In furtherance of the Nazarbayev University’s commitment to inclusion of persons with disabilities, the NU Library in cooperation with NU Alumni Public Union launches the NU Disability Talks series themed around three key concepts: disability, society, and inclusion in the context of Kazakhstan.

Timed to the 5th anniversary of the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in Kazakhstan, this series of public talks aims to offer an opportunity for an exchange of ideas, reflection on the country’s pressing issues around disability and learning from experiences of other CRPD signatories.

Within the series of monthly talks the NU library will provide a venue for open lectures, public talks and discussions to engage and give voice to various Stakeholders including prominent disability rights advocates, activists, leaders of Kazakhstan’s disability community, human rights defenders and experts from Central Asia and Commonwealth of Independent States.

In February 2015, the Republic of Kazakhstan joined the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), thus assuming a commitment to ensuring disability rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in the country’s development agenda.

During the past five years, Kazakhstan achieved significant progress in some areas and disability rights witnessed a palpable rise in the public discourse. However, in many other areas progress has been debatable and Access to public services and institutions, physical and digital spaces, quality education and employment are challenges on the national and the local level alike. National institutional framework for disability rights remains week and barely compliant with the CRPD. Consequently, a system-wide reform is required to strengthen national policies and institutions to ensure that the policies do not exacerbate discrimination, but rather promote inclusion.

We invite all interested parties - experts, human rights advocates, researchers, activists with or without disabilities - to contribute to and engage in a public conversation around the inclusion of persons with disabilities and different approaches to overcoming barriers towards an inclusive society in Kazakhstan.

The inaugural lecture of the Disability Talks series will introduce to the UN CRPD system and Kazakhstan’s first parallel (I.E., civil society) report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:

Lecture Title: ‘Five Years since Ratification of the UN CRPD: Moving to Inclusion or Losing Illusions?’

Speaker: Oleg Kozyrev, international human rights expert.

When: February 19th, 2020 at 6-7.30 pm

Venue: 53, Kabanbay Batyr Ave., block 5, room 5E.228, Nazarbayev University Library

Language: Russian with simultaneous translation to English.

Live video on our Youtube channel