On April 8, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan hosted a two-day seminar, organized with the support of the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union (EU), dedicated to the protection of women's rights under the title “Protection of women's rights: international and European approaches”.

The seminar brought together representatives of Kazakhstani government agencies and non-governmental organizations. Among the participants were representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Justice, Culture and Information, as well as higher educational institutions and NGOs in the field of human rights, including the director of the PA LCWI “Sana Sezim” Khassanova Shakhnoza.

DeputyMinister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vasilenko, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Kazakhstan Artur Lastayev, Head of the European Union Delegation to Kazakhstan Ambassador Kestutis Yankauskas and Project Coordinator of the Council of Europe Cooperation Programs Office Kristina Khokhlova made welcoming remarks, emphasizing the importance of joint efforts in the field of women's rights protection.

Duringthe seminar, participants learned about various Council of Europe tools and methodologies in combating violence against women, the impact of accession to the Istanbul Convention on ensuring post-accession protection for victims, as well as best practices for the implementation of this convention in European countries.

Followingthe seminar, the participants shared their opinion that this event has become an effective platform for exchanging views and raising awareness about key aspects of women's rights protection and combating domestic violence.