Kazakhstan takes part in meeting of UN High-level Panel on Refugees and Migrants

    Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yerzhan Ashikbayev has participated in the UN High Level Meeting on Refugees and Migrants on September 19, 2016 in New York.
    The event was organized on the eve of the opening of the 71^st session of the UN General Assembly, Kazinform has learned fr om the a Kazakh MFA press release.
    The United Nations convened such a high-level meeting for the first time dedicated to the movement of large groups of refugees and migrants. The session is also aimed at developing coordinated measures to optimize the management of international migration and the formation of an effective system to respond to the movement of large groups of refugees and migrants.
    The Deputy Minister of the Foreign Policy office stressed in his speech, ”Kazakhstan entirely supports the UN's leading role in the development of a multifaceted strategy to control the flow of migrants and refugees."
    Ashikbayev reminded that Kazakhstan in the XX century has experienced several flows of migration and forced displacement of large masses of the population.
    "We know the real meaning of humanity and compassion not from hearsay. Thanks to balanced and responsible policy of the President of Kazakhstan, our country today is a dynamic multi-ethnic society in which representatives of more than 100 ethnic groups live in peace and harmony, which is one of the main achievements of 25 years of independence", said Ashikbaev.
    He noted, "the neglect of the principles of mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of states leads to the destruction of the sovereignty and statehood of the affected countries and the humanitarian crisis."
    Kazakhstan has acceded to the fundamental documents of the UN in this area - the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol and adopted a progressive law on refugees (entered into force in 2010), corresponding to the international standards. In particular, it provided the principle of ‘non-refoulement’ of persons to the countries wh ere they are at risk, and this rule is the key to protecting the rights of refugees. In addition to the adoption of the Law in the legislation, amendments were made which provide for access of refugees to employment, providing their children with free school and pre-school education, medical care.
    In collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UNHCR the "Almaty process” was initiated in 2011 as a regional dialogue platform for practical cooperation for the protection of human rights, international protection and the development long-term solutions for refugees and migrants. Currently, participants in this process are the 9 countries in the region (Central Asia, Turkey, Afghanistan -members, Iran, Pakistan - observers), Kazinform reports.