Shymkent hosted community advocate workshop for CSOs of South-Kazakhstan and Zhambyl oblasts

SHYMKENT – During 8-11 September 2015, Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia (EFCA) conducted a three-day workshop on community advocacy with financial support from the British Embassy Astana within the framework of the project“Empowering South Kazakhstan CSOs to Promote Human Rights Reforms”supported by the European Union Delegation to Kazakhstan.

The workshop aimed to improve technical capacity of CSO network to provide community advocacy to local beneficiaries, as well as the necessary tools and practical data collection methods to document and compile research in order to inform human rights stakeholders at the local, regional, and national levels.  

26 directors and program coordinators representing Zhambyl and South-Kazakhstan CSOs participated in the workshop. The workshop was conducted by Viktor Ten, Director of co-applicant organization “Taldykorgan Human Rights Center.”  

The workshop covered the following topics: data collection methods used for population’s problem assessment; data collection by the means of official requests and clarifications from the state institutions; analysis of existing national legislation on human rights, compliance of national legislation with international standards of human rights with the consideration of this problem; structuring of all received data; advocacy-campaign.

Varvara Naidenova, the Head of Public Association “Female club "Veronika", noted: "This training allowed us to determine the direction of actions needed to prepare an advocacy campaign".

Viktor Ten, the seminar trainer, stressed: “In recent years NGOs activity became more significant and relevant. Today NGO sector is a serious actor not only in the development of particular regions but also in the development of the whole country. Central and local governments do not only recognize the role of NGOs in the country’s development but also in some areas they rely on opinions and assessments of non-governmental sector representatives.  One of NGOs' instruments to build a dialogue with the government is an advocacy.”

Within three days the workshop participants obtained knowledge on analysis of vulnerable groups’ problems and detection of concrete goals to improve their status, which will increase professional level of local CSOs in matters of advocacy campaigns of their focus groups.  

For more information, please contact Akmaral Karlybayeva, Project manager of the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia, tel: + (727) 2501810 (int.130),akmaralk@ef-ca.org or Karlygash Jamankulova, Press and Information Officer of the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, tel.: + (7172) 971148,karlygash.jamankulova@eeas.europa.eu