PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT, KAZAKHSTAN, 2016-2020

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PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT, KAZAKHSTAN, 2016-2020
Because Kazakhstan is an upper-middle-income 
country, a traditional development assistance model 
does not apply and traditional donors are not interested 
in funding related UN development activities. At 
the same time, the UNCT and the Government of 
Kazakhstan agree that there is much still to be achieved. 
The Government is committed to strengthening its 
partnership with the United Nations system in the 
country, through increased allocation of domestic 
financial resources and human capacities. In addition, 
the UNCT and the Government are jointly considering 
the best options for a new global development agenda, 
to be adopted by UN member states in September 
2015. The United Nations partnership in Kazakhstan 
for the period 2016-2020 will be based on Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs) and the longer-term 
‘Kazakhstan 2050’ strategy, with the Government 
and society leading the way towards a more inclusive, 
resilient and equitable future. This represents an 
important opportunity for substantial and continued 
strategic partnership in the context of becoming a 
model for other middle-income countries. The UNCT 
and the Government of Kazakhstan are striving for 
results that are strategic, specific and measurable. 
Emphasis will be upon the provision of evidence-based 
and tailored policy advice, upon innovative choices, 
upon scaling-up of pilot successes, and upon measures 
to strengthen existing policies and plans. 
As noted, the PFD is a collective and integrated 
response to ambitious national priorities set out in the 
long-term strategic planning document ‘Kazakhstan 
2050: New Political Course of the Established State’. 
These priorities focus on the country joining the top 
1  The United Nations Country Team in Kazakhstan comprises 
the following resident organizations: the International Labour 
Organization (ILO); the Office of the High Commissioner for Human 
Rights (UNOHCHR); the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality 
and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women); the Joint United 
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); the United Nations 
Development Programme (UNDP); the United Nations Department 
of Public Information (DPI); the United Nations Department of 
Safety and Security (UNDSS); the United Nations Economic and 
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP); the United 
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); 
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); the United Nations 
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); the United Nations 
Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk 
Reduction (UNISDR); the United Nations Office for the Coordination 
of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA); the United Nations Office on 
Drugs and Crime (UNODC); the United Nations Regional Centre for 
Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA); the United Nations 
Volunteers (UNV); and the World Health Organization (WHO). The 
International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Bank 
are invited members of the Country Team. 
  I. INTRODUCTION
1.1. PURPOSE OF THE PFD
The Partnership Framework for Development (PFD), Kazakhstan, 2016-2020, presents a 
programmatic vision and strategic framework for achieving results over the next five years. 
These results align well with national priorities, providing the basis for increased collaboration, 
coherence and effectiveness of UN support. The PFD defines how the United Nations Country 
Team (UNCT)
1
  will contribute to achieving results, based on analysis of country needs and UN 
comparative advantages. 

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PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT, KAZAKHSTAN, 2016-2020
30 developed countries by 2050, and achieving an 
outstanding quality of life: both comfortable and 
safe. They encompass seven priority areas: (1) human 
development; (2) energy; (3) ‘green’ growth; (4) 
urban/regional development and decentralization; 
(5) knowledge economy; (6) global and regional 
integration; and (7) institutions. 
In particular, ‘Kazakhstan 2050’ aspires to implement 
living standards in compliance with key indicators used 
by developed countries within the Organisation for 
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 
achieving sustained annual economic growth of 
4 percent, and ensuring that at least half of Gross 
Domestic Product (GDP) is generated by small and 
medium-sized businesses (dramatically increasing the 
size of the middle class, with workforce productivity 
also increasing by a factor of five). 
The PFD also reflects the emerging aspirations for 
the post-2015 SDGs, which build on Millennium 
Development Goals (MDGs) and the broader 
Millennium Declaration, bringing together efforts to 
further the social, economic and environmental aspects 
of sustainable development. The Secretary-General’s 
report, delivered at the 69th session of the General 
Assembly, states that the post-2015 sustainable 
development agenda will integrate a set of six essential 
elements: a) dignity: to end poverty and fight inequality; 
b) people: to ensure healthy lives, knowledge and the 
inclusion of women and children; c) prosperity: to 
grow a strong, inclusive and transformative economy; 
d) planet: to protect our ecosystems for all societies 
and children; e) justice: to promote safe and peaceful 
societies and strong institutions; and f) partnership: to 
catalyze global solidarity for sustainable development. 
As such, important parallels exist between the global 
post-2015 agenda and the ‘Kazakhstan 2050’ 
strategy: a vision for the future that rests on the core 
values of human rights, equity and sustainability. 
Moreover, the PFD draws on conclusions made by 
UN human rights mechanisms, including the October 
2014 Universal Periodic Review (UPR), recent reviews 
by United Nations treaty bodies, and recommendations 
made by the Special Procedures of the UN Human 
Rights Council. It is also inspired by Kazakhstan’s 
continued engagement with these mechanisms in its 
capacity as a member of the Human Rights Council
2
.
The UNCT is redefining its role in Kazakhstan in light 
of the ambitious vision of the ‘Kazakhstan 2050’ 
document, while remaining a valued, rights-based and 
trusted partner of the Government, able to mobilize 
a broad and complementary range of expertise and 
knowledge. In this regard, it is particularly looking to: 
• 
Achieve a future with a healthy and capable 
population, a ‘green’ economy, thriving businesses 
and guaranteed rights for all, through economic, 
social and political modernization.
• 
Build an inclusive society, by protecting and 
promoting the rights and well-being of all people, 
especially the most vulnerable and those at risk.
• 
Develop the capacity of stakeholders at all levels to 
be more accountable for the equal rights for all.
• 
Promote multilateral and regional co-operation, 
particularly in the areas of humanitarian and 
development assistance.
In addition, the United Nations aims to add value 
to Kazakhstan’s vision of decentralization and 
political liberalization, implemented by capable and 
accountable local civil servants. Primary emphasis is 
upon having a positive impact in Kazakhstan, helping 
the country become a model for the UN’s work with 
middle-income countries globally, and helping it solve 
the challenges of achieving sustainable development.
The overall vision of the UNCT in Kazakhstan, under 
the PFD, is to:
Develop a new pathway for strategic 
partnership with Kazakhstan, to achieve 
the ‘Kazakhstan 2050’ vision, by building 
a prosperous, equitable and inclusive 
society, strengthening the accountability 
and effectiveness of public institutions, 
and facilitating the country’s regional and 
international co-operation. 
The PFD vision is further elaborated in Section 1.3 and 
throughout the document, showing that the UNCT’s key 
target is to assist Kazakhstan in reducing its disparities, 
while enhancing equitable human development, 
especially among vulnerable population groups
3
. This 
represents one of the main Pillars, covering substantive 
development challenges in Kazakhstan and in similar 
countries. 
2  In 2014, Kazakhstan hosted a visit of the Special Rapporteur on 
Freedom of Religion and Belief and a follow-up visit by the Special 
Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Its Causes and 
Consequences; it submitted its second Periodic Report to the Human 
Rights Committee and information for the second UPR. 
3  Defined in the post-2015 national consultations as including: 
people with disabilities; children and young people, including orphans 
and marginalized youth; women; people living with HIV/AIDS; and 
internal and external migrants.