OSCE Centre supports discussion in Kazakhstan on implementation of UN recommendations on human rights
ASTANA, 22 May 2012 - State officials, national and international experts, representatives of the national human rights institutions, academia and civil society discussed measures to implement the recommendations of the UN in the human rights field during an OSCE-supported meeting held today in Astana.
The roundtable meeting, which brought together more than 100 participants, focused in particular on the implementation of the UN Human Rights Committee recommendations to Kazakhstan from July 2011 under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
At the meeting members of the UN Human Rights Committee elaborated on the recommendations. The event participants examined mechanisms for the implementation of UN recommendations, discussed human rights indicators and issues related to the independence of the judiciary and human rights institutions in Kazakhstan, as well as the challenges of ensuring human rights in criminal justice and promoting civil rights and freedoms.
Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, said: "OSCE participating States’ political commitments in human dimension, underpinning the provisions of key international documents, thereby reinforce international human rights mechanisms, including those established by UN bodies.”
“The OSCE Centre is ready to support Kazakhstan in the implementation of its international commitments by providing expertise, facilitating exchange of experience and co-operation with international institutions," said Zarudna.
Ambassador-at-Large Madina Jarbussynova of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry added: "Kazakhstan has ratified major international human rights documents, and to better implement them we must learn from best practices and co-operate with various institutions and civil society. This meeting will certainly help us to improve the implementation practice."
At the conclusion of the discussions participants prepared a set of recommendations to encourage Kazakhstan’s compliance with international requirements.
The meeting was co-organized by the non-governmental organization Legal Policy Research Centre, the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, and the MediaNet non-governmental organization. It was held under an EU project co-supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana, the OHCHR Regional Office, Freedom House Kazakhstan and Norwegian Helsinki Committee.