On 22 December 2022 the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, conducted a roundtable bringing together representatives of Government, civil society and UN to discuss refugee protection and integration in Kazakhstan. The event was aimed at developing joint recommendations to support Kazakhstan in fulfilling its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and aligning the national legislation related to refugee issues to international standards.
“In 2022, the Government of Kazakhstan adopted a concept of Migration Policy for 2023-27. The concept of Migration Policy covers the issues of refugee and asylum-seeker protection under implementation of international obligations of Kazakhstan,” said Acting Chairman of the Committee on Migration of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of Kazakhstan.
The roundtable provided a platform for the dialogue between local actors, international community and refugees to consider most common challenges faced by refugees in Kazakhstan and possible solutions to address them by facilitating their integration and providing opportunities for naturalization.
“UN in Kazakhstan welcomes the recent introduction of the Action Plan of Further Measures in the area of human rights and the rule of law which includes the issues of refugees and stateless persons. The protection of refugees is fully incorporated into the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2021-2025,” said Michaela Friberg Storey, UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan.
One of the key issues covered during the roundtable was temporary nature of the refugee status in Kazakhstan. Under the Law of Legal Status of Foreigners, refugees in Kazakhstan are granted only one-year temporary residency, which prevents them from accessing the full range of rights guaranteed to them under the 1951 Convention and other international human rights instruments. Temporary status also limits opportunities for refugees to realize their potential, to become self-sustainable and to contribute to development of the host community.
“Most of refugees have been living in Kazakhstan for decades, some of them are married to Kazakh citizens, some were born in here. They speak local languages and consider Kazakhstan their home. They have valuable skills and potential which they are willing to use for the benefit of Kazakhstan if they are given full-fledged access to work and education. UNHCR stands ready to provide support to Kazakh Government with bringing its legal framework for refugee protection and integration in line with principles of the international treaties and the Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said Dumitru Lipcanu, Deputy Representative of UNHCR for Central Asia.
Currently, Kazakhstan still hosts 352 refugees and 648 asylum-seekers. Most refugees have been residing here for over five, some over 20 years. They speak local languages, live, study, or work peacefully together with nationals of Kazakhstan, and are culturally well integrated.
Kazakhstan acceded to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol in 1999. Contracting States to these important human rights treaties exercise responsibility sharing and solidarity among each other by committing not to return refugees into danger, but to grant them access to their territory, quality asylum procedures and protection, to basic human and socio-economic rights and naturalization.
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