On 7 October 2021, the Council of Europe Economic Crime and Cooperation Division (ECCD) under the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme supported the authorities of Kazakhstan in the process of amending the anti-corruption legislation by providing expert contribution to a parliamentary discussion on the topic of whistleblower protection.

The roundtable discussion of the draft Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on anti-corruption issues" was organised by the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the aim of reviewing pending legislative amendments covering asset declaration, the role of civil society in action against corruption, regulation of liability for illicit enrichment and protection of whistleblowers.

The draft amendments in the area of whistleblower protection were developed by the Anti-corruption Agency of Kazakhstan with expert support from ECCD, which was provided during the thematic webinar on 22 July 2021 and in a Technical Paper containing a review of existing legislation in this area and recommendations for its improvement. The amendments include increased protection of whistleblowers’ labour rights, improved mechanisms for protecting confidentiality and extended safeguards for whistleblowers in criminal proceedings.

This activity was organised in the framework of the project “Promoting Transparency and Action against Economic Crime” within the framework of the Central Asia Rule of Law Programme 2020-2023 which is a joint initiative co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. The project is aimed at strengthening capacities to fight and prevent economic crime in five Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan.