On September 18, 2024, a training for deputies of maslikhats of five regions was held in the Abai region, organized with the aim of improving skills and providing methodological assistance to both people's deputies and employees of their offices. Deputies of the East Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, Almaty and Zhetysu regions took part in the training.
The event was organized within the framework of the plan of interaction between the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and maslikhats. The organizers were the Institute of Parliamentarism under the Office of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Foundation for the Development of Parliamentarism, the Association of Deputies of the Maslikhats of Kazakhstan, the OSCE Program Office and the Maslikhat of the Abai region.
Deputy Director of the Institute of Parliamentarism Lyazzat Suleimen addressed the participants with an introductory speech, who stressed the importance of systematic work to improve legislation aimed at improving the quality of life of citizens. She focused on the key aspects of the recent Address by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, mentioning that a significant amount of work was done last year to reform the legal framework. Among the important areas are strengthening public control, combating human trafficking and measures to ensure the safety of children. Special attention was paid to toughening penalties for violence against minors and the introduction of new standards aimed at protecting children in educational institutions and playgrounds.
Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Ainur Argynbekova, Chairman of the Maslikhat of the region Abai Kuanysh Suleimenov and representative of the OSCE Program Office Assel Karatayeva also addressed the participants with welcoming words. All of them stressed the importance of holding such events to strengthen the role of maslikhats and increase their influence on local politics.
The President of the Parliamentary Development Fund, Zauresh Batalova, presented a report on the regulatory support for the activities of maslikhats.
Meruert Kabylbayeva, an expert at the Institute of Parliamentarism, emphasized the interaction of maslikhat deputies with the Parliament, stressing that local representative bodies play a key role in communicating with the population. «Citizens first of all turn to the deputies of maslikhats, and it is through you that the primary contact with the authorities takes place. Working together with the Senate allows for better control over the implementation of laws and timely response to emerging problems», Kabylbayeva said. She also highlighted the importance of creating a unified ecosystem for processing citizens' appeals, including analyzing their opinions expressed through social networks, which allows for more accurate identification of the needs of the population.
Expert Almagul Khasenova made a report on the topic of anti-corruption policy in the activities of maslikhats. She noted that maslikhats play an important role in preventing corruption through control over local budgets and programs. Khasenova cited Transparency International data for 2023, according to which Kazakhstan improved its position in the corruption perception index, ranking 97th out of 180 countries. However, despite the progress, she recalled that the indicator of 39 out of 100 points still indicates a high level of corruption, which negatively affects economic development.
Environmental issues of administrative territories - districts, cities and regions - were also not ignored. Problems related to the state of the environment, as well as tasks for the future, were highlighted by Kirill Osin.
As part of the training for deputies of maslikhats, the issue of local entrepreneurship development was highlighted. The expert of the Association for Sustainable Development of Territories «Q88» Sanzhar Kaziyev spoke about the improvement of settlements, in particular, about the standards for the construction of parks and squares, landscaping and architectural solutions, as well as measures to prevent emergencies.
The expert of the Center for the Judicial System and Law Enforcement Agencies, Sh.Ongarov, in his report highlighted the issues of ensuring public law and order in the regions. He stressed the importance of active crime prevention and strengthening cooperation with law enforcement agencies. Ongarov also highlighted the need to strengthen public safety measures and improve socio-economic conditions in the regions, focusing on the importance of improving the legal culture of citizens.
The training was an important step in improving the qualifications of deputies, and its results contribute to improving interaction at all levels of government to improve the quality of life of Kazakhstanis.
