Kazakhstan Expands Mandate of Human Rights Commissioner to Meet UN Recommendations

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has expanded the mandate of the Commissioner for Human Rights in accordance with the Paris Principles, including providing financial and human resources to implement the recommendations received by the country in 2019 following the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a unique mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council.

The Human Dimension Dialogue Platform was established in 2013 on the initiative of the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan. Photo credit: Foreign Ministry.

At the Oct. 28 first meeting of the subgroup under the Human Dimension Dialogue Platform, co-chaired by Ambassador-at-Large Alua Nadirkulova and Deputy Justice Minister Botagoz Zhakselekova, the participants reviewed progress in implementing the recommendations.

Kazakhstan supported 214 out of 245 recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council member states and considered 31 recommendations in line with its national policies and current laws. To implement the supported recommendations, an interdepartmental plan for 2020-2024 was approved.

“The Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have been ratified; legislative measures have been taken to criminalize torture, cruelty, and violence against women and children; existing legislation to combat trafficking in persons has been revised; new laws on political parties and peaceful assemblies have been adopted, as well as a new Administrative Procedural Code; measures have been strengthened to support people with disabilities and children left without parental care,” reads the foreign ministry’s statement.  

The meeting participants also discussed the preparations for the Fourth Periodic National Report of Kazakhstan under the UPR. The national report was prepared by the Justice Ministry, government agencies, and civil society institutions.

The Human Dimension Dialogue Platform was established in 2013 on the initiative of the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan. The platform is a tool for facilitating dialogue between the government and the civil sector.