News and press releases

In 2025, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana completed a series of three-day training seminars in four regions of Kazakhstan, respectively, in co-operation with the Commission of Human Rights under the President of Kazakhstan, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA). The aim of the events was to raise awareness among representatives of local authorities, law enforcement, social services, civil society, small and medium-sized businesses, and academia about national and international mechanisms for the protection of human rights in both regional centres and rural areas of Kazakhstan.

The OSCE Programme Office in Astana (the Office) facilitated a multi-day visit of international partners to Kazakhstan, aimed at showcasing progress under the extra-budgetary project “Addressing Contemporary Safety and Security Risks in the Republic of Kazakhstan” from 11-14 July 2025.

On 19 June in Almaty, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, in collaboration with the global ride-hailing company inDrive, launched a pilot training session for 48 local drivers, including 11 women and 37 men. This first of its kind gender-sensitive communication training event was delivered in partnership with a ride-hailing platform, which marks a meaningful step toward engaging local drivers in fostering safer and more respectful public spaces and promoting a zero tolerance approach to discrimination and harassment.

On 16 and 17 June in Astana as well as on 19 and 20 June 2025 in Almaty, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, in partnership with the Public Foundation “Legal Media Center” and Internews in Kazakhstan, organized two-day training workshops on “Legal Check-Up for Journalists.”

From June 4 to 6 2025, a delegation from Kazakhstan participated in the international conference “OCTOPUS 2025- Conference on Countering Cybercrime”, hosted by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. The participation of the delegation was facilitated by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana within the framework of the extra-budgetary project “Supporting the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Development of Effective Policies to Counter Cybercrimes (Phase I)”, implemented by the Office in co-operation with the Ministry of Interior of Kazakhstan, and under the co-ordination of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan.

On 27 May 2025, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana (the Office) officially transmitted the Feasibility Needs Assessment Report: “Breed Programme/Puppy Development” to the Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The report, developed by the OSCE with expert support from the United Kingdom, reflects the Office’s continued support to national efforts in enhancing specialized capacities for effective border security management.

To support Kazakhstan in strengthening its response to cybercrime, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in partnership with the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, held a two-day workshop in Astana on 12 and 13 June. The event focused on developing a national competency framework and training