OSCE Centre supports conference in Astana, student event in Almaty to mark International Human Rights Day

Representatives of state authorities, international organizations and embassies discussed the development of national human rights protection mechanisms in Kazakhstan and their efficiency, as well as co-ordination with international institutions at a roundtable event in Astana on International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2012.

The event was organized by the Human Rights Commission under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan, the OSCE Centre in Astana, the representative office of the European Union in Kazakhstan, the British Embassy and the UN Development Programme.

The Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, Ambassador Natalia Zarudna said in her welcoming remarks: “Contemporary human rights issues could be solved more effectively if international human rights institutions and governments would work more closely with the growing number of independent national human rights institutions, as co-operation with civil society is vital to successfully promoting human rights.”

The participants developed a set of recommendations on strengthening national human rights protection mechanisms as watchdogs of Kazakhstan’s compliance with its international commitments and platforms for dialogue between civil society and the authorities.

On the same day in Almaty, the OSCE Centre supported an annual student event which brought together some 70 law students from Almaty-based universities to discuss ways to promote human rights protection mechanisms at different levels in Kazakhstan. The conference was organized in partnership with Caspian Public University. The activity is part of the OSCE Centre's support for human rights education initiatives implemented jointly by non-governmental organizations, universities and state institutions.