Institutionalization of a Chamber of Public Experts under the Parliament of Kazakhstan

1. Institutionalization of a Chamber of Public Experts under the Parliament of Kazakhstan Erlan Aliev, Project Manager, Technical Assistance to the Parliament project

2. Description of the Problem • Law drafting is not participatory • Weak capacity of the Government to work with NGOs • NGOs’ under-involvement in the law-drafting process • 2005, the President tasked the Parliament with establishing the Chamber of public experts under its lower chamber

3. Objectives • Strengthen the capacity of the Parliament in cooperation with CSOs in law making • Improved legislation quality • Broader public participation in decision making • Wider access to information • MDG-oriented policy development

4. Strategy Analytical Phase: • Rapid NGO sector assessment with regard to public expertise provision capacities • Assessment of donor assistance in the area of democratic governance Dialogue Phase: • A series of training activities on public expertise and cooperation of different stakeholders in public expertise process • Awareness raising campaign on public expertise

5. Innovative Aspects • For the first time, civil society participation in law making has been institutionalized • For the first time, the question of public expertise methodology, mechanisms and perspectives has been raised • Improved public access to draft laws • Enhanced cooperation between the Parliament and local government by means of ICT

6. Activities • Training on public expertise development at the national and regional level (East, South, West and North Kazakhstan) • Capacity building events for the Experts’ Chamber members (public expertise procedures and financial mechanisms, team building and strategy planning, etc.) • Pilot mechanisms o electronic collaboration between Parliament, Maslikhats (local authorities) and CSOs at the local level in Western and Eastern Kazakhstan • Study tour for MPs, representatives of the Parliament, NGOs to France on public expertise, local self-governance and transparency over execution of the national budget

7. Partnerships • Parliament (Upper and Lower Chambers) • Ministry of Culture and Information • Local authorities • NGOs • OSCE in the area of improving transparency of the law making process

8. Results • Public Experts Chamber established on 10 March 2006 • Public Experts Chamber’s Statute developed • 4 regional Public Experts Chambers created • 36 draft laws examined, 6 amendments proposed by Chamber • Funds for Experts Chamber allocated in parliamentary budget for 2007

9. Problems Encountered • Need to challenge negative perception of the Chamber of Public Experts on the part of some deputies • Non-participatory and non-consultative approach in forming the Chambers staff • Lack of adequate international practices in this field

10. Sustainability • State budget allocations for maintenance of the Chamber of Public Experts • Further UNDP support (2007-2008) through the project Technical Assistance to the Parliament

11. Replicability in Other Country Context • Political support at the high level • Openness of the legislatives to work with civil society organizations • Adequate level of development and expertise of NGOs