Issues of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights were Discussed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, DKnews.kz reports
A meeting of the subgroup on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights under the Advisory Body – Dialogue Platform on the Human Dimension was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the co-chairmanship of Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Alua Nadirkulova, and First Vice Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Akmadi Sarbasov.
The event was attended by the Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights under the President of Kazakhstan, deputies of the Mazhilis of Parliament, representatives of interested ministries, Kazakh human rights NGOs, as well as guests of the site – representatives of the United Nations Development Program, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Representative Office of the European Union in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
First Vice-Minister Sarbasov made a report on the implementation of the recommendations following the protection of the Second National Report of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the implementation of the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2019. Thus, as part of the implementation of the recommendations, the Social Code was adopted, providing for a number of measures and norms reflected in the recommendations of the UN Committee, the Concept of Migration Policy until 2027, the Concept of Safe Work in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2024-2030, as well as the National Plan to Ensure the Rights and Improve the Quality of Life of Persons with Disabilities in the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2025.
During the meeting, the President of the Public Foundation for the Development of Parliamentarism in Kazakhstan, Zauresh Battalova, presented Alternative Report No. 7, prepared by a Coalition of Kazakhstani Non-Governmental Human Rights Organizations within the framework of the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review. The report addresses issues of ensuring economic, social, and cultural rights, as well as the right to education. In particular, it was noted that it is necessary to adopt at the legislative level a provision on an adequate standard of living for Kazakhstanis, its components and evaluation criteria.
Overall, the discussion of the agenda was open and constructive. Representatives of government agencies and NGOs listened to problematic issues and gave practical recommendations for the systematic improvement of the economic, social and cultural rights of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Dialogue Platform on the Human Dimension was established in 2013 at the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. The platform serves as an effective tool for facilitating dialogue between the Government and civil society. Various pressing human rights issues are discussed on the platform, with the participation of international organizations such as UNDP, OHCHR, OSCE, etc. as observers.
