OSCE Centre supports publication of Kazakhstan Ombudsman’s report

KARAGANDY, Kazakhstan, 8 June 2012 – A review of the National Human Rights Commissioner’s (Ombudsman’s) work in 2011 was presented at an OSCE-supported meeting held in Karagandy today.

The event was hosted by the Karagandy State University and brought together parliamentarians and representatives of the National Human Rights Centre, as well as from the expert council and anti-torture working group under the Ombudsman Office. Representatives of non-governmental and international organizations also participated.

The OSCE Centre has been facilitating the translation of the Ombudsman Office’s Annual Reports into English to support the activities of Kazakhstan’s national human rights institution and enable the dissemination of human rights reports to a broader audience.

“Public outreach and the dissemination of information on the human rights situation by the national human rights institution raise public awareness of the role of the Ombudsman in protecting citizens’ rights. Events like the meeting today encourage the transparency of state agencies and their accountability to the public,” said Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana. “The OSCE Centre will continue to assist Kazakhstan in strengthening the Ombudsman Institution.”

Ambassador Askar Shakirov, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan, said: “Co-operation with international organizations is important as it gives Kazakhstan’s young Ombudsman institute an opportunity to share international experience, and encourages the government to more closely adopt international norms and incorporate them into the national legislation.”

In 2011, the OSCE Centre completed a project in co-operation with the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the Ombudsman Office in support of Kazakhstan’s National Human Rights Commissioner to enhance the institution’s organizational and technical capacity and expand its outreach in the regions, as well as raise public awareness of the role of the Ombudsman in protecting citizens’ rights.