ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed Svetlana Zhakupova as the Ombudsperson for the Rights of Socially Vulnerable Categories of the Population on June 12, reported the Akorda press service.
Born in 1968, Zhakupova graduated from the Tselinograd State Pedagogical Institute in 1991. She also studied at the Almaty Academy of Economics and Statistics. Zhakupova previously held various positions at Kazakh schools, state institutions, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, and the Ministry of Healthcare.
The ombudsperson for the rights of socially vulnerable categories of the population is a new position proposed by President Tokayev in his state-of-the-nation address in September last year. The decree was signed in March, stating that the person holding this office carries out activities voluntarily.
The main goal of the ombudsperson is to ensure the rights and protect legitimate interests of socially vulnerable categories of the population and restore their rights and freedoms in cooperation with state and public institutions.
The same day, Tokayev dismissed Aruzhan Sain as the ombudsperson for Children’s Rights and appointed Dinara Zakiyeva. Zakiyeva previously worked at the Presidential Administration, Amanat party, Astana orphanages, and Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament.