Social Partnership 

Media, Government and Business Relations are Key 

While a strong organization, the Qostanai branch of the Korean Association of Kazakhstan lacked 

skills and experience in social partnership with local state bodies and business structures. Assistance 

by the CSSC enabled the Association establish contacts with local officials, businessmen, and leaders 

of other youth organizations. Using skills developed through Counterpart trainings at the CSSC, the 

Association launched a multi faceted public awareness campaign to educate the public about the 

problems of youth and to market the Association. The campaign included the following activities, 

conducted in close cooperation with local government, universities, and media: 

The art contest Children Against Terror with participation of over 100 children 

A Martial Arts Festival with the Kazakh Minister of Tourism & Sports as an official guest 

As a result, the NGO has gained visibility and was noted as the only ethno cultural center among the 

participants of the Social Fair held in Qostanai in April. 

Mission on Human Rights Proves NGOs are Good Resources for Government 

Historically NGO and government dialogue has been initiated by NGOs, with state bodies unaware of 

the capacity of NGOs to build constituencies. Rarely are NGOs actively involved in concerted actions 

of the state. The public organization Mission on Human Rights, trained in Social Partnership by the 

CSSC ASTRa, established a relationship with the Department of Justice of Astana City and lobbied 

for obligatory human rights education for state officials. As a result, 150 representatives of juridical 

structures of the Astana Akimat and Ministry of Internal Affairs participated in the NGO's mini 

seminars on the  Conception of Human Rights  and  Mechanisms for the Protection of Human 

Rights.  The NGO proved its capacity as experts in the field of human rights and were invited by the 

Department of Justice to serve as members of forthcoming examination commission on testing state 

employees on human rights issues. 

Partnership, Coalition  Building and Association Development 

Association Development Results in Beneficial Cooperation with the State 

The Qostanai Housing Association faced difficulties attracting new members. Without a strong 

constituency, the Association was less effective at lobbying for change with various local state bodies. 

Recognizing this problem, the Association requested support from the Qostanai CSSC and received 

consultations and training in Association Development and Human Resource Management. Both 

members and nonmembers of the Association participated in the seminars. The result of these 

activities was a conscious decision to cooperate to solve existing problems. With the CSSC's support, 

the Association attracted five new member organizations who helped to subsequently mobilize over 

1,000 community members as part of an advocacy campaign to plant neighborhood trees. In May the 

Association received government approval and began planting trees throughout the community. With 

trees planted, the Association is gearing up to address the growing parking needs in communities.  

Advocacy 

NGOs Take Legislation to Heart 

Legislative barriers are one of the greatest obstacles to NGO effectiveness. The Joint Platform of Civil 

Society Organizations (JPCSO), initiated by CSSC Network, IDC and YISK, formed to promote the 

development of effective state policy and legislation governing the activities of NGOs in Kazakhstan. 

In pursuit of its mission, the JPCSO designed and conducted a comprehensive campaign to promote 

greater participation of NGOs and independent experts in drafting the Law  On Non Governmental 

Organizations.  The campaign included meetings with local and national level government officials, 

press conferences, formal appeals and petititions, an up to date web site, and conferences.  JPCSO 

gained support of over 200 Kazakhstan NGOs, including a number of NGO coalitions and 

associations such as the Confederation of Non governmental Organizations of Kazakhstan, Eco 

Forum of Kazakhstan and Network of Independent Observers. As a result of the advocacy campaign, 

the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan has stopped an adoption of the Law and decided to 

send it to the Parliament in Fall 2003. Additionally, the Ministry of Culture, Information & Public 

Accord adjusted the Draft Law items that were strongly recommended for review. 

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