Meeting of Consultative and Advisory Body Dialogue Platform on Human Dimension held in Astana
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Kairat Abdrakhmanov opened the meeting by calling the platform unique, consistently and regularly meeting to discuss pertinent issues of Kazakhstan's political development in accordance with international standards. It generates recommendations, which are then discussed in the CAB working groups and sub-groups. The platform develops institutionally, receives support from civil society, government authorities, MPs, the Human Rights Commission under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Constitutional Council, the Central Election Commission, international organisations, including the EU, UN, OSCE and others.
Minister Abdrakhmanov also stressed that over the four years of intensive dialogue, the CAB had developed more than two hundred recommendations on a wide spectrum of issues of Kazakhstan's political, social and economic development. These recommendations have been prepared in strict compliance with the Kazakhstan-2050 Strategy, concept on Kazakhstan's joining the world's top 30 most developed countries, Five Institutional Reforms, Plan of the Nation 100 Concrete Steps, as well as Kazakhstan's efforts to incorporate the OECD standards.
In this context, Minister Abdrakhmanov shared with the CAB participants his views on the significance of the recent State of the Nation Address by the President of Kazakhstan on the Reallocation of Powers Between the Branches of Government.
"The delegation of the part of presidential powers to the Parliament and the Government is Kazakhstan's major historical step towards effective management system, its adaptation to the needs of Kazakhstan in the 21st century," the Minister said. In this regard, he emphasised the importance of the CAB, which should be focused on "the development of the law-governed Kazakhstan, with such fundamental principles as the rule of law and the separation of powers."
He also shared his vision of Kazakhstan in 2050, which should become "a country with a strong political system based on the rule of law, with a stable high-tech and clean economy, a country where human rights are protected, and duties and responsibilities are clearly defined, where everyone knows their place in society and is a reliable "shareholder" of Kazakhstan's stable and successful future."
Such approaches towards joint work were supported by all members of the CAB. In his statement Director of the International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law Yevgeniy Zhovtis agreed with a fact that the CAB in four years erected as unique dialogue platform which provide opportunity to openly discuss and share opinions on issues related to democracy, rule of law and human rights. Along with that, he called all members of the CAB to put more efforts in 2017 to ensure practical implementation of the outcomes and to gradually introduce international standards to the legal field of Kazakhstan. Such work, according to the human rights advocate, should be implemented throughout the whole spectrum of human rights issues, including freedom of expression, assembly, religion etc.
This appeal was welcomed by participants of the CAB, inter alia by representatives of international organizations. Thus, representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' Regional Office for Central Asia Ryszard Komenda, Permanent Coordinator of the UN in Kazakhstan Norimasa Shimomura, Head of the OSCE Program Office in Astana Dyerd Sabo as well as representatives of the EU and USAID expressed their readiness to support the process of implementation of international obligations of Kazakhstan.
Special attention in the work of the CAB was paid to the participation of civil society in it, prominent representatives of which are Yevgeniy Zhovtis, Zhemis Turmagambetova, ZulfiyaBaisakova, Zauresh Batalova, Marat Bashimov, Dzhamilya Assanova, Vitaliy Voronov, Anara Ibrayeva, Anton Artemyev, Nurlan Uteshev and more.
The state agencies in the meeting were represented by stakeholder ministries and agencies of Kazakhstan - the Central Electoral Commission, the Constitutional Council, the Ministry of Finance, the State Revenue Committee, the Prosecutor General's Office, including on the level of Deputies of the Minister of Justice and on Religious and Civil Society Affairs represented by Elvira Azimova and Abzal Nukenov. The diplomatic corps was represented by heads and representatives of such international organizations as the UN, EU and OSCE.
Special importance to the CAB meeting was given by participation of honorary guests from representatives of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, including Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights under the President of Kazakhstan, member of Mazhilis of the Parliament Kuanysh Sultanov as along with such MPs as Berik Duisembinov, Zhambyl Akhmetbekov, Assylbek Smagulov, Nurlan Dulatbekov, Artur Platonov, Abai Tasbulatov, Mukhtar Erman, Meruert Kazbekova and Yersultan Bekturganov.
At the conclusion of the meeting Abdrakhmanov, upon agreement of the participants, adopted the Working Plan of the CAB for 2017. The document is a basis for the activity of the platform and stipulates four meetings within a year on discussion of wide spectrum of issues: from registration and accountability of NGOs to presentation of national reports of Kazakhstan in the UN Human Rights Committees.
