VIII Civil Forum in Astana

On November 27-28, 2018, VIII Civil Forum of Kazakhstan was held in Astana on the topic “Civil Society and the State: Dialogue. Partnership. Trust" with the participation of the country leader.

The main purpose of this forum is to develop an open dialogue of the civil sector, government agencies, business structures, international organizations and the expert community to form a modern civil society, unite the efforts of the dialogue participants to develop civil society institutions and enhance civic participation in government processes.

The event was organized by Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan with the support of the Ministry of Public Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The co-organizer of the forum is International Financial Center Astana, the organizer of the conference of “Men senemin” civil initiatives is the Private Foundation “Communication Initiatives and Strategies”.

The forum was attended by representatives of NGOs, international organizations, government and business structures, community councils, etc.

In total, more than 100 professional experts in the field of civil development, 25 ministers and vice-ministers, deputies and activists spoke at the forum. The main speaker was the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.

All forum participants were presented the draft Concept of Sustainable and Effective Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2019 - 2025, which was developed by Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan.

The opening ceremony of VIII Civil Forum was held by the President of Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan Assylbek Kozhakhmetov and the Minister of Social Development Darkhan Kaletayev.

“Our civil forum is a forum of citizens, but real ones. Not those who talk a lot and do little. This is a forum for those who speak and do even more. This is a forum of those who develop Kazakhstan from its civil, human part. He does not wait for appeals, promises, he acts by his own in every aul, city, regional center, does what he thinks necessary for himself, his family, and the country, ” Kozhakhmetov noted.

“The forum is of great fundamental importance. We will discuss and talk about how to continue to live. This is a question of development of civil society, the non-governmental sector. As an authorized body, we, before making any legal acts or political decisions in this industry, first of all would like to listen to you, get your opinion,” Minister D. Kaletaev also emphasized.

Thematic sessions were devoted to the discussion of current issues: modernization of state bodies, media and publicity, ecology and environmental protection, social entrepreneurship and innovation, consumer rights protection, the role of universities and schools in the formation of an active civil society, and others.Within the framework of the Forum, 35 thematic sessions were held in the format of seminars, master classes, round tables, discussion platforms, industry meetings with heads of ministries and departments. Representatives of NGOs were given the opportunity to take part in discussion of individual topics, make suggestions and assist in solving specific problems and problems of society.

The Forum held a section "The role of universities and schools in the formation of an active civil society." The moderators of which were Maken Bakhtiyar Makenovich, Mazhilis deputy of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Kurganbayeva Gulmira Amanzholova, rector of Almaty Management University. The speakers were: Smirnova Irina Vladimirovna, deputy of Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Balykbaev Takir Ospanovich, rector of Abay KazNPU, Shynybekov Damir Abdukhaliyevich, Rector of Information Technologies International University, Narikbayev Talgat Moshmur Pat, Rector of KazSLU, Kaltayeva Lyazzat Moldabekovna, Head of Shyrak Association of Women with Disabilities, Shakarim Seisenbay, Director of School No. 54 of Astana, Abzhanov Askhat Myrat, Abzhanov Askhat Myrat, Aszhat Myrat Republican School of Leadership "Zhana Urpak", a member of the board of Kazakhstan Federation of UNESCO Clubs. Such topics as universities, local community centers of gravity, the university’s role in sustainable city development, focus on service learning at universities, colleges and schools, technological innovation and IT to serve the community, strengthening the involvement of the civil sector in schools, colleges and universities, development of spiritual intelligence in education through active interaction with the civil sector

On the first day of the forum, there was "Men senemin" conference of civil projects, where representatives of non-governmental organizations could exchange views on the further development of civil society.

Conference speakers were:

Adel Smith, a national channel journalist, a civil activist and a participant in civil initiatives related to helping children

Sholpan Aytenova, Open Budget Fellowship, Soros Foundation Project Manager

Olga Sultanova, founder of the theater festival in Kazakhstan

Akmarzhan Kusherbayeva, singer, social activist, UNFPA reproductive health ambassador

Aizhan Alzhanova, founder of "Mom PRO" coworking and training center for mothers of special children

Aida Balaeva, Head of the Internal Policy Department of the Presidential Administration

Timur Korobeynikov, Founder of the Center for Assistance and Assistance to Families, whose relatives suffered a stroke

Aizhan Yergeshova, youth activist

Alisher Sadyk, head of “Zhurekten Zhurekke” Volunteer Group.

Dmitry Zhukov, a member of “Kok Zhailau Protect” initiative group, financial analyst.

One of the main topics of the forum was implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. 17 sustainable development goals were adopted in September 2015 by all UN member countries as the main component of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They are aimed at eradicating poverty, preserving resources of the planet and ensuring equality and well-being for all. Each of 17 goals contains a series of indicators that must be achieved within 15 years.

Within the framework of the forum, 5 panel sessions were held: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, Partnership, which affected the relevant groups of targets that are part of the UN sustainable development goals.

On the second day of the forum, a plenary session was held with the participation of the country leader on the topic: “Civil Society and the State: Dialogue. Partnership. Trust".

The country leader, N. Nazarbayev, commended the work of the Civil Alliance on consolidation of NGOs, who emphasized that it was Alliance that should take the leading position in this matter.

“I instruct the Government to develop a concept for development of civil society until 2025 together with you: what will we do, how to develop,” the Head of State instructed.

The forum participants discussed the draft Concept for development of sustainable and effective development of the civil society for the period from 2019-2025. The implementation period is synchronized with the Strategic Development Plan of Kazakhstan until 2025.

In addition, parallel sectoral sessions were organized for representatives of the non-governmental sector with participation of the heads of 13 central state bodies. The forum included meetings with the ministers of the social unit (Ministry of Education and Science, Health, Labor and Social Protection of the Population), economic (Ministry of Finance, National Economy, Agriculture), as well as representatives of law enforcement agencies (Ministry of the Interior Affairs) and others (Ministry of Justice, Agency for Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption).

At the end of the forum, there was a gala ceremony of awarding prizes for NGOs (a state prize issued by NGOs for their contribution to solving social problems) and the public “Tanym” Prize - an award for NGOs which made significant contributions to the social development of the country.