UN Special Rapporteur arrives in Astana to learn about the activities of People’s Assembly of Kazakhstan

During the meeting, UN Special Rapporteur was presented the Kazakh model of interethnic tolerance and social accord. Y.Tugzhanov informed Maina Kiai about the history, constitutional status, mandate and activities of the organization. Deputy Chairman of the Assembly stressed that during his visit to Kazakhstan the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon noted that the principles of the Assembly fully coincide with the principles of the United Nations. In turn, Maina Kiai said that he has arrived in Kazakhstan on a mission at the invitation of the Kazakh Government. Taking an opportunity he conveyed his sincere thanks and warm greetings to the President N. Nazarbayev. "The mission, which I chair, has a goal to learn the state of affairs within the framework of my mandate, namely in the area of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association," he added. It is worth noting that today in Kazakhstan there are more than 800 ethnic and cultural associations. In 2014 the association carried out more than 11 thousand public events.