Central Asia
The Council of Europe has developed co-operation with the countries of Central Asia since the late 1990s, in particular with Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic. This co-operation has been enhanced through the implementation of the Policy towards neighbouring regions established by the Council of Europe in 2011. The policy is demand-driven, country-specific and aims at promoting dialogue and co-operation with countries and regions in the vicinity of Europe, which have expressed interest in co-operating with the Council of Europe based on the common values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Regional activities
The European Union/Council of Europe joint programme “Support to reforms of electoral legislation and practice and regional Human Rights instruments and mechanisms in countries of Latin America, Central Asia and Mongolia” (2024-2026) is being implemented and provides support to improve electoral system and practice, conduct legislative and constitutional reforms and promote the rule of law and human rights mechanisms.
Bilateral activities
Currently, one bilateral project is being implemented in Kazakhstan, “Reinforcing the institutional capacity of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) institution in Kazakhstan”. The main objective of the project is to support the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in strengthening its institutional capacity as a defender of human rights in line with European and international standards.
1. Key actions were also carried out in the region under the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme “Central Asia Rule of Law Programme” (2020-2024), which was launched in November 2019 and ended in June 2024. The Programme covered all five countries of the regions – Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – and was in line with the Council of Europe Policy towards neighbouring regions.
