Capstone Project wrap-up event considers human rights research in Kazakhstan

From 13 – 16 September 2021, Capstone Project human rights research competition alumni and representatives of Kazakhstani higher education institutions met in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, to discuss the prospects for the development and further improvement of human rights research in the country.

The audience was presented with the methodology and results of the Capstone Project implemented for five years in Kazakhstan with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Representatives of universities shared their experience of participating in the Capstone Project, discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the programme, and made recommendations for further promotion of human rights research among young people in Kazakhstan. As part of the three-day event, the audience was invited to develop a Roadmap for the implementation of new approaches to research in the field of human rights in Kazakhstan, which is aimed at increasing the interest of students and teaching staff of Kazakhstani universities in research activities related to human rights.

Online meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Network for Human Rights Research, the Center for International Legal Cooperation in the Netherlands and virtual guided tours to the Peace Palace and the International Criminal Court were also organised in the framework of the Capstone Project Wrap-Up Event. Speakers shared their experience in implementing human rights research in the Netherlands. Participants also discussed topical issues in the field of human rights protection both in Kazakhstan and in the world with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Kazakhstan, representatives of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law branch in Nur-Sultan city and the Central Asian Center for policy analysis.

The winners of the Capstone Project 2019-2020 / 2020-2021 cycles also arrived in Nur-Sultan for the award ceremony arranged instead of the study tour to the Netherlands which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.