United Nations in Kazakhstan

The UN system in Kazakhstan stands firmly in support of the country’s aspiration to join the ranks of the 30 most developed countries of the world by achieving the OECD standards. We remain convinced that the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs are an excellent instrument that can help Kazakhstan to effectively achieve its development aspirations as articulated in Strategy 2050 and the subsequent reform agenda.

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02 June 2023

"Reuse. Recycle. Reduce": UN and Halyk join forces to protect the environment

Today Almaty hosted the sustainable fashion and art event "Reuse. Recycle. Reduce" on the eve of World Environment Day. The event was organized by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan, attracting a wide audience and inspiring participants to join the global fight against plastic pollution. During the event, which took place at the Halyk square, guests enjoyed unique exhibition of art installations by Moldakul Narymbetov and Said Atabekov created from recycled materials. These works of art have vividly demonstrated the various problems associated with the use of plastic and its impact on the environment. One of the highlights of the event was the show of a collection of clothes created by young designers on the principle of upcycling. These creative outfits embodied the idea of reusing and recycling materials, illustrating the potential of sustainable fashion to help save the environment. Addressing the guests of the event, UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan Michaela Friberg-Storey noted: “We are convinced that art and fashion have great potential to create change and raise awareness. The art installation exhibition and fashion shows allowed us to see how creativity and innovation can lead to the sustainable use of resources and the reduction of waste. The scourge of plastic pollution is a visible threat that affects every community around the world. We invite all sectors, from governments and businesses to civil society, to come together to find and support solutions. Together we can achieve positive change and create a sustainable and green future for us and for future generations.” The importance of personal responsibility and joint efforts to preserve the environment was emphasized by Umut Shayakhmetova, Chair of the Board of the Halyk Bank: “Halyk conducts its business, not only focusing on high financial performance, but also strives to be a socially and environmentally responsible Bank. We have become the first Kazakh bank to publish an ESG report in accordance with international GRI standards and join the UN Global Compact. We were the first to provide financing under the Green Lending Agreement. Feeling proud of the successes already achieved, we continue to work in this direction and call on our clients, colleagues and partners to join forces to build a more environmentally friendly and conscious society. We are inspired by the confidence in the correctness of the chosen goals and the desire to achieve the best results. Today, we are pleased to welcome all the guests of the event and talented designers who bring a fresh look to the topic of sustainability and reuse.” Another important element was the performances of young Kazakh artists (Adel Bilyalova, Aruzhan Zhumabek, Daria Nurtaza, Zainap Balagudinova, Medina Bazargali), who performed for the first time as a Jip-Jinamé club. “World Environment Day 2023 is an opportunity to once again call on governments, the private sector and industry to invest more and implement solutions to stop plastic pollution. Plastic pollution poses a serious threat to the health of both humanity and the planet. It contributes to a triple planetary crisis - climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and waste. The theme of this World Environment Day will show possible ways to stop plastic pollution and move towards a circular economic model,” concluded Aidai Kurmanova, Head of UNEP in Central Asia. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of World Environment Day by the UN General Assembly in 1972. More than 400 million tons of plastic are produced annually in the world, half of which is intended for single use. Of these, less than 10 percent is recycled. An estimated 19-23 million tons end up in lakes, rivers and seas every year. Discarded or incinerated single-use plastic harms human health and biodiversity and pollutes all ecosystems from mountain tops to the ocean floor. "Reuse. Recycle. Reduce" provided an opportunity for Kazakhstanis to be inspired and make their contribution in confronting the problem of plastic pollution. The event reaffirmed the importance of the #BeatPlasticPollution international call and highlighted the need to make sustainable and responsible decisions in everyone's daily lives.

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Press Release

23 February 2023

Mural symbolizing fight against gender-based violence opened in the capital's Triathlon Park

November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which also marks the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. From November 25 to December 10, various campaigns are taking place around the world calling for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls. To honour the start of the campaign, 'Cyber Nomad' mural was opened in Astana's Triathlon Park at 4:00 pm on the 25th of November. “This is the first portrait from a series of works based on the same concept, the creation of which was inspired by a real persona. The image of a strong woman who knows her worth, who is liberated and active - the embodiment of the historical character of a nomadic woman', says Kazakhstani artist Charli Sword, the author of the 'Cyber Nomad' mural sketch. She attempted to represent the issue of gender-based and domestic violence as a liberation and conscious opposition to the violence of the survivor herself. The mural was presented by the organisers of the event - representatives of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Canadian Embassy in Kazakhstan. The purpose of this campaign was to raise awareness about the issues of gender-based and domestic violence: according to statistics, last year 157,884 crimes were registered in Kazakhstan, of which 61,464 were reported as domestic violence. According to the Minister of Internal Affairs, more than 100,000 cases of domestic violence have been registered in nine months of 2022, but in 60% of cases the police were unable to press charges as the survivors refused to file a complaint.

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27 April 2023

UN presented Kazakh documentary about domestic and gender-based violence

UN Women and the Spotlight Initiative's Regional Program for Central Asia and Afghanistan are honored to announce the Kazakhstani series "Zhalgyz Emessin," produced with the support of the European Union and the Government of Kazakhstan. "Only by joining forces can we fight against domestic and gender-based violence. Survivors need to know that they are not alone, that there is help and that we cannot remain silent. Filmmaking is one of the best ways to raise awareness, spread the fight and let everyone know that we, as a world, will not be tolerated and will do everything possible to end gender violence. The European Union is proud to support this project and will continue its work in this direction," said Kęstutis Jankauskas, European Union Ambassador to Kazakhstan. "Zhalgyz Emessyn" (You are not alone) tells about the problem of domestic and gender violence, as well as discriminatory gender stereotypes in society. Each of the characters has a different life story, but all of them once found themselves in a difficult situation. Each series shows contacts of hotlines, infographics and data of research results about the problem of violence in the world and in Kazakhstan. "Violence has no gender or age. The film crew was able to clearly show what to do if someone close to us or ourselves suddenly encounters various kinds of violence. I would like to thank all the partners who made the successful release of "Zhalgyz Emessіn" possible. It is very important that the series is filmed in the Kazakh language and that it will be available to a wide audience," said Maria Dotsenko, UN Women Representative in Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstani production team worked on the series under the direction of Executive Producer Sandugash Rakhimzhanova and Production Directors Daulet Islyamov and Yerlan Kussainov. Actors from Kazakhstani theaters and graduates of the Kazakh National University of Arts played roles in the feature scenes. "Unfortunately, recently we have been hearing more and more often in the press about egregious cases of violence that occur in Kazakh families. With this project we wanted to show that violence is not a norm, we cannot keep silent about it, and this topic is important and necessary for society," said Sandugash Rakhimzhanova, Executive Producer of the series. The series is filmed in the format of a documentary drama. According to the laws of the genre, along with the actors in the film are real Kazakhstani experts who daily in their work, social and charitable activities help people in difficult situations. "Zhalgyz Emessіn" will be available via Kazakhstan's Aitu Super App, as well as on television. The series premieres these days in Almaty and Astana.

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27 April 2023

An effective financing model for the modernization of multi-apartment residential buildings was implemented in the capital

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan has presented an effective model for financing energy-efficient modernization in pilot multi-apartment residential buildings. Five multi-apartment residential buildings located between Pushkin and Zhubanov Streets in Astana, which were built back in 1964, were selected for the pilot project. The multi-apartment housing stock of the Republic of Kazakhstan is based on buildings built in 1960-1990. An important aspect of the sustainable development of the city remains the support, restoration and reconstruction of the old housing stock. This sector is the third largest consumer of heat and electricity after the energy sector and the manufacturing sector and consumes about 11 percent of electric energy and 40 percent of the released thermal energy. "The pilot project is an important initiative that became possible thanks to the financial support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the commitment and support of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Akimat of Astana and the Akimat of the Baikonur district. I am proud of the result of this multilateral cooperation and I hope that the lessons and innovations developed and tested with the support of our joint projects will only expand and turn into a powerful wave of changes for the sustainable and low-carbon development of Kazakhstan,” says Sukhrob Khodjimatov, Deputy Resident Representative of the UNDP in Kazakhstan. More than half of greenhouse gas emissions in the sector of heat and electricity supply of housing stock in Kazakhstan are accounted for heating of premises. According to expert estimates, about 60,000 multi-apartment residential buildings have thermal characteristics that do not meet modern requirements and require energy-efficient modernization. "The results of the pilot project show that the housing and utilities sector has a significant energy saving potential - from 30 to 55 percent," says Saule Inakhanova, Head of the Department for Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency of the Industrial Development Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. During the modernization, such measures as the insulation of the walls of the house and inter-panel seams, the restoration of drains and tides, the replacement of entrance doors and balcony structures were carried out. In the entrances, the old lighting devices were completely replaced with LED lighting, the heating system, hot and cold water supply were modernized with the replacement of pipelines and automated heating points (AHP) were installed. Financing of the model was provided from several sources, including apartment owners. Before the implementation of the pilot project, experts together with representatives of the Akimat held explanatory work with residents of multi-apartment buildings. Experts note that the active participation of residents plays a crucial role in the reconstruction and property improvements. "I've been having conversations with neighbors about the benefits of the changes. I had to explain everything in detail to every resident, to every elderly person, and I collected signatures of consent for repairs. Residents thought it would be very expensive for them. But everyone is happy, they see the advantages of modernization. Another big plus is that thanks to these repairs and changes, the apartments in our house have risen in price by a couple of million tenge," said Natalya Poddubnaya, a resident of one of the houses. A similar mechanism for co-financing measures to improve the energy efficiency of apartment buildings has also been tested in Temirtau. A number of measures were carried out: insulation of the roof, seams, basement ceiling, replacement of windows and entrances, installation of an automated heating point (AHP), balancing, insulation of the pipeline, as well as replacement of lighting fixtures. Some of the measures were implemented by attracting businesses that invested in modernization (AHP, lighting).The investments of the apartment owners were returned due to cost savings under the energy service contract model. It should be noted that in 2017, UNDP and the Akimat of Astana signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of joint projects in the field of sustainable urban development through the introduction of energy-saving measures, smart city technologies, innovations in the field of management and public participation, prevention of natural emergencies.

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10 March 2023

Celebrating 30 Years of Partnership: The UN's Impact on Sustainable Development in Kazakhstan

Today the event entitled "30 Years of the United Nations in Kazakhstan and the Steering Committee of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2021-2025" was held in Astana, organized by the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mr. Kairat Umarov, UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan Ms. Michaela Friberg-Storey, heads of UN agencies, representatives of diplomatic corps, civil society and media discussed and exchanged ideas on how to strengthen cooperation in achieving sustainable development goals in Kazakhstan. Participants have shared experiences, best practices, and challenges in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2021-2025. Result group chairs presented key results achieved since the start of UNSDCF implementation in the country and outlined the goals for 2023. "We are delighted to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the United Nations in Kazakhstan. The UN in Kazakhstan activities have come a long way in the past three decades and we are proud of the progress we have made in supporting the country's development. In the coming years, we will focus on several key areas, including strengthening governance and the rule of law, promoting sustainable economic growth, investing in human capital, advancing gender equality and women's empowerment, and addressing the challenges posed by climate change. We believe that by working together, we can build a better future for the people of Kazakhstan", said Michaela Friberg-Storey, UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan. The UNSDCF is the main tool for achieving the 2030 Agenda through consolidation of key resources of strategic partners – UN Country Team, government entities, civil society and private sector representatives. Within three thematic areas – Empowered People, Good Governance, Inclusive Economy and Protected Planet, joint interventions of strategic partners are implemented under six outcomes that focus on social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Over the past 30 years, the UN has implemented over 400 projects in Kazakhstan at the national, regional and local levels in many areas, such as reducing inequality, modernizing institutions, diversifying the economy, and supporting the most vulnerable groups – children, women, the elderly, migrants and refugees.

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Photo credit: UN Kazakhstan, Viktor Fedyunin

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06 March 2023

'Empowered women - strength of society.' Campaign to combat gender stereotypes to launch on the International Women's Day in Kazakhstan

In honour of International Women's Day, the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund teamed up with national postal operator 'Kazpost' to launch a campaign to combat gender stereotypes. The organizers of the action developed posters with slogans in Kazakh and Russian languages featuring Kazpost employees. With the support of the national postal operator, posters were placed in 2000 branches in all regions of the country. Visitors are invited to scan the poster's QR-code with their smartphones and participate in the International Women's Day online quiz. After answering simple questions, the participants can win in the prize draw. “This year’s International Women’s Day is entitled “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. This theme is aligned with the priority theme for the upcoming 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. With this campaign we want to celebrate the women and girls who are championing the advancement of sustainable development due to strength, resilience, and commitment to making the world a better place and inspire us all. Let us take this day to honour the incredible achievements of women, celebrate our diversity, and recommit ourselves to advancing gender equality in all areas of life”, noted Michaela Friberg-Storey, UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan. The main goal of the campaign “Empowered woman - strength of society” is to combat gender stereotypes and call for gender equality. “UNDP recognizes that women’s full participation in decision making in innovation, technological change and digitalization is a pre-requisite to deliver transformative impact in societies and achieve the SDGs. We strongly believe, that only by normalizing the pivotal role of women and girls in these sectors we can tackle the complex economic and social inequities for the sustainable development for all”, said Katarzyna Wawiernia, UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan. "For many years UNFPA has advocated for women and girls, promoting legal and policy reforms and gender-sensitive data collection, and supporting initiatives that improve women's and girls' health and expand their choices in life. Today, it is widely recognised that improving women’s status and advancing their rights yields benefits for whole societies. Gender equality cannot be achieved without the involvement of men and boys. Our programmes encourage men and boys to abandon harmful stereotypes, embrace respectful, healthy relationships, and support the human rights of all people, everywhere", said Ronny Lindström, UNFPA Representative in Kazakhstan and Country Director for Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. Summing up the results of the action and drawing of prizes will take place in the end of March. On a global scale, women are underrepresented in the tech field as ICT specialists, in the C-suite of tech companies, as tech start-up owners and gig workers. Women make up only 28 per cent of the STEM industry board seats, while the share of female CEOs and women in management is only 3 per cent and 17 per cent respectively. "Kazpost employs women of different professions and worldviews, and the proportion of women among our employees is 74 percent. Their main goal is to succeed, strive to develop their professional and personal competencies. Therefore, gender equality is one of the main goals in implementing the principles of sustainable development of the company. We live in the age of digital technologies, which allows women to embrace the opportunities to develop their business on electronic trading platforms, engage in distance learning and strike a balance between work and family - that is, to develop in all aspects of life. The theme of the International Women's Day just emphasizes this. I am sure that the merit of women in this regard will not remain unnoticed,” said Assel Zhanassova, Chairperson of the Board of Kazpost JSC.

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Press Release

17 March 2023

Kazakhstan shares innovative approaches to advancing gender equality through digitalisation at CSW67

Entitled "Kazakhstan’s experience in applying digitalisation and innovation to accelerate delivery on Generation Equality Forum’s Action Coalitions commitments,” the event was hosted on March 9, and was organized by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and National Commission for Women Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan with support from UN Women Kazakhstan. During the side event, government representatives from Kazakhstan presented national achievements in fulfilling the commitments made at the Generation Equality Forum (GEF). In 2021, within the framework of the GEF, Kazakhstan joined two Action Coalitions to address Gender-Based Violence and advance Economic Justice and Rights followed by taking five commitments to close the gaps on gender equality. Kazakhstan’s commitments in the context of the GEF are based on President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s policy to end violence against women and girls and promote women’s economic empowerment. During the side event, Kazakhstan highlighted innovative digital approaches in designing and delivering on international promises on gender equality. One of the approaches highlighted was the regional community and virtual knowledge repository “Act for Equal”, a platform launched to share best practices on gender equality and prevention of violence against women and girls in Central Asia, supported by UN Women Kazakhstan. The community is for comprehensive discussions with the participation of representatives of various government agencies, parliamentarians, experts, and civil society from Central Asia and Afghanistan. Since 2021, the regional community of practice convened stakeholders, experts and activists to share their experience in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, as well as the women, peace and security and human rights and gender equality agendas in Central Asia. Thanks to the platform, around 1000 partners have strengthened cooperation and exchanged knowledge and skills. In addition, Kazakhstan invested in the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative Regional Programme for Central Asia and Afghanistan. Currently, Kazakhstan ranks 28th in the UN E-Government Development Index and 15th in the E-Participation Index among 193 countries. “Today Kazakhstan is at the forefront in using technological solutions that improve the quality of life of people. We are creating an ecosystem to enable innovations. The Astana Hub – our flagship for IT startups- offers generous tax incentives, visa support and other benefits to attract young and talented IT specialists from all over the world. The services include access to free acceleration courses with the participation of global mentors, courses in innovative IT schools. The proportion of female staff at the Astana Hub Technopark is 61%, with 63% of women in managerial positions. More than 30% of IT-school students are women,” said Bagdat Mussin, Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan, in his opening speech. In order to use innovative and technological approaches, the government of Kazakhstan launched the Digital Family Social Card, designed to facilitate social support to vulnerable groups. The Digital Family Social Card is a digital platform that accumulates data from 24 government agencies, 30 data resources and determines the level of social well-being of citizens to proactively ensure the provision of government services. "This is a digital platform that presents a 'real picture' of those in need of assistance, and provides measures of state support, conducts constant monitoring of families in difficult situations. This allows us to see the family's problems and send them messages and push notifications with offers of support and services without bureaucracy," outlined Minister Mussin. UN Women supported the development of the digital platform specifically targeting early prevention and detection of violence within the family and by widening access to special social services for survivors of domestic violence. The methodology for identifying social risks can potentially become the basis for the process of preventing the onset of social risk, including any act of violence against women and identifying people in a difficult life situation. The Digital Social Card will assess and predict the level of vulnerability of the individual through gender-sensitive indicators in 4 areas: health care, education, social services, law enforcement agencies. Supporting women’s entrepreneurship Last year, 17 Women’s Entrepreneurship Development Centers (WEDCs) were launched in Kazakhstan across the country, giving women the opportunity to start or expand their businesses. This project of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs “Atameken” is supported by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the National Commission for Women Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Government of Kazakhstan, UN Women, UNDP, and the Asian Development Bank. The centers, among other types of consultations on access to knowledge, finances and networks, also provides women with the necessary tools and knowledge to digitalize their businesses and establish them on e-commerce platforms. "The Women Entrepreneurship Development Centers provided a total of 26,386 different services to 9,000 women. A special feature of this project was the provision of services according to the needs of women themselves. Among the training programs, the courses on social media marketing and marketplace business were in particular high demand. Thus, women entrepreneurs and women with entrepreneurial initiative got an opportunity to digitalize their business," said Nurgul Musabekova, coordinator of the Women's Entrepreneurship Development Centers. Perizat Inkarbayeva, founder of Dignatera, a digital technology center in Karaganda, won a grant from the city's mayor office after receiving training at one of the Women's Entrepreneurship Development Centers. Her project to teach robotics and neurotechnology was recognized as relevant and in demand. "Thanks to the WEDC, I was trained in social entrepreneurship. Today there are more than 150 children studying at our center, and the income of my business has doubled. The most important is that children have the opportunity to learn digital technology. Our center has been operating for two years now. During these two years we prepared many winners of national and international competitions and created new workplaces for teachers. We are proud to contribute to the development of the city, as the national innovation center of Kazakhstan," said Inkarbayeva. Also, as part of CSW67, the Kazakhstani digital art exhibition "Behind the door" was launched at the UN headquarters in New York. It is a social art project aimed at combatting domestic violence in Kazakhstan. The language of contemporary art tells five stories of women survivors of violence. The art pieces were created by Kazakhstani women artists, and they are also placed in blockchain format on the NFT platform. The proceeds from their sale will be sent to support centers for women survivors of violence. This project is a social initiative of CITIX, a Kazakhstani company that uses smart solutions and DOOH ecosystems to draw attention to topical social issues. The exhibition is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan with the support of UN Women Kazakhstan. "At CSW67 the Kazakhstan delegation shared national best practices in using digital technologies for the public good and to support vulnerable groups. Kazakhstan's CSW67 side event showcased the country's key achievements, particularly the use of digital technologies in proactively fulfilling its commitments within the Generation Equality Forum Coalitions on Gender-Based Violence and Economic Justice and Rights. Brilliant works of Kazakhstani artists to raise awareness of the issue of gender-based violence are presented on the global platform and are available to delegates from all participating countries," commented Maria Dotsenko, UN Women Representative in Kazakhstan.

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Press Release

27 April 2023

UN experts agree that Kazakhstan's experience repatriating and reintegrating children and women returned from conflict zones serves as an example for many countries

The European Union, Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNICEF, UN Women Kazakhstan, and the Committee for Children Rights Protection of the Ministry of Education summarized the results of their joint work rehabilitating and reintegrating children, women, and families returned from conflict zones. During two humanitarian operations, respectively called Zhusan and Rusafa, joint efforts saw 725 people, including 188 women and 522 children, returned to Kazakhstan from conflict zones. Most children were under 12 years old. "Applying a multi-sectoral approach to the rehabilitation and reintegration of children and women has proven to be effective, which is evident from the results of the programme implemented jointly with international organisations. The individual approach to each child and the prioritisation of children's interests in the provision of state services has enabled positive results to be achieved. We hope that Kazakhstan's experience in general, as well as new approaches and recommendations developed jointly with international organizations, will be useful for professionals both inside and outside the country," said Talgat Kaliyev, the Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2021, the Kazakhstan Government, together with UNICEF and UN Women launched a program, co-financed by the European Union, aimed at reintegrating women and children from conflict zones as well as providing children and their families with protection and access to social services and education. According to Arthur van Diesen, UNICEF Representative in Kazakhstan, "Kazakhstan is one of the few countries that have repatriated most of its women and children, both from Syria and Iraq. We are very pleased that, in addition to repatriation, the Government of Kazakhstan, in cooperation with international organizations, has done a lot to rehabilitate and reintegrate children and their families. Kazakhstan's experience is very valuable for other countries in the region facing similar challenges. Ensuring the rights and interests of children should be a priority for everyone. Therefore, now our joint task is to make the positive changes that occurred with children and their families within the framework of Kazakhstan’s program sustainable." The parties first established the National Resource Centre at Eurasian National University to provide general and advanced training to specialists working with these children. This centre allowed experts to communicate and jointly work with regional universities in Atyrau, Karaganda, Pavlodar, Turkestan, Almaty, and Shymkent, where colleagues exchanged experiences on training professional psychologists. Next, the parties established resource groups on education, psychosocial support, and mental health care for children and families within this framework. More than 250 specialists and practitioners throughout Kazakhstan studied provision of the psychosocial support, legal, and ethical issues arising from the reintegration process, thanks to which, more than 200 children received improved psychosocial and educational services. Experts also developed and presented the ‘stories between generations’ method of reaching repatriated citizens, which aims to restore lost family and social ties as well as promote responsible citizenship and identity. Through storytelling, older generations share their experiences with children to help teach them the ethics, values, and cultural norms of society in Kazakhstan, including differences between learned and expected behaviours. To date, programme officials trained the first group of teachers and employees from local executive bodies in Shymkent, Karaganda, Zhezkazgan, and Uralsk in this storytelling method. Experts also prepared video lessons to increase the number of trainees and promote the method’s long-term sustainability. Following the training, experts provided specialists with practical manual on working with children and families returned from conflict zones. The manual contains detailed information on helping repatriated families adapt to their new environment and cope with the psychological trauma, emotional difficulties, and stress associated with past traumatic experiences. Kazakhstani and international experts developed the manual in accordance with international standards and ethical norms, and they included practical case management and psychological first aid recommendations. If necessary, case managers can provide full-fledged consulting services and refer repatriated families for legal aid, medical services, and other assistance. “Children returned from conflict zones are primarily children. They went through a very traumatic experience that no child should have to face. The European Union is pleased to cooperate with the Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNICEF, UN Women, and the Committee for Children Rights Protection as well as with local executive bodies and non-governmental organizations. Our joint efforts not only strengthen the state system of psycho-social services, they improve the lives of children themselves, opening the door to a better future for them,” said Kestutis Jankauskas, Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan. The reintegration and subsequent acclimatisation of children into local society will help protect them from marginalization and discrimination. Meetings, conversations, and stories with returned children and their families using the ‘stories between generations’ framework will allow children to better understand not only their personal histories, traditions, and customs but also help them find their place in family, society and the country. "The Republic of Kazakhstan is one of the first countries in the world to carry out the unprecedented Zhusan operation, during which more than 500 children were returned to the country. Today we are happy to receive information about their successes and achievements. 51% of children are A- and B-students. 30% of children became participants and winners of various academic competitions and creative contests. We sincerely believe that every child grows up as a proud citizen of the country,” said Nassymzhan Ospanova, Chairperson of the Committee for Children Rights Protection of the Ministry of Education. “Women and children returned from Syria and Iraq experienced serious violations of fundamental human rights. Children and women among civilians suffer the most in armed conflicts. We, at UN Women, have worked extensively with civil society organizations to incorporate a gender approach into their work with the returnees and their families, as well as strengthened gender-sensitivity of media professionals in covering such conflicts and their consequences”, said Maria Dotsenko, UN Women Representative to Kazakhstan. Conference participants also presented the main conclusions and recommendations developed using Kazakhstan’s best practice for repatriating and reintegrating children and women returned from conflict zones.

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Press Release

22 February 2023

UNICEF and Dinara Saduakassova launch a new charity campaign in Kazakhstan

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan, together with UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Dinara Saduakassova, launched the Family for Every Child fundraising campaign. Under the campaign, every citizen of Kazakhstan will be able to contribute and help the most vulnerable children who may or have already been left without parental care and warmth. The aim of the campaign is to reduce the flow of children into institutions, to provide a quality family upbringing for every child, and to provide families with the necessary social services and support. "The main priority of UNICEF in this good cause is to protect the right of every child to grow up in a caring family environment. I sincerely hope that your donations will contribute to this common cause for every child in Kazakhstan," said Arthur van Diesen, UNICEF Representative in Kazakhstan. Dinara Saduakasova made a video address to the people of Kazakhstan, and noted that a child's happiest memories are connected with his or her family. It is in the family that the child feels safe. She underlined that the child, living separately from his or her parents and family faces the most severe trauma in his or her life, with long-term negative consequences. Dinara called on all caring Kazakhstani people to support the "Family for Every Child" campaign and make their contributions by link. The right of every child to grow up in a family is guaranteed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by the Government of Kazakhstan in 1994. Unfortunately, each year up to 2,000 children in Kazakhstan for various reasons end up in orphanages. The most important task of UNICEF in Kazakhstan is to reduce the flow of children into such institutions and to provide each child with a quality family upbringing. It is extremely important to eliminate the reasons for the separation of children from their parents through family support programs by ensuring comprehensive protection of the civil, economic, social and cultural rights of children without any discrimination. If the child could not be kept in the family with the birth parents, and when immediate family members are unable to care for the child, every effort must be made to provide family care by involving more distant relatives, or if this is not possible, in a family substitute setting. In order to prevent the placement of children in residential institutions, it is important to provide the necessary legal framework for the further development of the institution of professional foster families in Kazakhstan. At the same time the focus should remain on the child's birth family. Even if a child is placed in an orphanage or a professional foster family, work must be done to restore the rights of the blood relatives. UNICEF's long-standing experience in this area around the world shows that it is possible through the development of parenting skills programs, providing universal coverage of families with children with medical and educational services, as well as accessible, safe, inclusive and fair social protection focused on the well-being of children. Currently, the Government of Kazakhstan, civil society and UNICEF together have achieved the following results for children and families in Kazakhstan: Development of social work and special social services for families in difficult situations so that they receive the necessary assistance in a timely manner, as well as work to support parents to prevent separation from their children. Transformation of orphanages into support centers for children in difficult life situations and an increase in the number of such centers from three to 18 in the last five years. UNICEF continues to support the authorized agencies so that in the future these centers will provide comprehensive support to children and families, providing psychological, legal, social counseling and other support. Expert support to child care institutions of different types throughout Kazakhstan, including transfer of technical knowledge and best practices from other countries, documentation of regional experiences of child support centers in the country, and development of manuals and guidelines for the transformation of these institutions. The money raised through the "Family for Every Child" campaign will enable the continuation of comprehensive work to achieve the best results for every child in Kazakhstan. UNICEF's work is financed entirely through the voluntary support of millions of people around the world and our partners in government, civil society, and the private sector. That is why UNICEF pays special attention to the issue of transparency about sources of funding and to how and for what campaign’s resources are spent. As a member of the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), UNICEF provides open and comprehensive public access to operational and program data through its Transparency Portal. UNICEF's "Family for Every Child" program in Kazakhstan helps to prevent the separation of children from their parents and, if a child is placed in an institution, helps to reestablish contact with the biological parents and supports the provision of quality social, medical and educational services to Kazakhstani families. The main focus of the campaign is to prevent the placement of children in residential institutions and to prioritize family-based child care. Support the campaign and help children get what they need to reach their full potential, developing in a supportive family environment. Even a small monetary contribution, can improve the life of a child in need. Make a donation now on the website using this link.

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Press Release

11 October 2021

Online video contest: International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2021

In 2016, the UN Secretary-General launched “The Sendai Seven Campaign” to promote each of the seven targets over seven years. The 2021 target is Target F: “Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of the present Framework by 2030”. In keeping with the Day’s focus on the impact that disasters have on people’s lives and well-being, this year’s theme is about highlighting best practices and examples of international cooperation, which have a positive impact on the lives of people who live in disaster-prone parts of the world i.e. reducing the numbers of people affected by man-made and natural hazards including extreme weather events, epidemics and pandemics, and earthquakes, environmental catastrophe and technological disasters. In dedication of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNDRR announces an Online Video Contest & a DRR Questionnaire, which will contribute to raise greater awareness about disaster risk reduction. Participants should submit their best answers following the link https://forms.office.com/r/ECwCKmBjdY Everyone has an opportunity to show their talent and contribute to the safety of their community by raising awareness on disaster risk reduction by submitting their work. Please read below the terms and condition of the Contest. Format • In the Videos participants should complete the phrase: "Disaster Risk Reduction is ..." Then, say the following phrase #OnlyTogether… Prevention Saves Lives. • All videos must be one-minute maximum of running time Eligibility requirements: Anyone with creativity skills is eligible to enter the contest. Technical specifications for submission: All materials should be submitted electronically to samal.bekmaganbetova@un.org. Participants are responsible to ensure the quality of the submitted material. Any entries deemed offensive will be immediately disqualified. The submitted material must be an original creation - no copyrighted images may be used. The participant must certify and warrant that the submitted material does not violate the rights of a third party or any copyright. UNDRR is not responsible for intellectual property violations that might have resulted through the submissions. Judging and notification of selected participants: The Contest closes at 23:59 pm on October 10, 2021, qualifying materials will be judged on adherence to the Contest theme through its message clarity, composition, and overall presentation. UNDRR will appoint a jury to judge the entries. The selected entry will be announced on October 13, 2021 and the winner will be notified by e-mail. Rights and ownership: By submitting their works to UNDRR, participants agree to grant UNDRR free of charge the right to use the submitted work in any manner and media, including without limitation, the right to publish, adapt, distribute, copy, display or translate in printed or electronic media even if they are not the winning entries. Award: The selected candidate will receive UNDRR Certificate, will be invited to events dedicated to disaster risk reduction and the winners’ work will be used for UNDRR materials as mentioned above. For more information, please contact: Ms. Samal Bekmaganbetova, National Technical Officersamal.bekmaganbetova@un.org, tel: (993-12) 488325 (117)

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