Kazakhstan: Rule of Law Academy for civil society representatives

The Rule of Law Academy for civil society representatives was concluded on August 21, 2024. The Academy was held from August 19-21 in Almaty within the framework of the European Union-funded project “Coordinated Civil Society Action to Promote the Rule of Law for All”. The event was attended by 42 representatives from 27 civil society organizations specializing in human rights, protection of the rights of children, women, youth, migrants, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups from 13 regions of Kazakhstan.

The Rule of Law Academy was aimed at increasing legal literacy and strengthening the skills of civil society representatives in Kazakhstan. The program of the event covered key aspects of the rule of law, the role of an independent judiciary, criminal justice, administrative justice, documentation of human rights violations and strategic litigation.

As a result of the training, Academy participants gained a deep understanding of the rule of law, key aspects of criminal and administrative justice, as well as increased competencies in independent evaluation and monitoring of the judiciary, methods of effective interaction with state authorities, documentation of human rights violations and strategic litigation.

Academy participants joined the National Network for the Rule of Law in Kazakhstan (NNRLK), which was initiated by the Academy organizers. The NNRLK aims to promote coordinated and results-oriented civil society action to monitor, evaluate and influence lawmaking and policy-making on rule of law and justice issues. The NNRLK will facilitate coordination as well as peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and mentoring among its members, thereby contributing to more coherent, strategic and effective civil society action on ongoing justice reforms.

The project implemented by the Public Foundation “Legal Policy Research Centre” (LPRC) and the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) with the financial support of the European Union is designed for 3 years – from the beginning of 2024 to the end of 2026 and aims to increase the capacity of civil society to support the rule of law and respond to challenges in the criminal justice system in Kazakhstan. The total budget of the project is EUR 777,895. The contribution of the European Union is 739,000 Euros.

The press release can be downloaded below in English, Russian and Kazakh.

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