OSCE Programme Office in Astana co-hosts roundtable discussion dedicated to International Human Rights Day

The OSCE Programme Office, marking International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2015, facilitated and took part in a roundtable discussion in Astana on human rights as the basis for the harmonious development of society and the state.

Some 140 officials, including State Secretary Gulshara Abdikalikova, Deputy Foreign and Interior, Justice and Education Ministers, parliamentarians, the head and the member of the Commission for Human Rights under the President, the Ombudsperson, Supreme Court judges, representatives of civil society, mass media and academia participated in the event.

They discussed the importance of protecting constitutional rights and freedoms, international and national mechanisms to protect human rights in Kazakhstan, and the role of state bodies and civil society institutions in this sphere.

Participants also shared ideas and plans on implementing the country’s human rights commitments in line with the "100 Concrete Steps" Plan of the Nation.

The annual event was organized by the Commission for Human Rights under the President in partnership with the Justice and Foreign Ministries, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, UN agencies, the EU Delegation and the International Organization for Migration, to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.