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This publication was prepared by the United Nations Office in KazakhstanWriter: Gaukhar MukhatzhanovaCoordinator: Dina KhassenovaEditorial board: Alexander Kossukhin, Gaziza Moldakulova, Meruert Rakhimova (UNFPA), Irina Savtchenko,Aliya Bokazhanova (UNAIDS), Steliana Nedera, Daniyar Serikov (UNDP), Raimbek Sissemaliev (UNICEF), Galat, Yelena Kudryavtseva (UNIFEM), Vlastimil Samek (UNDPI), Eenjin Batsuren (UNV), Tarja Virtanen, LKennedy, Aigul Khalafova, Yuri Peshkov, Inna Melnikova, Serge Karpov, Francois Langlois (UNESCO), GelRerikh (UNHCR), Gabit Ismailov (WHO).

Design: Liliya Nenasheva

United Nations Office, Astana, 2008

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United Nations and Kazakhstan: 15 years of successful partnership

Abbreviations and AcronymsADB Asian Development BankAIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency SyndromeCCA Common Country Assessment

CDC Centres for Disease ControlCEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against WomenCIS Commonwealth of Independent StatesCSO(s) Civil Society Organisation(s)DFID Department for International Development (United Kingdom)DOTS Directly observed treatment, short-courseEC European CommissionEFA Education for AllESD Education for Sustainable DevelopmentEU European UnionGEF Global Environmental FacilityGFATM Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and MalariaHIV Human Immunodeficiency VirusIDD Iodine deficit diseasesILO International Labour OrganisationIOM International Organisation for MigrationIMCI Integrated Management of Child IllnessesMCH Mother and Child HealthMDG(s) Millennium Development Goal(s)MDR TB Multi-drug resistant tuberculosisMMR Maternal Mortality RateMPS Making Pregnancy SaferNGO(s) Non-governmental Organisation(s)OSCE Organisation for Security and Cooperation in EuropeTB TuberculosisUNAIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDSUNDAF United Nations Development Assistance FrameworkUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeUNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganisationUNFPA United Nations Population FundUNHCR United Nations High Commissioner on RefugeesUNICEF United Nations Childrens Fund

UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for WomenUNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and CrimeUNV United Nations VolunteersUSAID United States Agency for International DevelopmentUSI Universal salt iodizationWB World BankWHO World Health OrganizationUNDPI United Nations Department of Public Information


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Table of contents:INTRODUCTION 6

MDG 1:ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY AND HUNGER 10MDG 2:ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION 16

MDG 3:ELIMINATE GENDER DISPARITY AT ALL LEVELS OF EDUCATION 20

MDG 4 AND 5:REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY AND IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH 24

MDG 6:COMBAT HIV/AIDS AND TUBERCULOSIS 32

MDG 7:ACHIEVE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY 38

GOOD GOVERNANCE 42

HUMAN RIGHTS 46CIVIL SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT 50

CULTURAL DIVERSITY 54

CONCLUSION 56


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Introductionat first on humanitarian activities and political re-porting, rather than long-term development pro-grammes. Among the early initiatives, for exam-ple, was the provision of humanitarian aid to floodvictims in the Caspian Sea region in the spring of 1993, in response to President Nursultan Naz-arbayevs request to the UN Secretary Generalfor assistance.1 Vaccination campaign, led by UNICEF, was thefirst big UN project in Kazakhstan. It commencedin 1993 and played an important part in the de-velopment of cooperation between the new inde-pendent state and the United Nations. Supportedby the Ministry of Healthcare, the vaccinationprogramme achieved tremendous success in re-ducing the incidence of various child diseases.Around the same time, UNDP and UNICEF also

Kazakhstan became a member of the United Na-tions in March 1992, soon after gaining indepen-dence, and first UN Agencies began their work inthe country the same year. Now, fifteen years laterand with 12 UN agencies resident in Kazakhstan,it is time for the UN Country Team to take stock of its work in Kazakhstan, remark on achievementsand remaining challenges, and highlight priori-ties for further cooperation with the governmentand people of Kazakhstan, as well as internationalpartners.

Initially, given the sharp economic decline, disrup-tion in regular administrative ties and relations,and many other negative consequences of thecollapse of the Soviet Union, UN assistance to Ka-zakhstan aimed to serve the countrys immediateneeds. Therefore, the interim UN office focused

1 Selvakumaran Ramachandran, UNDP in Kazakhstan: Ten Years of Cooperation, UNDP Kazakhstan, Almaty, 2004, p. 8, at http://www.ukz/script_site.html?id=162.


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started working in the Aral Sea region, struck byenvironmental disaster, helping to address thepressing problems of rising poverty and healthdeterioration. UNESCO then started its projectsin support of media in the region.

With the improvement of the situation and Kazakh-stans economic growth, UN work had evolved tofocus on technical assistance drawing interna-tional expertise and building the capacity of localactors to design and implement long-term solu-tions of development problems. Over the past 15years, UN Agencies have supported the draftingof a wide number of strategies, programmes andlegislation dealing with macro-economic reform,social issues, improvement of health and environ-mental management.

Since the Millennium Summit, the work of theUnited Nations Agencies has been guided by aset of goals derived from the Millennium Declara-tion, signed by all the world leaders in New York inSeptember 2000. Called Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs), they set well-defined and measur-able targets for states to achieve by the year 2015to improve the lives of millions of people on Earth.MDGs cover such crucial development areas aspoverty reduction, improvement of child and ma-ternal health, gender equality, combating major

diseases, enhanced access to education and en-vironmental sustainability. Different UN Agenciesand Programmes take lead on different Goals, butin every case, in their work they cooperate withhost governments, sister agencies, other donororganisations and civil society.The organisation of the UN Agencies programmesat the country level has also been affected by theglobal UN reform, which is aimed at enhancing theeffectiveness of assistance through harmonizingthe activities of the diverse UN family. As a result

of the reform, the activities of all funds and pro-grammes in Kazakhstan are coordinated by theResident Coordinator as the designated repre-sentative of the Secretary-General and leader of the United Nations Country Team. Every agencystill has its own expertise, area of focus and man-date, but greater coordination of activities and joint planning help avoid duplication of work andstrengthen the overall impact.

The main instruments the UN Country Team nowuses for identifying priorities and programmeplanning are the Common Country Assessment(CCA) and the UN Development AssistanceFramework (UNDAF). CCA is a comprehensiveassessment of development situation in a coun-try, while UNDAF is a planning framework, whichincludes common objectives and strategies of cooperation, resource framework and proposalsfor monitoring and evaluation. Both instrumentsserve to ensure that UN activities are in line withthe countrys national development priorities aswell as the commitments, goals and targets setin the Millennium Declaration and by the majorUnited Nations conferences.Current UNDAF for Kazakhstan covers the periodof 2005-2009 and is guided by the MDGs and na-tional goals, as outlined in the National StrategyKazakhstan 2030 and the Strategic DevelopmentPlan Kazakhstan 2010. The UNDAF is the basisupon which individual Agencies formulate theircountry programmes, and focuses on three areasof cooperation: developing pro-poor policies, en-suring quality of life for all, and good governanceand participatory development.This publication is organized into chapters byMDGs, where each chapter provides a brief over-view of the UN work on a given goal in Kazakh-

stan, lead agencies and main national counter-parts. In addition to the Millennium DevelopmentGoals themselves, there are several cross-cuttingissues, which, although not singled out as specifictargets, are still important for the achievement of the MDGs. In this publication, therefore, we alsotalk of the UN work in the areas of good gover-nance, human rights, civil society developmentand cultural diversity in the Republic of Kazakh-stan. Certainly, UN Agencies have implementedmany more projects than described here, butfor the purposes of an overview publication, weconcentrate on the largest programmes and mainachievements in each area.


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United Nations and Kazakhstan: 15 years of successful partnership10

MDG 1:Eradicate ExtremePoverty andHunger

UNDP is the United Nations globaldevelopment network. Establishedin 1965, it currently operates in 166countries, assisting governments

and societies in finding their ownsolutions to global and nationaldevelopment challenges. UNDPsfocus areas are DemocraticGovernance, Poverty Reduction,Energy and Environment, CrisisPrevention and Recovery, HIV/AIDS,and general promotion of MDGs.

UNDP office was established in Kazakhstan in1993, and since then, UNDP implemented over100 projects in Kazakhstan, with a total value of $41 million about a third of those projects inthe area of poverty reduction. Bringing in inter-national expertise, UNDP has been assisting theGovernment of Kazakhstan in formulating andimplementing national poverty reduction strate-gies and reform programmes aimed at improvingthe quality of life. Throughout the years, UNDPprovided support in development and imple-mentation of such strategic documents as theSocial Protection Concept, the Poverty Reduc-

MDG 1 addresses the problems of extreme pover-

ty and hunger, calling to halve, between 1990 and2015, the proportion of people living below thepoverty line and suffering from hunger. While $1per day in purchase power parity (PPP) is an in-ternational standard for measuring poverty level,most of countries define their own poverty lines.The target for Kazakhstan was therefore adaptedto the national situation to reduce by half theproportion of people with income below the sub-sistence minimum.The Agency leading and coordinating UN efforts

in poverty reduction is the United Nations Devel-opment Programme (UNDP), which cooperatesclosely with national governments, civil societyorganisations, and other UN agencies. UNDPchairs the UN Thematic Group on Poverty Re-duction, Employment and Social Protection, theparticipants of which include UNESCO, UNFPA,UNICEF, WHO, UNIFEM, ILO, World Bank, USAID,European Commission and other agencies.


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Imbalanced NutritionWhile the problem of hunger is not relevant forKazakhstan, it was recognized that imbalancednutrition and the lack of essential nutrients poses

a threat to the health of population. Therefore,the second target of MDG 1 was adapted to Ka-zakhstan and defined as to halve the proportionof the population lacking balanced nutrition by2015.2 A high incidence of anaemia is one of the leadinghealth problems in Kazakhstan, often associatedwith the lack of balanced nutrition. In spite of asmall decline in iron deficiency anaemia, its preva-lence among pregnant women had increased be-tween 1999 and 2003. Another problem facing

Kazakhstan in this area is the iodine deficiencyand diseases caused by it (IDD). Iodine deficitnegatively influences health at any age, but espe-cially during childhood, when it can lead to suchirreversible physiological disturbances as mentaldeficiency and cretinism. Even with minor iodinedeficit, the brains potential is reduced by 10% onaverage, and eventually seriously threatens theintellectual and economic potential of the nation.UN Agency closely involved in addressing the lackof nutrients in Kazakhstan is the UN ChildrensFund (UNICEF), which, along with issues of childprotection, deals with the problem of hidden hun-ger. UNICEF has worked with the Asian Develop-ment Bank to support the passage of legislationon universal salt iodization (USI) and fortificationof flour with iron. This was followed by a surveyon iodine deficiency and household use of iodizedsalt, which showed the increase of the iodized saltusage from 29% in 1999 to 91.4% in 2006.

tion Programme for 2003-2005, the Concept of Social Protection, the State Programme of De-velopment of Rural Territories for 2004-2010,the Programme on Further Deepening of SocialReforms for 2005-2007, Programme on Reha-bilitation of Disabled People for 2006-2008, andothers.UNDP has been actively involved in establishingsound poverty assessment and monitoring sys-tems in Kazakhstan, collaborating for many yearswith the Ministry of Economy and Budget Plan-ning, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protec-tion, and Agency on Statistics. Correctly identify-ing and monitoring existing problems allows forbetter planning of poverty reduction strategies,targeting the disadvantaged groups and regions.Thus, one of the important achievements in thefield of social development in Kazakhstan hasbeen the transition to the use of cost of living asthe basic standard for effectively providing socialassistance.UNDP Kazakhstan also supports national initia-tives geared towards development of small andmedium enterprises and provision of businessservices. UNDPs micro-lending initiatives, in-cluding the microfinance project in Semipalatinskareas, help reduce poverty, especially amongwomen, and boost development of micro-enter-

prises.A number of analytical reports on issues of mi-gration, family, ageing and crude mortality rates,as well as the Closing Report of the MultipleIndicator Cluster Survey (MICS) of householdshave been prepared with assistance of UNFPAand presented to the government. These reportspromote the idea of different aspects of povertyto be considered in development and implemen-tation of respective national strategies. Further-more by training professionals, dissemination of

strategic information and providing internationalexpertise, UNFPA contributes to linking povertywith key population issues in the upcoming na-tional census of 2009.

2 Millennium Development Goals in Kazakhstan: Overview, Government of Kazakhstan, UN System in Kazakhstan, Almaty, 2005, p. 11.


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Looking ForwardEconomic growth powered by increased oil pro-duction, in combination with sound macroeco-nomic policies and development strategies, has

enabled Kazakhstan to achieve MDG 1 as early as2004. The proportion of population with incomebelow the subsistence minimum decreased from34.6% in 1996 to 16.1% in 2004, while the pro-portion of people with income below the foodbasket cost decreased from 12.7% in 1997 to 6.3%in 2003.3 The challenge now facing Kazakhstan inthe area of poverty is that of reducing inequalityamong the countrys different regions and alongthe rural/urban divide.UNDP activities and assistance are targeted at

further improvement of the system of social pro-tection, focusing especially on mechanisms of providing assistance to socially disadvantagedpeople. UNDP will continue to strengthen govern-ment capacity towards development and imple-mentation of pro-poor policies, conduct in-depthpoverty analysis and provide advisory support infurther development of social standards system.In cooperation with other agencies, including theInternational Labour Organisation (ILO), UNDPwill focus on support to development of soundemployment policies, including promoting em-ployment of vulnerable groups. ILO is providingassistance in the implementation of the Strategyof Social Protection System Development in Ka-zakhstan for 2008-2011, with an emphasis on ap-plying minimum social security standards as out-lined in ILO Conventions.UNDP continues its work on improvement of qual-ity of life in the Semey region, which was affectedby the nuclear testing during the Soviet times aswell as economic decline following the break-upof the Soviet military-industrial complex. Focus-

ing further on regions with higher poverty levels,UNDP is preparing projects to render support toAtyrau, Mangystau, East Kazakhstan, Almaty andKaraganda oblasts.

Other UN Agencies, including UNICEF, UNFPA,UNESCO and UNIFEM, also continue to ad-dress different aspects of poverty reduction intheir country programmes. UNICEF will furtherstrengthen monitoring of salt iodization and pro-mote the increased production and consumptionof fortified flour, along with rendering assistanceto improve national capacity in monitoring thequality of life. UN Development Fund for Women(UNIFEM) is focusing on incorporating genderconcerns into poverty reduction strategies, whileUNESCO is supporting income generation initia-tives through the Community Learning Centresproject4 and support of cultural and eco-tour-ism. UNFPA will provide support for strategieslinking poverty reduction issues with effectivedemographic policies related to family and el-

derly people.

3 The baseline years for Kazakhstan differ from the global baseline of 1990 because of the period of sharp decline and transition followinthe break-up of the Soviet Union. The poverty and malnutrition levels in Kazakhstan, similar to other post-Soviet republics, were worse in tmid-1990s than in 1990.4 United Nations Development Assistance Framework for the Republic of Kazakhstan 2005-2009, UN Country Team and Government of zakhstan, 2004, pp. 13, 14, 19.


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MDG 2:AchieveUniversalPrimaryEducation

MDG 2 commits the governments to ensure thatby 2015, all the children are able to complete afull course of primary schooling. In its interna-tional definition, this Goal is not applicable to Ka-zakhstan, as the country inherited from the SovietUnion a system of universal primary and second-ary education, and a 100% literacy rate. However,a concern over the decline of the quality of educa-tion in Kazakhstan has been expressed repeatedlyat different levels of policy making. Therefore, thenational goal in education, defined in the Strate-gic Plan Kazakhstan 2010, is to improve access toquality education at all levels and stages.The Agency leading UN efforts in promotion of education worldwide is the UN Educational, Scien-tific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). UNES-COs partners in Kazakhstan include the Ministryof Education and Science, National Academy of Education, national and oblast in-service teacherstraining institutes, international and local NGOsand UN agencies.According to its mandate, UNESCO leads the Edu-cation for All (EFA) movement, which is a globalcommitment to provide quality basic educationfor all children, youth and adults. Of the six goals

UNESCOwas founded in 1945 andis one of the oldest UN Agencies.

UNESCO promotes education, socialand natural sciences, culture, andcommunication in 193 Member and6 Associate Member States withthe goal to build peace in the mindsof people. To this end, UNESCO isworking to create the conditions forgenuine dialogue based upon respectfor shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture.


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study, fusing life skills into current health educa-tion.Quality education is an important component of achieving all the MDGs, as it contributes to build-ing the nations capacity, raise awareness about

existing problems, and prepare specialists ableto develop appropriate solutions and implementthem. Goal six of the EFA movement calls for im-provement in the quality of education in all its as-pects, so that everyone is able to achieve learningoutcomes that are recognized and can be mea-sured. With financial assistance of Asian Develop-ment Bank (ADB), UNESCO had brought togetherover 10 international consultants to conduct a re-view of every part of the education system. Theproject had laid the groundwork for subsequentassistance from ADB to the government.To improve and maintain the quality of education,it is essential to know what students learn, andunder what conditions. UNESCOs work in thisregard has focused on reforming the general sec-ondary education system in Kazakhstan, throughpolicy dialogue and promotion of new trends andpolicies. Since 1999, UNESCO Almaty has beenintroducing the concepts of monitoring the resultsand achievements of the learning process, andconducted pilot surveys at primary and secondaryeducation levels. In June 2004, UNESCO Almaty

organized a sub-regional workshop on MonitoringLearning Achievements to strengthen national ca-pacities in order to adequately measure and moni-tor the quality of education.

Looking forwardAs outlined in the UN Development AssistanceFramework for 2005-2009, UNESCO and UNICEF,in cooperation with national partners, are workingon the improvement of education management

capacity in Kazakhstan. UNESCO will continue tosupport the implementation of the EFA NationalPlan of Action and enhancement of educationmanagers skills for planning, implementation andmonitoring of the delivery of quality educationservices in the country.6

of EFA, UNESCOs work in Kazakhstan especiallyemphasizes the life skills training and general im-provement of the quality of education. In collabo-ration with the Ministries of Education, UNESCOand UNICEF have also supported the establish-ment and annual meetings of the regional CentralAsian Education Forum. The Forum was set up as amechanism to enhance partnerships, political com-mitments and resource mobilization, to advancethe six EFA goals.UNESCO supported the Government of Kazakh-stan in implementing the EFA National Plan of Ac-tion, mobilizing human resources, and strengthen-ing partnerships at the local, national and regionallevels. The government has recognized the roleof such agencies as UNESCO and UNICEF, statingthat they make a considerable contribution intothe development of innovative training and educa-tional programmes for pre-school age children, en-hancement of the qualifications of primary schoolteachers and kindergarten educators, and trainingstudents of pedagogic specialties.5 As defined by UNESCO, life skills relate to the waypeople behave and approach the challenges andproblems of life. They include such skills as com-munication, decision making, problem solving, ne-gotiation and critical thinking. Within its life skills-oriented work, UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office

initiated the establishment of Community LearningCentres (CLCs) in several towns and rural areasof Kazakhstan as a platform for lifelong learningthrough functional literacy and informal education.Life skills programmes were targeted at reach-ing groups of population marginalized by poverty,geographical isolation and social discrimination.The programmes are often implemented throughthe partnership between UNESCO and NGOs, whoalso receive training in capacity building and imple-menting livelihood skills for local development.

UNICEF and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)also participate in promoting life skills training,particularly in relation to health. In cooperationwith the Ministry of Education and Science, UNI-CEF and UNFPA co-fund a revision of the currentschool curriculum to introduce a unique focus of 5 Education for All National Plan of Action for Kazakhstan, Ministry of Education and Science, 2003, at http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.oupload/Kazakhstan/Kazakhstan%20EFA-NAP.pdf.6 United Nations Development Assistance Framework for the Republic of Kazakhstan 2005-2009, p.22.


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MDG 3:Promote genderequalityand empowerwomen

UN Development Fund for Women(UNIFEM)was established in 1976.It provides financial and technicalassistance to innovative approachesaimed at fostering womensempowerment and gender equality.Regional Office in Almaty openedin 1999 and in 2001, expanded itsactivities to the whole Commonwealthof Independent States. UNIFEM workfocuses on reducing feminized poverty,ending violence against women, and

achieving gender equality in democraticgovernance.

The goal of eliminating gender inequality in edu-cation is also considered achieved in Kazakhstan,as equal access to education was ensured backin the Soviet time. However, gender disparity ispresent in Kazakhstan in political and socio-eco-nomic spheres. In spite of Constitutional provi-sions, women still encounter more difficulties infinding a job and are not sufficiently representedin the Parliament and high levels of Government.Violence against women also remains a prob-lem.7 UN Development Fund for Women is the agencywith a mandate of promoting gender equality andwomen empowerment. UNIFEMs major part-ner in the country is the National Commissionon Family Affairs and Gender Policy under thePresident of Kazakhstan, the first national bodyworking on gender equality in the region. Otherpartners include the Parliament, the NationalAgency on Statistics, and womens NGOs.Achieving gender equality is one of the key fac-tors for sustainable human development. Assuch, gender equality and the empowerment of women apply to all of the Millennium Develop-ment Goals, not just to Goal 3 where it is explicitlystated. For example, national poverty reductionstrategies that do not take into account genderissues would only exacerbate the feminizationof poverty, and womens rights will not be fullyrealized if reproductive health problems are notsolved.UNIFEM has provided extensive technical exper-tise and financial support to the National Com-mission in developing the Strategy of GenderEquality for 2006-2016 and a mid-term Plan of Action for 2006-2008. The Agency assisted indefining gender priorities and elaborating a setof gender indicators based on the MDGs andthe indicators derived from the Convention onthe Elimination of All Forms of Discriminationagainst Women (CEDAW). Both strategic docu-ments were adopted and are fully funded by theGovernment. The Action Plan envisions 45 proj-

7 Millennium Development Goals in Kazakhstan: Overview, pp. 20-22.


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supported the establishment of crisis centresZabota (Care). UN advocacy programmes aim toincrease awareness on prevention of violenceagainst women and illegal trafficking of womenfor subsequent labour and sexual exploitation.Responding to such challenges as domestic vi-olence, trafficking and inequality requires thecreation of an effective legislative framework toserve as the basis for national programmes andother interventions. In close cooperation andwith support from the National Commission,Members of Parliament, Ministry of Interior andParliamentary Group Otbasy, UNIFEM strivesto advance the legislation on gender equalityand domestic violence. UNIFEM has already pro-vided technical and financial support towardsthe drafting process, developing implementation

mechanisms and subsequent lobbying efforts of the civil society and other relevant actors. Thedraft laws on gender equality and domestic vio-lence have been included in the Parliamentsprogramme of work for 2007.

Looking ForwardInitiated in 2006, a new UNIFEM project onGender Budgeting in Kazakhstan encouragesthe application of gender analysis at all stag-es of budget planning in Kazakhstan. This willhelp increase the responsibility of the state toimplement its national and international com-mitments on equal rights and opportunities forwomen and men. The project envisages the de-velopment of a mechanism for the participationof the National Commission, along with public,in the budgeting process. As the first stage of the project gender assessment of the two stateprogrammes on education and support to smalland medium business (in light of social protec-tion and pension provision to female entrepre-

neurs) has been done.

ects and events on political and socio-economicaladvancement of women, improving reproductivehealth, combating violence against women andchildren, and achieving gender equality in familyrelationships.One of the important problems that seriously af-fect women but often remains unaddressed andeven not discussed is the violence against wom-en. UNIFEM and other UN Agencies have soughtto draw attention to this issue in Kazakhstan andhelp design appropriate solutions.In 1999, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) fund-ed the first survey of violence against womenin Kazakhstan, called Women and Violence. Theoutcomes of the survey demonstrated that theproblem remained acute, as half of surveyedwomen had been physically abused, every fifthbeaten, and every seventh robbed. These find-ings were taken into consideration by the Na-tional Commission on Family Affairs and GenderPolicy, and the Commissions Chair at that timeAitkul Samakova has noted that the survey is thefirst step toward understanding and addressingthe problem of violence against women.UNIFEM, UNDP and UNFPA are supporting civ-il society initiatives to end domestic violenceagainst women, such as the creation of crisiscentres for victims of violence. UNIFEM hasawarded a grant to the Union of Crisis Centresof Kazakhstan to share experience with newlyemerging crisis centres for women all over thecountry through trainings and practical semi-nars. In cooperation with the National Commis-sion and Almaty city mayor, UNFPA and UNDP

With respect to the gender policy, the2006-2016 Gender Equality Strategyis currently being implemented, aimingto ensure equal rights of men andwomen in all aspects of the life of thesociety. Kazakhstan is very active inimplementing the Strategy.Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, at the63rd Session of UN ESCAP, MinisterialMeeting, May 2007.


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on Family Affairs and Gender Policy, the Ministryof Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministryof Culture and Information, and regional govern-mental bodies. UN Agencies also cooperate withnongovernmental organisations, business entitiesand donor organisations.The UNICEF/WHO vaccination campaign, the firstsuch project in Central Asia, was among the mostsuccessful UN programmes in Kazakhstan. Thediphtheria epidemic was localised, and the rate of such diseases as parotitis, measles and whooping

cough decreased significantly, too. As a result of support from UNICEF, WHO and other partners,Kazakhstan was certified polio-free in 2002. Ka-zakhstan is also the first among the CIS states tointroduce and accomplish the vaccination of allnew-borns against the hepatitis B virus. The vac-cination of children under 5 against the hepati-tis A is being carried out since 1999. Currently,over 95% of one-year old children are vaccinatedagainst whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria, tu-berculosis and poliomyelitis, and 95% of thoseunder the age of two against measles. The Gov-ernment of Kazakhstan is now able to implementadvanced immunisation programme on a regularbasis with no donor support. However, WHO iscontinuing its close collaboration with the Minis-try of Healthcare on different aspects of immuni-zation. In particular, WHO provides technical as-sistance on surveillance of several communicablediseases, introduction of new vaccines and advo-cacy with regard to immunization.

MDG 4 and 5:Reduce ChildMortality andImprove MaternalHealth

UN Childrens Fundwas established in1945, and its mission has not changed

since: to work for the best interestsof children based on their needs andwithout any discrimination. UNICEFstarted its activity in Kazakhstan in1992, focusing mainly on first aid in thesphere of health protection, particularlyimmunization and the treatmentof acute respiratory and entericinfections. Today, UNICEF objectivesin Kazakhstan are the analysis andmonitoring of the state of children inthe country, reduction of child mortalityand provision of conditions for earlydevelopment, quality of education andstrengthening of the exiting system onchild rights protection.

Goal 4 calls to reduce by two-thirds, between1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate,while Goal 5 is to reduce by three quarters, dur-ing the same period, the maternal mortality ratio.

Kazakhstan recognizes mother and child care asone of the state priorities, declared in the NationalStrategy Kazakhstan-2030.The leading agencies in the area of maternal andchild health are the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF),UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the WorldHealth Organization (WHO). Their partners inthe government are the Ministry of Healthcare,Ministry of Education and Science, Commission


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- 1990 2015 , - . - -2030, - . , - , - (), () - (). - , , , - , , . , - . - -. - , - (), ., , , 2002 , . - - . 1999 5 . , 95% - , ,, , 95% . - , -

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oped and endorsed a Programme on Reductionof Maternal and Child Mortality for 2008-2010,which will be incorporated into the second stageof the National Programme on Health Reform andDevelopment for 2005-2010. The Programme onReduction of Maternal and Child Mortality con-tains up-to-date strategies and technologies thatcan significantly improve women and childrenshealth. The programme will go into effect in 2008and will be implemented with funds allocated onthe national and local levels.UNICEF and the World Health Organization cur-rently support the project on Integrated Manage-ment of Child Illnesses (IMCI). The project aimsto reduce the morbidity rate and the duration of respiratory illnesses, diarrhoea and pneumoniaamong children by educating doctors and healthservice workers about treatment procedures. Amajor role in the project implementation is de-voted to parents, who are being taught to detectthe symptoms of illnesses and the need to ask formedical assistance in case of a childs sickness.

Maternal and child health are closely linked, andthe 2000 UNICEF-supported Analysis of Causesof Infant and Child Mortality found that low healthstatus of mothers determined early deaths of chil-dren, as most diseases of pregnant women alsonegatively influence the foetus and the newborn.Other leading causes of child mortality in Kazakh-stan are perinatal states, respiratory disorders,birth trauma and infectious diseases.8 In manycases, maternal and child deaths could have beenprevented through the timely provision of bettermedical services. The analysis of infant and childmortality, along with an analysis of maternal mor-tality, allowed to draw the decision-makers at-tention to the urgent need to either reinforce thecomponent of the National Programme on HealthReforms and Development for 2005-10 dealing

with maternal and child health (MCH) or designa separate comprehensive national MCH pro-gramme supported by adequate funding.The government of RK with technical support fromUNICEF, UNFPA, WHO and other partners devel-

8 Millennium Development Goals in Kazakhstan 2005, Government of Kazakhstan, UN System in Kazakhstan, Almaty, 2005, pp. 42-43.


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. , - - - .

, . , -. , , - - . - , - , 2000 , , - , -. , , - . - . , - - 2005-2010 ., , . , , 2008-2010 , - 2005-2010 . - - ,

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UN Population Fund (UNFPA)wasestablished in 1969. UNFPAs mandateincludes support to countries withprotection of reproductive healthrights, use of demographic dataanalysis in development of socialpolicies and ensuring gender equality.UNFPA started working in Kazakhstanin 1992, focusing on provision of basicmedical equipment, contraceptivesand training of service providers infamily planning. Today UNFPA inKazakhstan concentrates on advocacyof best practices, provision of technical expertise and support with

development of national institutionsand technical capacity.

support to the government, health profession-als and other partners, to ensure new efficientpractice of perinatal care, which will eventuallylead to maternal and child mortality reduction.10 Programme activities are planned and carriedout in cooperation with the Ministry of Health-care, regional and local health authorities, aca-demia, NGOs and international organisations. Aspart of the programme, WHO and UNFPA haveorganized a series of training courses for obste-tricians-gynaecologists, midwives, neonatolo-gists and nurses. Training participants have de-veloped plans of action in accordance with WHOrecommendations and prepared suggestions onimproving maternal and newborn care, includingthe changes in legislation, development of clini-cal guidelines and improvement of clinical prac-

tices.Reproductive health is an essential element of reducing maternal mortality as well as improv-ing child health. Therefore, one of the key areasof UNFPA work in Kazakhstan has been the im-provement of reproductive and sexual health andfamily planning, pursuing the goal of every childis wanted, every birth is safe. UNFPA cooper-ated with the Ministry of Healthcare the mainnational partner in this sphere on improvingquality of medical aid. In 2004 the Ministry of Healthcare in cooperation with UNFPA draftedthe law On Reproductive Rights and Their Guar-antees, which was endorsed by the Parliamentthe same year.UNFPA has provided assistance in the develop-ment of 39 clinical protocols (based on principlesof evidence based medicine) on primary care andpregnancy-related conditions. The protocols weredeveloped for use by obstetricians-gynaecolo-gists, midwifes and doctors. The protocols includ-ed those on safe motherhood, family planning,sexually transmitted infections management,adolescent reproductive health, infertility investi-gation and abortion complications. The protocolswere endorsed by the Ministry of Healthcare fornation-wide use at primary health care level in January 2002.

Maternal HealthAs highlighted in the 2005 Millennium Develop-ment Goals in Kazakhstan overview, major causesof maternal deaths in the country are haemor-rhages, abortions, eclampsia and internal dis-eases.9 A recent study carried out by the Ministryof Healthcare with the assistance of UNFPA andWHO indicates that among the underlying rea-sons for such situation are ineffective emergencyobstetric care, inappropriate clinical managementof birth complications, limited access to commod-ities and services of reproductive health includ-ing family planning, inappropriate perinatal andpostneonatal care, and inappropriate collectionand use of data for health system management.UNFPA and WHO are working with the govern-ment and other partners in addressing these andrelated problems to reduce maternal mortality in

Kazakhstan.Since 2002, WHO together with UNFPA havebeen implementing the Making Pregnancy Saf-er programme in Kazakhstan. The programmeobjective is to provide guidance and technical

9 Millennium Development Goals in Kazakhstan: Overview, p. 32.10 Making Pregnancy Safer/Promoting Effective Perinatal Care, Kazakhstan, Activities Report 2002-2005, WHO Regional Office for Europhttp://www.euro.who.int/document/MPS/02-05_MPS_KAZ_new.pdf.


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Over the past 15 years, UNFPA has also beenworking with various business entities committedto social and overall development of the country.For example, in 2005 UNFPA started close collab-oration with the Seymar social fund on a proj-ect aimed to increase public awareness of breastcancer.The high rate of abortions in Kazakhstan is anoth-er area of concern in the context of maternal andreproductive health. In addressing this issue, UN-FPA has worked through local and national part-nerships to increase the use of contraceptives andhas achieved significant success. In 2006 alone,the use of contraceptive use in Kazakhstan rose to49% (from 12% in 1992). UNFPA-sponsored pro-grammes on maintaining a strong supply and dis-tribution of contraceptives, along with awarenessraising among population including young people,contributed greatly to this growth.UNFPA is also working with the Ministry of Healthcare to help develop a National Reproduc-tive Health Policy. A national strategy will enablethe government to provide a higher level of re-productive health services to all citizens.

Looking forwardMillennium Development Goals 4 and 5 are amongthe most problematic in Kazakhstan, which wasrecognized in the 2005 MDG report. Therefore,UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO will continue their workin promoting higher standards of healthcare ser-vices. In this respect, the Integrated Managementof Child Illnesses (IMCI) project and implementa-tion of the Programme on Reduction of Maternaland Child Mortality and universal access to com-modities and services of sexual and reproductivehealth remain a high priority for UNICEF, UNFPAand WHO in Kazakhstan.


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. - , . 2004 -, , - , - 2004 .. 39 - , - , , - , - -, . - , - , , - , , . - 2002 - -- . 15 , -

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Goal 6 for Kazakhstan is to halt, by 2015, and be-gin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and theincidence of tuberculosis. Kazakhstan has a rela-tively low prevalence of HIV/AIDS, but the pre-conditions of a rapid spread of epidemic, includingthe injecting drug use and unsafe sexual behav-iour, are present in the country.11 UN started providing assistance to Kazakhstanin the field of HIV/AIDS prevention in 1994, ini-tially under the WHO Global Programme on AIDS,and since January 1996, through the Joint UNProgramme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). UNAIDSoperates through UN Theme Groups chaired bya representative of one of the programme co-sponsoring agencies. Jointly with co-sponsors,UNAIDS provides practical assistance to partnersfrom government and community groups in theirresponse to the epidemics.As an outcome of UNAIDS activities in advocacy,capacity building and technical support, since2000, Kazakhstan sustains the process of stra-tegic programming of the response to the AIDSepidemics. National response now harmonizescountry specifics with international best practicesand polices substantiating on information-basedapproaches.

MDG 6:CombatHIV/AIDS andTuberculosis

Launched in 1996, the JointUnitedNations Programme on HIV/AIDS brings together the efforts and resourcesof ten UN system organisations to theglobal AIDS response. UNAIDS co-sponsors in Kazakhstan are UNHCR,UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO,UNESCO, WHO and World Bank. In 2006,the UN system in Kazakhstan establishedthe Joint UNAIDS country team, a teamof designated officers from the co-sponsoring agencies chaired by UNAIDSCountry Coordinator.

11 Millennium Development Goals in Kazakhstan: Overview, p. 34.


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1996 , / - 10 - . - ,, , , , -, , . 2006 - , , - ,

.

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11 : , . 42.

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Another important result of UNAIDS advocacyand support was the development of the nationalprogramme for 2006-2010 to counteract theAIDS epidemics and monitor the response to HIVin Kazakhstan. The availability of reliable data isessential for effective planning and implemen-tation of an adequate national response to theAIDS epidemics. Since the beginning of the 21stcentury, the increased HIV rate in Kazakhstan ex-acerbated the need to move away from the HIVcase reporting system, which was the only one inplace in the country at the time. It was necessaryto introduce the second generation of sentinelsurveillance, which requires the implementationof behavioural and biological surveys with specialfocus on population groups with highest risk of exposure to HIV.

Starting in 2001, UNAIDS together with partnerorganisations, including the U.S. Centres for Dis-ease Control (CDC), assisted the government andhealth care facilities in introducing the secondgeneration of sentinel surveillance for HIV and inradical improvement of monitoring of the nationalresponse based on core indicators of the 2001 UNGeneral Assembly Special Session on AIDS. As afollow up to UNAIDS assistance, since 2003, Ka-zakhstan regularly collects and analyses the es-sential data on the epidemic, which is used for

current and perspective planning of the nationalresponse, ensuring more strategic approach toresolving the AIDS challenge.As indicated in the 2005 MDG report, injectingdrug use is the main driving force of the spread of HIV in Kazakhstan.12 In 2005, UN Office on Drugsand Crime (UNODC) supported a study that esti-mated the size of the drug-using population in thecountry, described its socio-demographic profileand patterns of use of HIV-related services. Thesurvey has thus produced the necessary data for

planning targeted interventions. In October 2007,UNODC assisted in the organisation of a confer-ence on drug policy and medical-social conse-quences of drug use, the first of its kind in Kazakh-stan. It brought together participants from CentralAsia and Europe and provided a forum to openlydiscuss the inter-related issues of drug use, prisonconditions and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

More specifically, one of the major outcomes of UNAIDS mission in the country was the supportin the development, adoption by the governmentand implementation of the National Strategic Pro-gramme on Counteracting HIV/AIDS for 2001-2005. Further, UNAIDS provided technical assis-tance to the development of more detailed sectoral

programmes of response to the AIDS epidemics,including appropriate commitments and resourceallocation from the bodies outside the health sec-tor, such as defence, culture, education, interior,penitentiary, and labour and social protection. UN-AIDS also assisted the government in developing afunding proposal for the 2nd and 7th rounds of theGlobal Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria, which re-sulted in the mobilization of additional $22.4 millionand $35 million, respectively, for the implementa-tion of national programme to combat HIV/AIDS.

UNAIDS succeeded in placing the issue of scaled-up highly active anti-retroviral treatment on thenational agenda by facilitating consultation meet-ings and offering assistance to the developmentof the national protocol of HIV treatment basedon WHO Euro guidance. The national protocolwas adopted in January 2004 by a Decree of theMinister of Healthcare.12 Millennium Development Goals in Kazakhstan: Overview, p. 35.

The World Health Organization(WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). The WHOsmain objective is the attainment by allpeoples of the highest possible levelof health. In Kazakhstan WHO set upa Liaison Office in Almaty in 1994and in 2005 it was restructured intoa full Country Office and relocatedto Astana. Mid-term priorities of WHO include strengthening healthsystems, strengthening motherand child health, strengtheningprevention and control of majorcommunicable diseases, strengthening

prevention and management of non-communicable diseases, andaddressing environmental health risks.


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Looking ForwardAlthough starting from a small base, HIV/AIDS in-fection rates in Kazakhstan are increasing rapidly,and the work of UNAIDS and co-sponsors in this

area remains highly topical. The resolution adopt-ed by the High Level Meeting on AIDS in New Yorkin June 2006 committed the global community toscale up the efforts towards universal access toprevention, treatment, care and support.On the country level, UNAIDS will enhance itssupport to government and civil society organi-sations in implementing this commitment throughadvocacy, enhancing partnerships between thegovernment, businesses and civil society organi-sations. UNAIDS will continue to provide tech-

nical assistance to develop, disseminate and usestrategic information in epidemiology, servicecoverage and funding, bringing in international ex-pertise and best practices. UNAIDS will also sup-port key sectors in their efforts to insure correctprogramme implementation, so that the countryachieves the goals outlined in the National Pro-gramme on counteraction of AIDS Epidemics for2006-2010, and makes good progress towardsMDG 6.UNODC, on its part, will continue the implemen-tation of the new project, launched in 2007, themain purpose of which is to assist in the creationof favourable policy environment for enhancedprovision of HIV/AIDS prevention and care ser-vices to injecting drug users and inmates in prisonsettings.In spite of considerable success, Kazakhstan re-mains one of the countries with the highest rates of TB in the European region. The most serious prob-lem at present is the prevalence of multi-drug re-sistant (MDR) TB, which is among the highest in theworld.16 In this respect, WHO has developed a setof recommendations for reducing the rate of MDRTB and will continue working with the governmentand other partners in addressing this issue.

TuberculosisAfter a rise between 1995 and 1998, the incidenceof tuberculosis (TB) and mortality from this diseasein Kazakhstan stabilized and began to decrease in

2002. The spread of TB is strongly influenced by liv-ing conditions in the society. There is a direct corre-lation between the rate of mortality from TB and theproportion of people with income below the subsis-tence minimum, which links the fight against tuber-culosis with the overall poverty reduction efforts.13 The Agency that has led the UN efforts in helpingKazakhstan to address the TB challenge is the WorldHealth Organization. WHO works in the country withthe Ministry of Healthcare, National Centre on TBProblems, National Centre for Problems of HealthyLifestyle Development, Kazakh State Medical Acad-emy, and other counterparts. It has also cooperatedwith the U.S. Agency on International Development(USAID) and Centres for Disease Control (CDC),along with various national NGOs.One of the greatest achievements of WHO work inKazakhstan was the introduction of DOTS strategy.DOTS stands for directly observed treatment short-course, which is a TB control strategy recommendedby WHO worldwide. The objectives of DOTS are todecrease the risk of infection, reduce morbidity andthe transmission of infection, and prevent deathsfrom tuberculosis. DOTS includes TB case-identi-fication by smear examination and their treatmentunder direct observation. Direct observation aims toensure that medication is taken in the right combina-tion and appropriate dosage in an effort to preventthe development of multi-drug resistant TB.14 With WHO support, DOTS was introduced in Ka-zakhstan in 1998, at the time when TB incidence wason the rise, and has had a tremendous impact. Ac-cording to the calculations conducted by USAID andCDC, thanks to the implementation of DOTS, about28,000 lives were saved in Kazakhstan by 2006. Cur-

rent DOTS coverage in the country is 100%, mean-ing that every TB patient has access to DOTS. TheDOTS treatment success is 72%, which, however, isstill below the WHO target of 85% or more.15

13 Millennium Development Goals in Kazakhstan: Overview, pp. 39-41.14 What is DOTS?, World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, http://www.wpro.who.int/sites/stb/dots_definition.htm15 Global TB Control, in the World Health Organization Report 2007.16 Richard Zaleskis et al, Evaluation of the TB Control Programme in Kazakhstan, World Health Organization Mission Report Summary21-30, 2007.


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(CDC) . DOTS.DOTS - , . DOTS , - , -. DOTS - . - ( ).14 , DOTS 1998 , , . CDC, 2006 , - 28 000 DOTS. DOTS 100%, , - - . - 72%, , , , 85% .15

, / , 14 DOTS?, , , http://www.wpro.wint/sites/stb/dots_definition.htm ( . .).15 , , 2007 .16 ., , , 21-30 2007 .


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Under Goal 7, countries should incorporate theprinciples of sustainable development into na-tional policies and programmes, and reverse theloss of environmental resources. Goal 7 also com-mits the governments to halve, by 2015, the pro-portion of people without sustainable access tosafe drinking water.As part of the Soviet legacy, Kazakhstan inher-ited some of the most daunting environmentalproblems and inefficient practices of resourceuse. The country suffers from intensive landdegradation and landscape depletion, caused byextensive agricultural and poor irrigation prac-tices. Another serious problem is water pollutionand inefficient water management. The condi-tion of forests has drastically deteriorated duringthe reform and reorganisation period followingindependence, due to the failure of the plannedand consistent implementation of forestry mea-sures.17

MDG 7:EnsureEnvironmentalSustainability

UNDP Kazakhstan has fostered animportant partnership with the GlobalEnvironmental Facility (GEF), anorganisation which helps developingcountries fund projects and programmesthat protect the global environment.With UNDPs support in designingprojects, Kazakhstan was able to receivemore than $25 million in grants fornational projects.

17 Millennium Development Goals in Kazakhstan: Overview, pp. 42-45.


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- , () - , - , - , -. , , - . - - , - . - - . -. , - - . - - . - - , - - .- , , -

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ganisations, and create new river basin councilsfor all river basins. UNDP continues to aid thework of the Committee and river basin councils,providing expertise and organizing national andregional workshops for experience and informa-tion sharing.UNDP, UNESCO and other agencies are alsoworking on raising public awareness about en-vironmental management and the introductionof principles of sustainable development intothe educational programmes. UNESCO has con-ducted a situation analysis and policy review onEducation for Sustainable Development (ESD) toimprove the integration of ESD into educationpolicies and strategies at all levels, and continuesits cooperation with the Ministry of Education inthis area.

Looking ForwardWith support of UNESCO Saryarka- the Steppesand Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan is being con-sidered for nomination for the prestigious UNES-CO World Heritage List. UNESCO is also support-ing the preparation of the nomination of WestTien Shan as a transboundary natural heritagesite, including territories in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz-stan and Uzbekistan.

UNDP will continue the implementation of itsprojects in biodiversity conservation, promotingalternative energy sources and sustainable watermanagement. UNDP aims to further help enhancethe work of the National Council on SustainableDevelopment and expand collaboration betweenthe government, donor community, civil societyand private sector for nature and energy conser-vation.18 Environmental problems are those thatknow no borders and are rarely confined withinany given country. Recognizing this, UNDP also

continues to support Kazakhstan in the imple-mentation of the regional environmental manage-ment programmes.

Working within its Energy and Environment man-date, UN Development Programme provides ex-pertise and financial assistance to Kazakhstan,cooperating with the Ministry of EnvironmentalProtection, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Agri-culture, local authorities and a wide array of civilsociety organisations. UNDP actively assists thegovernment in introducing new projects and ini-tiatives in priority fields, including the threats of global warming, loss of biodiversity and ozonelayer depletion. UNDP promotes integrated man-agement of wetlands and mountain agro-biodiver-sity, improved energy efficiency in heat and watersupply systems, and increased use of renewableenergy sources.UNDP has supported the establishment of theNational Council on Sustainable Developmentto prepare and ensure the implementation of anational sustainable development strategy. TheAgency now provides expertise and assistanceto the Council in its work. Among other strategicdocuments, UNDP has participated in the devel-opment of a National Wind Power Programmeand in drafting of renewable energy legislation forKazakhstan. UNDPs large-scale project on windpower promotion has attracted significant inter-est and should help the country tap into its alter-native energy resources.

One of the success stories in the area of environ-mental management is the Project on Conserva-tion of Globally Significant Wetlands, financedby the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) andimplemented by UNDP and the Government of Kazakhstan. Wetlands, which are crucial for thepreservation of migratory birds, are sufferingfrom uncontrolled economic exploitation andoveruse of resources. The work of the project hasalready led to the creation of new, and expansionof existing, specially protected areas, a very posi-tive development for the conservation of wetlandsbiodiversity in Kazakhstan.Kazakhstan has also achieved significant prog-ress in the introduction of integrated waterresources management approach. UNDP hashelped consolidate the work of the Commit-tee on Water Resources and its river basin or-

18 United Nations Development Assistance Framework for the Republic of Kazakhstan 2005-2009, p. 16.


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- . - - .

, - - - - . - - -, , ., , - ,

- . - , , - .18 , - .

- . - , - - . - . - , . , - - ., -

18 2005-2009 .


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Programme of the American Bar Association(ABA/CEELI) to help establish the first pro-fessional Legislative Drafting and MonitoringCentre and a computerized knowledge accesssystem for the Parliament. A series of trainingsfor Parliament staff members were conductedat Parliaments in countries with advanced prac-tices in the area. UNDP plans to further extendits support to Maslikhats, local representativebodies in Kazakhstan, to enhance their institu-tional capacity.In the area of civil service reform, UNDP focus-es on increasing the effectiveness of public ad-

ministration with a particular emphasis on func-tional reviews, human resource management inthe civil service and delivery of public services.UNDPs major national partner in this sphere isthe Agency on Civil Service. The achievementsof the Civil Service project included the devel-opment of professional standards and code of

None of the MDGs can be achieved, no long-term solutions implemented without goodgovernance that is, decision-making andmanagement that is transparent, accountable,effective, equitable, and follows the rule of law.While good governance is one of the main fo-cus areas of the UN Development Programme,all UN Agencies in Kazakhstan incorporate it intheir work. Thus, the UN promotes greater ac-countability of governmental bodies and theirresponsiveness to peoples needs.One of the major activities in this area was UN-DPs project on strengthening the legislativefunction and institutional capacity of the Par-liament of Kazakhstan to enact laws that pro-mote democratic, social and economic reforms.UNDP cooperated with the Europe and Eurasia

GoodGovernance


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, , - , -, , . - - , - . , - . - - , , . - (ABA/CEELI), - - -. - - . -

( ) - . - - , - -


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ethics of civil service, the principles of merit-based recruitment and promotion of civil ser-vants, and separation of civil service into po-litical and administrative areas. In 2003, UNDPpublished the results of the Perceptions of Cor-ruption survey, conducted among Members of Parliament, civil servants, businesses and gen-eral public.Since 1992, after the international Seminar onPromoting Independent and Pluralistic Media inAsia and the Pacific, hosted by Kazakhstan inAlmaty, UNESCO has conducted an extensivecommunication and information programme inKazakhstan, focusing on the role of mass me-dia in monitoring good governance, the publicsright to know, and media independence andpluralism, including private and editorially in-dependent public media ownership. The pro-gramme has paid special attention to preparingtrainers on reporting on development issues,such as HIV/AIDS and environmental problems,and enhancing the capacities of the media andmedia NGOs to act as a key pillar of the nationalintegrity system. UNESCO also helped estab-lish one of the first private media outlets andthe first media NGO, the Association of Inde-pendent Electronic Mass Media in Central Asia(ANESMICA), which was based in Kazakhstan.UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNIFEM, UNESCOand other UN Agencies, within their respectiveprogrammes, continuously promote and assistthe introduction of decision-making and man-agement practices that pay particular attentionto the needs of the socially vulnerable groups,including the poor, women and children.One of the challenges faced by Kazakhstan andthe region overall is increasing drug traffickingfrom Afghanistan where the new record level of

opium cultivation was reached in 2007. Accord-ing to UNODC estimates, about 20% of opiatesproduced in Afghanistan are being traffickedvia the Northern Route through Central Asia.Countering drug trafficking requires effectivelaw enforcement, and coordination of effortsand cooperation among drug law enforcementbodies at national, regional and internationallevels is one of the key factors of success.

UNODCs regional project, which includes Ka-zakhstan, other Central Asian states, Russiaand Azerbaijan, aims to establish Central AsianRegional Information and Coordination Cen-tre (CARICC) as the regional law enforcementagency. The purpose of the Centre is to facili-tate information exchange and analysis, and toassist in the coordination of operational activi-ties of the various law enforcement agencies,including the police, drug control bodies, cus-toms, border guards and other services of thecountries involved. The Centre will be locatedin Almaty, Kazakhstan and is expected to be-come fully functional in 2008.


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, , , , . , 2008 .


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promoted the creation of the Office of the Rep-resentative on Human Rights (Ombudsman) inKazakhstan. The Agency continues to work onbuilding the operational capacities of the NationalCommission on Human Rights and the Office of the Ombudsman. In September 2007, the NationalCommission on Human Rights, in partnership withUNDP, published the Baseline report on the cur-rent situation with human rights in Kazakhstan.UNICEF has made a significant input into the elabo-ration and adoption of the Law on the Rights of theChild in Kazakhstan. The law was adopted in August2004 and became the national declaration of therights of the child. Advocacy work by UNICEF andother partners also led to the establishment of theNational Coordination Group on the Convention onthe Rights of the Child, under the Ministry of Educa-tion, and gave start to the reform of the child welfaresystem. A national programme Children of Kazakh-stan, focused on children deprived of parental care,was also drafted with UNICEFs help.ILO has assisted Kazakhstan in developing the La-bour Code that was adopted in 2007 and stronglyencouraged extensive consultations and social dia-logue between the government, employers organi-sations and trade unions in development of socialand labour policies. ILO promoted reinforcement of basic human rights through promoting both socialequity and economic efficiency and growth.

Human RightsThe Office of the UN HighCommissioner for Refugeeswasestablished in 1950 and is mandated tolead and co-ordinate international actionto protect refugees and resolve refugeeproblems worldwide. UNHCR establishedits presence in Kazakhstan in 1995 and isworking with national authorities on theimplementation of the 1951 Conventionrelating to the Status of Refugees, towhich Kazakhstan is a party.

Although not singled out as an individual themeunder the Millennium Development Goals, humanrights protection is an essential part of achievingprogress towards MDGs. Indeed, each goal of theMillennium Declaration intrinsically incorporateshuman rights issues, such as the right to social se-curity and adequate standard of living, the right toeducation, free choice of employment, equal payand protection from discrimination. Therefore,every UN agency in Kazakhstan is involved in theprotection and realization of human rights, assist-ing in many cases in the development and imple-mentation of appropriate legislation and raisingpublic awareness about human rights.For example, UNDP has assisted in the draftingand adoption of the Law on the Ombudsman and


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, - . -, - , , , . - - - - . - () . . 2007 , , - - - . -. 2004 -.


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ted to the Parliament for adoption. The workinggroup includes representatives of different minis-tries and state agencies.UNHCR helped find durable solutions for over400 Afghan refugees by negotiating with various

countries for their resettlement. The majority of these refugees have already left for Canada, whileothers are in the process of completing the for-malities and will leave soon. The Agency has alsoprovided refugees and asylum seekers with accessto health care and educational facilities throughthe partnership with the Red Crescent in Kazakh-stan and other organisations.In November 2007, UN High Commissioner forRefugees Mr. Antonio Guterres visited Kazakhstan.During the visit UNHCR and the Government of

Kazakhstan signed the Cooperation Agreement.Migration is an area of increasing importancethroughout Central Asia and for the government of Kazakhstan, as the countrys continued economicdevelopment makes it a magnet for labour migrantsfrom neighbouring countries seeking employmentopportunities. As a result of this dynamic growth,Kazakhstan currently ranks ninth in the worldamong destination countries for labour migrants.UNESCO, in partnership with the InternationalOrganisation on Migration, International LabourOrganisation, UNIFEM and other internationalagencies, organized the first research-based con-ference on international migration in Central Asiain 2005. This successful conference highlightedmigrants rights and produced a set of wide-rang-ing policy recommendations, setting an agendafor subsequent migration-related activities inthe region. UNESCO is currently working withthe OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions andHuman Rights, several government ministries,the Kazakhstan Bureau for Human Rights, Sange

Research Agency and other partners on the firstmajor migration research project, Kazakhstan asa Destination Country for Labour Migrants. Thisgroundbreaking research will result in policy rec-ommendations for stakeholders at the national aswell as the regional level. Survey results will beused to bring together researchers, governmentofficials and civil society groups to plan future ac-tivities in this critical issue area.

The Kazakhstan Digital Library on Human Rightswas created through a joint effort of UNDP, UNES-CO, the National Commission on Human Rights, andthe Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Thedigital library provides free access to a wide collec-tion of human rights-related documents, in Kazakhand in Russian and is available in both online andoffline versions to accommodate libraries withoutaccess to internet. The collection is periodically up-dated with the support of the National AcademicLibrary of Kazakhstan. These materials were dis-tributed to community libraries in urban and ruralareas through the library network of the Ministry of Culture and Information, thus providing every com-mon citizen with an opportunity to find free legalinformation on various human rights issues.Another important area of work in human rights isthe protection of refugees and migrants. Econom-ic growth and political stability make Kazakhstan asafe destination for many who seek better life andsafety. In 2006-2007, over 400 asylum seekersfrom neighbouring countries sought protection inKazakhstan, and one can anticipate that the num-ber would only increase in the coming years.The Republic of Kazakhstan acceded to the Ge-neva Convention of 1951 and its Protocol of 1967 in January 1999, but has not yet developeda national refugee-specific law. The Office of the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) works with national authorities on thedevelopment of laws and procedures that give ef-fect to the 1951 Convention principles. The mainobjective of the Representation of UNHCR is toassist the government in building an effective le-gal regime and procedures to address the issue,and to ensure that refugees and asylum seekershave access to protection and are able to enjoytheir rights in Kazakhstan.UNHCR has supported an independent research

study to analyze the existing strengths and weak-nesses of the national legislation on protectionof refugees, and based on the conclusions of thisstudy, advocated the adoption of a refugee-spe-cific legislation. Responding to this, the Ministryof Labour and Social Security established a Work-ing Group with representatives from various min-istries and agencies in order to develop a draftrefugee legislation that will be eventually submit-


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Increasingly, civil society and nongovernmentalorganisations (NGOs) are becoming active part-ners in Central Asian policy activities and thereis a strong need to enhance this trend. Over thepast 15 years, UN Agencies in Kazakhstan haveprovided their support to civil society throughfinancial assistance, trainings, expert advice andcollaboration. It must also be noted that withoutthe involvement of NGOs and other civil societygroups, the UN would not have been able to im-plement many of its projects on the ground.Along with other UN agencies, UNDP has beenfacilitating the involvement of civil society in pol-icy-making processes and discussions. Throughvarious thematic studies carried out jointly withresearch institutions and non-governmental or-ganisations, UNDP raises public awareness andtriggers debates on the nature of poverty, itscauses and cures, as well as the role of differentdevelopment actors, including local communities,in poverty reduction. The ILO has supported thestrengthening of trade unions as important andconstructive partners in the development of astrong and democratic civil society.

CivilSocietyDevelopment

UN Volunteers (UNV)programme wascreated in 1971 to act as a developmentpartner for the UN system. It is entrustedwith providing technical assistance todevelop volunteerism and mobilizingvolunteers nationally and internationally.Over 100 UNV volunteers have served

in Kazakhstan since 1993, working on22 different development projects. Also,30 volunteers from Kazakhstan weresent abroad to give their distinctivecontribution to the development of other countries. They brought backto Kazakhstan valuable professionalexperience and understanding of development and environmental issues.


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United Nations Department of PublicInformation (UNDPI) was opened inKazakhstan in 1993 and became one of the first UN bodies represented in thecountry. It serves all the UN agenciesin the country as well as the generalpublic with two major tasks:1) advocacy of the United Nations

values and principles2) dissemination of information

regarding UN activities in theRepublic of Kazakhstan

society organisations, both the private and pub-lic sectors. Above all, it is closely connected withpublic participation, which is an essential elementof good governance and development.Since 1993, the UN Volunteers Programme has

been working in Kazakhstan on building the ca-pacity of local people to deal with developmentproblems. UN Volunteers help to build collabora-tive relationships between communities and localgovernment institutions. And they offer policyadvice to decision-makers at local, regional andnational levels, developing individual and institu-tional capacity to put policy into practice.19

While being a cost-effective way of providing arange of social and welfare services, volunteeringis not cost-free. It requires effective infrastruc-ture, both at national and at local level, to helpmobilize support and match volunteers to appro-priate organisations and tasks. Governments havea role to play in funding this infrastructure and inensuring the requisite legal and fiscal frameworkis in place.20 In Kazakhstan, volunteerism has a long traditionof community help known as asar. The extentand impact of volunteer action, however, goeslargely unrecorded. In 2006, the Government of Kazakhstan adopted the Concept of Civil SocietyDevelopment, which states the need to createan institution of volunteerism in the country. In2009-2010, during the second phase of civil so-ciety development in Kazakhstan, volunteeringinfrastructure will become operational.21 UnitedNations Volunteers Programme offers and willcontinue to provide the necessary support toachieve this objective.

UNDP has also developed broad partnerships with

NGOs in environmental protection. Since 1997,UNDP, through the GEF Small Grants Programme,has been providing small grants to community-based groups and non-governmental organisa-tions to support their actions on protecting theirenvironment. An important component of theprogramme is educating people that their well-being depends on sound resource management aswell as helping them help themselves.Coordination and participation of civil societyin education reforms is essential. UNESCO has

facilitated this involvement through supportingthe development and implementation of EFA ac-tion plans in collaboration with governmentaland non-governmental organisations. As a result,networks involving both NGOs and governmenthave been established in Kazakhstan in the areasof gender, life skills, informal rural education, andsustainable development education.Volunteering is the basis of much of the activity of the society, including non-government, govern-ment and private organisations, as well as localgovernment bodies. Volunteerism has an impor-tant place in the national development, contrib-utes to economy, helps to integrate into societyexcluded or marginalized people, promotes fullemployment. It encompasses almost all aspects of development: at the community level, within civil19 Ramachandran, UNDP in Kazakhstan: Ten Years of Cooperation.20 On Volunteering and Social Development, Expert Working Group Meeting, New York, 29-30 November 1999.21 The Concept of Civil Society Development in Kazakhstan for 2006-2011.


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Kazakhstan in UN

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