new challenges in the era of global changes is one of the most urgent tasks. Here initiative and a creative approach are required from all of us.”
All the meetings will be streamed on the social pages of the Civil Alliance. There are nearly 500 delegates participating in the forum.
On the first day of the forum, the NGO representatives met with Kazakh Healthcare Minister Alexey Tsoy and Deputy Finance Minister Ruslan Yensebayev. Yensebayev stressed that the agency prioritizes budget planning. He spoke about the design of an open budget system, as well as public participation in the discussion and decision-making on financing certain projects.
