ASTANA – On Human Rights Day, marked on Dec. 10, a scientific-practical conference in Astana evaluated Kazakhstan’s progress in human rights protection and addressed the challenges that remain.
Kazakhstan’s Human Rights Commissioner Artur Lastayev (R) opened the conference. Photo credit: Nargiz Raiymbekova/The Astana Times
Organized by Kazakhstan’s Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights together with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, the Commission on Human Rights under the President of Kazakhstan, the General Prosecutor’s Office, Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Information, the conference aimed to strengthen the involvement of governmental and non-governmental structures in human rights activities.
Kazakhstan’s Human Rights Commissioner Artur Lastayev said that in recent years the country has taken comprehensive measures to improve the legal status of citizens and strengthen democratic institutions.
“Kazakhstan has recognized the competence of six UN treaty bodies on human rights – the Human Rights Committee, the Committee against Torture, the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Rights of the Child and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. A huge and serious step in strengthening human rights was made in the last two years, when the constitutional court was resuscitated, allowing every citizen of our country to file complaints directly for the protection of their constitutional rights. Our institution was seriously reorganized and strengthened, and a separate article in the constitution appeared,” said Lastayev.
In recent years, Kazakhstan has enacted a series of laws that enshrine certain fundamental rights.
“This year, a law protecting women’s rights against domestic violence was adopted and came into force. It criminalizes specific actions that civil society and international organizations have long advocated for, emphasizing the need for legislative measures. Other steps have also been taken. In particular, last year, the penalty for torture was significantly strengthened with up to 12 years of imprisonment. The exclusive jurisdiction for their investigation was defined, which inevitably had an impact on the increase of the investigation effectiveness of such crimes, as well as a sharp and directly proportional reduction in complaints of torture,” said Lastayev.
His office received over 6,000 appeals in the first 11 months of 2024, reflecting a 15% increase compared to the same period last year.
Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Kazakhstan Aleška Simkić highlighted that the EU works closely with Kazakhstan on human rights protection.
EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan Aleška Simkić. Photo credit: Nargiz Raiymbekova/The Astana Times
“Kazakhstan is our trusted partner, and we are bound by the bilateral enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement, the first of such kind in Central Asia, which regulates 29 areas of our cooperation. I’m happy to say that we are also having fruitful conversations with Kazakhstan on the rule of law and human rights in this framework,” said Simkić.
Kazakhstan and the EU are cooperating in multiple areas of human rights protection, including freedom of media, freedom of association, the fight against gender-based violence, the rule of law and the issue of torture.
“Then, we are working very closely with Kazakhstan in the international arena, where we count on partners that are also respecting human rights and the rule of law. When we talk about the United Nations Human Rights Council, when we talk about the General Assembly of the United Nations, the overall respect for the United Nations Charter – that’s where we find Kazakhstan’s stance quite strong and that’s where we look for cooperation,” said Simkić.
Katarzyna Wawiernia, Resident Representative of the UNDP in Kazakhstan, expressed her appreciation for Kazakhstan’s collaborative efforts.
Katarzyna Wawiernia, Resident Representative of the UNDP in Kazakhstan. Photo credit: Kazakhstan’s Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights
“As the United Nations Development Program, we express our gratitude to Kazakhstan for joining the UN Human Rights treaties since the country’s independence. We also appreciate the invaluable efforts of the human rights activists that monitor their implementation and raise an alarm whenever human rights are under threat. We are pleased to see that many human rights defenders are present here today, which demonstrates that there is an ongoing dialog between the authorities and the civil society sector,” said Wawiernia in her speech.
“In Kazakhstan for over 20 years, UNDP has been supporting the rule of law initiatives of the government. We have been witnessing transformations in judicial and law enforcement systems, enhancement of the Bar Association and National Human Rights institution, greater engagement of civil society in monitoring the effectiveness of law enforcement and judiciary,” she added.
According to her, UNDP is supporting initiatives on institutional strengthening, enhancing and increasing the effectiveness of the judicial system, police and law enforcement. UNDP also works to broaden the stance of the government, private sector and civil society on the issue of human rights in business and institutionalization of human rights policy in the private sector.
“A special focus is made on environmental justice issues, where UNDP calls for the human rights-based approach in the work of police and judiciary to ensure citizens’ rights for a clean environment,” said Wawiernia.
