OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan and the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Project on Improving the Effectiveness of the Justice System
On 15 December 2021 in Nur-Sultan, Volker Frobarth, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan and Nail Akhmetzakirov, Head of the Department for Provision of Courts’ Activity under the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the extra budgetary project on Improving the Effectiveness of the Justice System in Kazakhstan. The Project is funded by the Government of the United States of America and will be implemented until the end of 2024.
The Project’s objective is to promote the rule of law and support the justice system's openness, transparency and accountability. It will build on the achievements in the reform process up to date and use a tailored approach in working on modernizing court administration, introducing a comprehensive evaluation system for judges, improving judicial training and new evidence-based approach in policy-making. The Project will engage the best national and international experts to provide advice, expertise and propose changes.
Zhakyp Asanov, Chairperson of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, highlighted the importance of the initiative and expressed readiness to support and co-operate on implementing the project activities. Asanov also congratulated Frobarth on being elected to the International Council at the Supreme Court at the plenary session of the Supreme Court.
Frobarth provided a brief overview of the components of the Project and emphasized the importance of systematic co-operation and joint efforts in implementing the initiative. Head of Office further underlined that the Project would require a significant investment of both time and human resources.
The first meeting of the Steering Committee followed the signing of the MoU. The Steering Committee will make decisions about the Project implementation strategy and issues of a fundamental nature related to the Project
This Project is part of the Programme Office’s long-standing efforts to strengthen the rule of law and to support the justice reform processes in the host country.