Soros Foundation–Kazakhstan

Established in 1993 by the Open Society Institute, the Soros Foundation–Kazakhstan is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that works to promote democracy and civil society development in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The foundation is part of an international network of national foundations established over the last 30 years by philanthropist George Soros. Open Society Institute offices and national foundations currently operate in more than 70 countries worldwide. Since its establishment, the Soros Foundation–Kazakhstan has given over $50 million in grants to promote the development of open society in the country.

The foundation works to advance partnerships with NGOs, donors, and government for a more tolerant, civically engaged society and more accountable and transparent governance. The foundation's main objectives include:

• Ensuring that fiscal management is transparent, accountable, and participatory.
• Promoting tolerance and increasing public involvement in policy discourse.
• Ensuring the development and enforcement of laws protecting human rights.

The foundation uses a biannual framework to guide its strategy and has recently focused on the following priorities:

• Supporting efforts to ensure accountable management of the state budget by bringing together civil society, government, and businesses to devise policies and practices that transform extraction industry revenues into sustainable social and economic development.
• Promoting the rule of law and assisting efforts to ensure that the government honors its human rights commitments, and that national legislation meets international human rights standards.
• Supporting access to information and freedom of expression and speech.
• Encouraging youth to be active participants in the public affairs of their communities and country.