Nur-Sultan (UNA-OIC) – The Republic of Kazakhstan is celebrating the Kazakh National Assembly as the most important state institution to consolidate the values of coexistence and tolerance among more than 130 ethnic and religious groups living in the country.
This event, which will last until the end of this year, comes as part of celebrations of the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence and establishment of the modern republic.
The Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, established in 1995, plays an important role in the formation of a unique model of social unity for the nation that comprises more than 130 diverse ethnic groups. The main goal of the Assembly is to implement the national policy, ensure social and political stability in Kazakhstan and increase the efficiency of cooperation between state institutions and civil society in the field of interethnic relations.
The idea of establishing the Assembly was first announced by the First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in 1992. The session is convened by the President of Kazakhstan at least once a year.
The Assembly has acquired constitutional status since 2007; it has received the right to delegate nine members to the Kazakh parliament (Majilis), the highest legislative body of the country, who are elected by the Assembly session. A parliamentary group of the Assembly operates in the Majilis of the parliament.
Structure
- There are more than 1,000 ethnocultural associations (ECA), 29 at the state level.
- There are 160 youth organizations (more than 6,700 people) operating under the ECA and united in the network of the Assembly’s youth movement “Zhangyru Zholy”.
- Forty “Houses of Friendship”, multifunctional resource centers, operate under the Assembly.
- A scientific and expert council was created to support the Assembly’s scientific and analytical activities, consisting of 52 scientists. There are scientific expert groups working in all regions as part of regional universities that include 262 scientists. The scientific depository of the Assembly functions at the National Academic Library, which includes over 1,400 sources; most of them are in electronic form.
- Under the auspices of the Assembly, 2,737 Councils of Public Accord and 1,847 Councils of Mothers operate at the regional, city, district and village levels, as well as among workers of large enterprises. They are actively involved in solving urgent issues of the local population, including in the prevention of any conflicts.
- Fifty-two ethnocultural mass media associations are registered in Kazakhstan. One journalists’ club at the state level and 15 regional clubs operate within the Assembly.
- Promoting mediation in the field of social harmony and national unity is a key priority of the Assembly, which includes a Council at the state level and 17 mediation offices at the Houses of Friendship that organized the work of 342 dialogue platforms. There are 1,692 mediators registered by the Assembly.
The Assembly also promotes the development of charity in the country, provides coordination and other support. For the 1st quarter of 2021, the Assembly raised 187 million tenges (around 440,000о USD) at charity events and provided assistance to 4,715 families and more than 22,000 socially vulnerable citizens.
There are publicly-funded Uyghur, Korean, German and Uzbek theatres in languages of ethnic groups.
Objectives and contributions of the Assembly
- The Assembly contributes to the creation of favorable conditions for further strengthening of interethnic harmony, tolerance and unity.
- It assists government authorities in the formation of the political and legal culture of citizens based upon democratic standards.
- The Assembly promotes efforts of various ethnic and cultural associations, helps to revive, preserve and develop the culture, language and traditions of different ethnicities of Kazakhstan.
- The Assembly has contributed to the establishment of a unique model of interethnic and interreligious accord in Kazakhstan, with an atmosphere of trust, solidarity and mutual understanding, where every citizen, regardless of their ethnicity or religion, enjoys full civil rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
- It develops language policy, supports ethnic communities and strengthens interethnic relations through art (theatres, folk art, etc.).
- The Assembly promotes the development of charity.
Overview of the ethnic and religious composition in Kazakhstan
- Over 130 ethnicities live in Kazakhstan, including Kazakhs, Russians, Uzbeks, Uighurs, Ukrainians, Germans, Turks, Koreans, Azerbaijanis and others.
- Seventeen religious denominations are represented in Kazakhstan.
- There are approximately 3,800 religious associations in the country.
