This past week, the media paid attention to an action plan signed by Kazakhstan’s President to support human rights in the country and further develop the rule of law and institutions, Kazakhstan’s senate ratifying the United Nations’ Optional Protocol to the Convention of the Rights of the Child on World Human Rights Day, granting more protections to children under Kazakhstani law, Iraqi officials hosting bilateral talks with Uzbekistan in Baghdad to develop the two countries’ strategic relationship, Turkmenistan and the United Nations Development Programme developing a series of cooperative initiatives to improve human development in the country, and the United States providing Afghan refugees located in Pakistan with $77 million in aid.

President Tokayev signed into law a presidential decree to develop human rights in Kazakhstan on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. The new decree codifies into law the promotion of gender equality in the country, the prevention of torture, domestic violence, and the enhancement of the country’s judicial system. Furthermore, the initiative seeks to protect vulnerable and minority groups within the state, improve the status of workers’ rights, and allow for freedom of association by Kazakhstani citizens (Astana Times). The initiative came after a year of an opening-up of the political system, which saw reforms to the parliamentary system elections, the re-establishment of the state’s Constitutional Court, following its dismissal after the 2022 protests and checks between the different branches of government in the state (Astana Times). Prior to this announcement, Astana hosted a two-day international human rights conference, which saw the participation of United Nations officials and participants from other states in the region (Astana Times).

Kazakhstan’s upper house ratified the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention of the Rights of the Child, which was initially ratified by the UN General Assembly in 2011. The measure seeks to ensure that children can be protected in case the rights and safety of children are under threat and provides a mechanism for the children or their legal guardian to list an official complaint with the state (Kaz Inform). According to Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko, the ratification of this document will allow Kazakhstan’s national legislation to be brought into alignment with international standards and allow for enhanced cooperation with international partners at the further development of Kazakhstan’s human rights legislation. The UN coordinator for Kazakhstan, Michaela Friberg-Storey, stated that while this is a good effort from Kazakhstan, it is important for officials to take further steps to ensure that the protocol is enforced in law (Kazakhstan Newsline).

Iraqi and Uzbekistani officials participated in the first round of bilateral talks in Baghdad to bolster the two countries’ relationship. Both states’ Deputy Foreign Ministers discussed the further development of political relations, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. This first meeting acted as a stepping stone which both sides will hope to lead to the ratification of legal cooperative agreements to ensure a deeper relationship between the two states (Uzbekistan Daily). The Uzbekistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement that one of the Central goals of this cooperation is to ensure the entrance of Uzbekistani exports into the Iraqi market and to increase the range and scope of existing trade (Uzbekistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs). To facilitate this trade, both states expressed readiness to create a joint Business Council (Sputnik Uzbekistan).

Turkmen officials met with representatives from the United Nations Development Programme from the CIS region and the Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations in Ashgabat to discuss the implementation of twenty-seven joint development projects in the country. A key area of these consultations is the ratification of economic digitalization agreements between the two sides. At the same time, Turkmen officials gained the support of the UN to accede to the World Trade Organization (Turkmen Portal). Both sides further discussed areas where the country could cooperate with the UN to address climate change, coming after Turkmenistan’s participation in COP-28. Turkmen officials sought UN cooperation to aid in the management of joint projects that Turkmenistan proposed during the annual climate meeting in Dubai (Turkmenistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The United States Special Representative for Afghanistan agreed to provide $77 million in foreign aid to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to assist Afghani refugees in Pakistan. This initial sum will be supplemented by a $9 million contribution to the International Organization for Migration. Together, this sum will go towards supporting particularly vulnerable Afghanis, according to US sources (Ariana News). The announcement came from the US Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West’s office, after the administrator’s official visit to Pakistan this week. This financial contribution was made in consultation with UN officials and the International Organization for Migration representatives who are working on the ground in Pakistan and Afghanistan (Bakhtar News).