Soros Foundation–Kazakhstan

In 2006, the Soros Foundation–Kazakhstan addressed issues challenging the country such as abuse of political power, lack of accountable political institutions, and the need to strengthen the rule of law and access to justice. Other activities included developing agendas to combat HIV/AIDS and supporting nongovernmental organizations working with independent media outlets.

The following briefs describe some of the foundation’s activities and achievements in 2006.

Government Refuses Access to HIV/AIDS Funding Information

Local NGO researchers reported that they were unable to get access to information about HIV/AIDS spending in health departments in four out of six regions. With support from the foundation and OSI programs, the NGOs sought the information to analyze how the government used national and Global Fund resources to fight HIV/AIDS. Problems with access to information prompted civil society groups to develop a legal defense strategy that includes lawsuits against relevant government agencies.

New Transparency Requirements for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Companies

An advocacy campaign led by Oil Revenues–Under Public Oversight!, an NGO coalition founded by the Soros Foundation–Kazakhstan, aimed at improving implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Kazakhstan. Cooperating with the World Bank, the coalition prompted the government to issue decrees addressing the problems. The most significant decree was a new requirement that all oil, gas, and mineral extraction companies bidding on new contracts in Kazakhstan must sign up for the EITI.

Project Keeps Juveniles Out of Jail

A four-year pilot project involving civil society groups and law enforcement officials produced reductions in the pretrial detention of juveniles and increases in the use of alternatives to imprisonment. As a result of the project’s work, only 68 out of 485 juveniles accused of crimes went to jail before appearing in court, and the charges in 131 cases were dropped. The foundation-sponsored project obtained alternative punishments for two-thirds of the 91 juveniles who received criminal sentences.

Builders’ Guide Increases Accessibility in Almaty

The Open City: Barrier Free Almaty project helped make Kazakhstan’s capital city more accessible for disabled citizens by developing uniform specifications for the country’s building codes. A local NGO compiled a comprehensive guide to improve Kazakhstan’s accessibility laws, which lack exact specifications and resulted in many buildings with ramps and railings that were useless to disabled citizens. The NGO worked with a coalition of disabled groups, including women and veterans of the Afghan war, to produce the guide and present it to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. After reviewing the guide, the ministry had it distributed to building contractors and inspectors throughout the country.