Call on Kazakhstan to ratify and implement the Istanbul Convention

Written declaration No. 788 | Doc. 15913 | 24 April 2024

Signatories:

Ms Etilda GJONAJ, Albania, SOC ; Mr Gergely ARATÓ, Hungary, SOC ; Ms Sibel ARSLAN, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Hannah BARDELL, United Kingdom, NR ; Ms Petra BAYR, Austria, SOC ; Ms Arta BILALLI ZENDELI, North Macedonia, SOC ; Mr Bob De BRABANDERE, Belgium, EC/DA ; Ms Klotilda BUSHKA, Albania, SOC ; Mr Pedro CEGONHO, Portugal, SOC ; Ms Sevilay ÇELENK ÖZEN, Türkiye, UEL ; Mr Edmunds CEPURĪTIS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Roberto CIAVATTA, San Marino, UEL ; Mr Jeremy CORBYN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Randolph DE BATTISTA, Malta, SOC ; Ms Heike ENGELHARDT, Germany, SOC ; Ms Camilla FABRICIUS, Denmark, SOC ; Ms Sascha FAXE, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Emmanuel FERNANDES, France, UEL ; Ms Aurora FLORIDIA, Italy, SOC ; Lord George FOULKES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Blerina GJYLAMETI, Albania, SOC ; Ms Hripsime GRIGORYAN, Armenia, SOC ; Ms Tuula HAATAINEN, Finland, SOC ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Mr Serhii KALCHENKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Ms Zanda KALNIŅA-LUKAŠEVICA, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Kimmo KILJUNEN, Finland, SOC ; Mr Didier MARIE, France, SOC ; Ms Luz MARTINEZ SEIJO, Spain, SOC ; Ms Marica MONTEMAGGI, San Marino, SOC ; Ms Kate OSBORNE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Berdan ÖZTÜRK, Türkiye, UEL ; Mr Paulo PISCO, Portugal, SOC ; Ms Filiz POLAT, Germany, SOC ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Tommy SHEPPARD, United Kingdom, NR ; Mr Søren SØNDERGAARD, Denmark, UEL ; Ms Anne STAMBACH-TERRENOIR, France, UEL ; Ms Nataša SUKIČ, Slovenia, UEL ; Ms Derya TÜRK-NACHBAUR, Germany, SOC ; Ms Susanna VELA, Andorra, SOC ; Mr Markus WIECHEL, Sweden, EC/DA

This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

Emphasising Kazakhstan's dedication to democratic reforms, human rights and measures strengthening gender equality, we underscore the correlation between the decree of 8 December 2023 in Kazakhstan and the decisions of the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe in Reykjavík. This decree confirms Kazakhstan's commitment to democratic principles, particularly to strengthening gender equality and combating domestic violence.

Kazakhstan authorities’ unwavering attention to combating domestic violence and violence against women is evident in their consistent emphasis on the matter in various addresses, including at the General Debate of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly.

In view of these considerations and the approaching 10th anniversary of the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS No. 210, “Istanbul Convention”) in 2024, we call on Kazakhstan to promptly ratify and implement this convention.

We also urge stronger political support for a communication campaign about the Istanbul Convention in Kazakh and Russian languages, in view of the prevalence of misleading information on the internet and social media.

We strongly urge Kazakhstan to join the Istanbul Convention before April 2025.