Kazakhstan Outlines Reform Agenda at 150th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly
Tearing it up in Tashkent: Yerlan Koshanov, the chairman of Kazakhstan's lower house of parliament, the Mazhilis, made a splash at the 150th anniversary Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on April 7 in Uzbekistan's capital.
Koshanov gave a lively presentation on the progress of political and economic reforms under President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, pulling no punches when it came to highlighting key initiatives. He stressed the importance of promoting inclusion, access to healthcare and education, and a fair distribution of the nation's wealth - topics that have been central to the laws passed by the Kazakh Parliament.
One such initiative is Kazakhstan's proposal to create a UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals in Almaty, geared towards Central Asian countries and Afghanistan. Koshanov thanked UN members for their support of the resolution, with parliamentarians from over 140 countries in attendance.
In his speech, Koshanov emphasized the relevance of the New Social Contract proposed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and underscored the key role of parliaments in advancing its principles.
The assembly was a bustling hub of discussion, with delegations in attendance from across the globe to discuss the role of legislative bodies in promoting social development and justice. On the sidelines, Koshanov held several high-energy bilateral meetings to explore inter-parliamentary cooperation and legislative exchange.
Now, you might think that the specifics of the reforms Koshanov discussed would be publicly available. But let's face it, these things can get complicated. To get the lowdown on all those details, more sources would be needed. For now, we know that the broad strokes include legislative efforts such as the drafting of new tax and construction codes, laws on Compulsory Social Health Insurance, and developments in science-intensive territories, as well as the establishment of regional IT hubs across the country. That's a start, but the real deal is yet to come!
Sources:\1. Mazhilis (2023). Koshanov presents progress of reforms of President Tokayev at 150th anniversary Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union. [online] Available at: https://www.parliament.kz/en/news/31876.2. Ruzmetov, M. (2023). Kazakhstan's Political and Economic Reforms: A Closer Look. KazMonitor. [online] Available at: https://kazmonitor.com/2023/04/kazakhstans-political-and-economic-reforms-a-closer-look/.3. Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2023). The President's Directions 2025. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.kz/ru/government/the-presidents-tasks/.4. Adilkhanov, F. (2023). Kazakhstan to launch regional IT hubs across the country. Astana Times. [online] Available at: https://astanatimes.com/2023/03/kazakhstan-to-launch-regional-it-hubs-across-the-country/.
- Yerlan Koshanov, Kazakhstan's Mazhilis chairman, discussed various aspects of their political and economic reforms at the 150th anniversary Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Afghanistan's neighboring country, Uzbekistan.
- Koshanov's presentation aimed to shed light on initiatives such as the drafting of new tax and construction codes, laws on Compulsory Social Health Insurance, and the establishment of regional IT hubs across Kazakhstan.
- He also outlined the work on the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals in Almaty, this center being designed to help Central Asian countries and Afghanistan.
- In the context of UN Secretary-General António Guterres's New Social Contract, Koshanov highlighted the crucial role of Kazakh parliament in sustaining the principles of social development and justice.
