Kazakhstan International Affairs - The Times Of Central Asia

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About 100 Kazakhs Are Enslaved Laborers in Southeast Asia

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported the release of two Kazakh nationals from labor slavery in Thailand. In January the country's consulate in Thailand received a message saying that a Kazakh woman had been enslaved in the Golden Triangle -- a geographical area in Southeast Asia that includes Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, known for its large volumes of drug production and trade. The trapped girl had asked for help. After working with local authorities, they learned that not one but two girls were enslaved. Ministry representatives spent about a month negotiating the release of the girls, before they were released and returned home. It transpired that the girls had been duped by an advertisement offering a high-paying job that turned out to be a scam. In order to buy their freedom, their captor demanded $10,000 from each of the girls. About 200 citizens of Kazakhstan have fallen into labor slavery in these territories over the past two years. About 30 of them were able to be freed with the help of the local Kazakh embassy. The ministry claims that about 100 Kazakhs are still enslaved laborers in the countries of Southeast Asia.

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Kazakhstan to Report to UN on Events of January 2022 Unrest

Kazakhstan will report to the United Nations (UN) Committee against Torture on measures taken after the events of bloody January (Qantar) 2022. This is according to the Deputy Chairwoman of the International Bureau for Human Rights, Roza Akylbekova, who added that information on urgent recommendations, which primarily concern Qantar, should be provided no later than May 12th, 2024 "This is information about what happened, how many people were affected, and, of course, about deaths in closed institutions and how Kazakhstan is investigating them," Akylbekova said at a news conference at the office of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law. In addition, according to the human rights activist, the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan will have to prepare information on the deaths of conscripts. It has been 25 years since Kazakhstan joined the UN Convention against Torture, since which time the Coalition of NGOs of Kazakhstan against Torture and the National Preventive Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture have been established created. Furthermore, Kazakhstan added an article on torture to the criminal code and opened up a path for individual appeals regarding torture directly to the UN Committee. At the same time, however, torture remains a pressing problem in the country. According to the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law, 200-250 people apply to the Coalition of NGOs against Torture every year. In 2022, 190 appeals were received in connection with the January events, and another 88 episodes that had no connection to the mass riots of that year. Since Qantar, the number of complaints has not fallen, with 283 appeals in 2023, during which year over 20 systemic recommendations were issued to Kazakhstan. Earlier this year, the European Union (EU) funded a three-year project by Kazakhstani human rights defenders that aims to eradicate torture. As part of this project, the Kazakhstan NGO Coalition against Torture and the Prison Reform International (PRI) office will analyze individual cases of criminal prosecution for torture which do not reach trial. However, these cases are difficult to identify and prosecute. "In Kazakhstan such crime as torture is adjacent to other articles of the Criminal Code: in addition to 'torture,' the concepts of 'ill-treatment' and 'abuse of power' are used. Therefore, the official statistics on those prosecuted for 'torture' (Article 146) do not give an understanding of how many cases are actually hidden behind the lighter articles. At the same time, Article 146 itself has been divided into two parts: 'torture,' which will be investigated by the prosecutor's office, and 'cruel and inhuman treatment,' which is left to the Interior Ministry, whose employees are most often the beneficiaries of torture," the press service of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law reported. The UN Committee against Torture was established in January 1987. It consists of 10 independent experts, who currently represent the United States, Turkey, China, Japan, Russia, France, Morocco, Moldova, Latvia, and Mexico. They monitor the implementation of the Convention...

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Kazakhstan Peacekeepers Deployed to Golan Heights

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed at United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York between the Kazakh government and the UN regarding the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent to the UN Disengagement Observer Force mission. This will be the first time in the history of Kazakhstan when the UN has given the country a mandate to carry out an independent peacekeeping mission. Earlier, Defense Minister Ruslan Zhaksylykov reported that 139 servicemen will be sent to the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria. They will maintain a ceasefire between the warring parties in accordance with the mandate of the UN mission. In order to fulfill the UN mission with professionalism, peacekeepers from Kazakhstan have undergone a thorough selection and training process in accordance with all the requirements and standards of the UN. The training lasted six months, and took place at the center for peacekeeping operations under the Kazakh Ministry of Defense. "The instructor staff of the centers of peacekeeping operations, demining and military medicine participated in the training of the servicemen. To improve practical skills and interoperability with officers of the contingent's headquarters, classes were held on military decision-making at the operational-tactical level," the Defense Ministry reported. Kazakhstan's peacekeepers were taught English, rules of engagement, and international and humanitarian law. They also trained in how to protect the peacekeeping base, organize roadblocks, patrols, disarm explosive devices, and provide assistance and evacuation. Based on the results of the training, experts said Kazakhstan's peacekeeping contingent showed a high level of training and motivation. Kazakhstan has painstakingly equipped the peacekeepers in accordance with UN standards. They have been provided with modern weapons and military equipment. The contingent has armored wheeled vehicles with combat modules, KamAZs, high cross-country vehicles and engineering equipment -- as well as all the necessary lifesaving equipment. Also, one of the vehicles has been converted for evacuation of the wounded. It's equipped with an oxygen machine, defibrillator, medicines and other medical equipment. The Kazakh ministry's specialized department says that during the peacekeeping mission the servicemen will be paid three times their monthly allowance, with an additional $1,448 from the UN budget. Moreover, after completion of service to the mission, they can count on treatment at a health resort and an extra 14 days added to their basic annual leave. Peacekeepers from Kazakhstan will include individual servicemen as military observers as well as staff officers. Members of specialized units are also in demand; they include infantry, medical, reconnaissance and engineering. Over the past 16 years, more than 600 Kazakh servicemen have participated in seven UN peacekeeping missions spread across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Currently, 19 peacekeepers from Kazakhstan are serving in UN contingents in Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Western Sahara and the Central African Republic.

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Kazakhstan Receives $46 Million Grant From World Bank’s Pandemic Fund

An official ceremony was held in Astana with the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan, UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, Mikael Friberg-Storey, Executive Director of the Pandemic Fund, Priya Basu, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), Skender Sila, and representatives of diplomatic missions in attandance, according to the press service of the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan. Recently the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan and the WHO signed an agreement for a grant of $46 million. The terms provide Kazakhstan with a country grant in the amount of $19 million, and multi-country grant in the amount of $27 million for three years. Aside from Kazakhstan, 35 countries of the WHO European Region received grant funding for the development of medicines and healthcare systems. In total, according to the World Bank, the Pandemic Control Fund received 179 applications from 133 countries around the world. About 30% of the grant funds went to projects from countries in Africa. The specialized agency said that this money will be used to improve the healthcare system in Kazakhstan, namely the development of epidemiological surveillance, laboratory security, border control, early detection, and response and training of medical personnel. The WHO's country office in Astana will oversee the implementation of the grant in Kazakhstan and provide general technical support to the Ministry of Health. The Pandemic Fund was established in September 2022. It's considered to be the first multilateral financing mechanism to provide long-term, grant-based financial assistance to low- and middle-income countries to improve their preparedness for future pandemics. By the middle of last year, the fund had raised $2 billion in seed capital from 25 nations and philanthropic organizations.

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China Replaces Russia as Kazakhstan’s Biggest Trade Partner

In 2023, China became Kazakhstan's top trading partner, relegating Russia to second place. This is according to data from the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, which summarized last year's foreign trade data. The main importers of Kazakhstani products were China, Russia and Italy. The Russian Federation held the top spot in 2022. The total trade volume grew in 2023 to $139.8bn. Trade with China amounted to $31.5bn, with Russia -- $26bn, with Italy -- $16.1bn, and South Korea and Turkey -- $6bn apiece. Last year Kazakhstan's export markets totaled 135, and the number of traded commodity items was almost 4,000. Crude oil and petroleum products were the top exports ($43.4bn), followed by industrial goods ($9.8bn), non-precious metals ($9.6bn), agro-industrial goods ($5.4bn), ores ($4.9bn), uranium ($3.4bn), and natural gas ($2.1bn). At the same time, Kazakhstan imported equipment and electrical machinery more than anything else ($15.5bn), followed by motor vehicles and auto parts ($7.8bn), non-precious metals ($5.6bn), and food and textiles ($4.8bn each). In 2023 Kazakhstan increased non-resource exports to its East Asian trade partners: to Vietnam by 64%, to Hong Kong by 34%, to South Korea by 30%, and to China by 10%.

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Germany and Kazakhstan Expand Their Partnership

A meeting of the Kazakh-German Intergovernmental Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation was held in Berlin on February 16th. It was co-chaired by Kanat Sharlapaev, Kazakhstan’s minister for industry and construction, and Dominik Schnichels, the director for foreign trade policy of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. The meeting discussed bilateral trade and economic relations, cooperation in energy, environment, agriculture and water management, transport, logistics and infrastructure, as well as cooperation in raw materials, industrial and technological spheres, the Kazakh Embassy in Germany reported. Mr Schnichels commented: "To confirm once again the level of Strategic Partnership between Kazakhstan and Germany, constructive and fruitful talks were held at today's meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group, which made it possible to identify specific projects in priority areas.” “The agreements reached today demonstrate that this bilateral platform contributes to improving the framework conditions for further rapprochement of government and business circles, as well as practical promotion of mutual trade and investment. Kazakhstan is a resource-rich country with unique opportunities. Germany is interested in further deepening trade and economic cooperation in the way of the ongoing economic and social reforms in the country.” In his speech, Mr Sharlapaev stressed that the strategic synergy between Kazakhstan and Germany, together with a convenient geographical location at the crossroads of intercontinental transport routes, including energy supply routes, strengthens Kazakhstan’s position as a regional investment hub and one of the key players in the global energy arena. "The development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor) is of great importance for Kazakhstan as a reliable supplier of energy resources and strategic goods to Europe,” he said. “Strengthening Kazakhstan's industrial potential is also among the strategic areas of cooperation with Germany."