The Council of Europe conducted a two-day training seminar for staff of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Kazakhstan and its regional offices, aimed at strengthening their capacities in handling individual complaints.

Held in Astana on 10 and 11 June 2025 and organised in cooperation with the Office of the Commissioner, the training brought together 25 participants from the central and regional offices to enhance their understanding and application of key aspects of the Commissioner’s mandate. The event focused on essential topics such as classification of complaints, admissibility criteria, investigation procedures, monitoring mechanisms and coordination with state institutions and civil society.

The first day included sessions on deepening the understanding of the Commissioner’s mandate, complaint processing, and international best practices, followed by practical group exercises. These exercises allowed participants to work through real-world scenarios, covering topics such as admissibility assessment, complaint categorisation, investigation techniques, and reporting.

On the second day, the participants worked on developing analytical reports and conclusions based on simulated cases. Subsequent sessions addressed user-friendly complaint procedures, inter-agency referral mechanisms, and digitalisation of complaint handling systems, including the creation of user-friendly digital interfaces.

The seminar concluded with a reflection session summarising key lessons learned and outlining the next steps for strengthening the human rights protection mechanisms in Kazakhstan.

The training was organised in the framework of the Council of Europe Project “Reinforcing the institutional capacity of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) institution in Kazakhstan” implemented under the Council of Europe Neighbourhood Cooperation Priorities with the Republic of Kazakhstan, funded by Germany.