News and press releases

On 9 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana (the Office) hosted an event to mark the culmination of the first stage of a two-year project aimed at supporting the Tobol-Torgay River Basin Council. The project aims to strengthen the Council's capacity in developing a strategic basin plan for integrated water resource management.

On 17-18 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, in collaboration with key national agencies, held a training workshop focused on detecting the financing of terrorism during the fundraising phase. The workshop aimed to strengthen Kazakhstan’s capacity to counter the complex challenges posed by financial crimes linked to terrorism.

On 6-7 December 2024, the 10th Annual Conference of the Kyrgyz Association of Women Judges took place in Aral village, Chui Province, Kyrgyzstan. Themed “Strengthening Legal Justice: Access to Free Legal Aid, Support for Women in the Judiciary, and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence”, the conference convened legal professionals and experts from Central Asia to address pressing issues related to justice reform and gender equality.

On 6 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana presented results of a two-year project dedicated to developing interactive maps and safety passports for Kazakhstan. This initiative, implemented in partnership with the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan and the Center for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction aims to enhance capacities to monitor, model, and ensure early warning for natural disasters, measures to prevent and counter the effects of such, and ensure safe and sustainable communities.

From 18 to 21 November 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana (Office), in partnership with the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ), organised a study visit for representatives of Kazakhstan’s judiciary to the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and the German Federal Office of Justice in Bonn.

On 25-26 November, 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana (the Office), in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) and the “Union of Crisis Centers of Kazakhstan” organized a regional conference titled “Domestic Violence Counteraction Systems in Central Asia: Correctional Programs for Aggressors” in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

On 4 October 2024, in a significant step toward reforming the judicial system, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana (Office) and the Court Administration of Kazakhstan convened a roundtable discussion on the draft Strategy for the development of court administration for 2025-2029. This landmark event, following the 9th Congress of Judges, marked the culmination of months of progressively collaborative work aimed at enhancing efficiency, accessibility, and public trust in Kazakhstan’s judicial system, in line with host country reform priorities.