NGO Law Monitor: Kazakhstan

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Last updated 28 June 2013

Introduction

Civil society in Kazakhstan has steadily become more diverse, visible, and robust since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Civil society organizations (CSOs) established during the early 1990s were inspired by the rapid process of reform and were primarily concerned with human rights issues and the “democracy agenda.” By 1997, the number of CSOs had reached 1,600 due primarily to significant financial support from international funding agencies, including from the United States and Western Europe. Growth continued to accelerate in the 2000s, and according to figures obtained from the Ministry of Justice in 2012, there are now over 37,000 independent CSOs in the country engaged in a wide range of activities, from mutual benefit organizations such as homeowners’ associations, to organizations promoting human rights, protecting the interests of vulnerable groups, engaging in the delivery of social services, and supporting environmental causes. Recent years have seen the development of formal arrangements for CSO–Government cooperation, as well as the rise of organizations engaged in service provision and meeting social development challenges.

In July 2006, the Government adopted the Concept of Civil Society Development for 2006-2011 to provide a comprehensive framework for the development of CSOs and their equal partnership with the state and business sector. As a result of this Concept, various governmental agencies at the national and local levels have become more open to consulting with CSOs and involving them in working groups and public councils. The Concept expired at the end of 2011 and a new strategic document for CSO-Government cooperation has not yet been adopted. In 2012 the Government pledged to adopt further reforms, including expanding the forms of financial support to CSOs, measures to encourage volunteerism, and introducing academic courses in CSO management.

The available government funding for social contracts awarded to CSOs has also grown dramatically in recent years, reaching over $30 million in 2012. New amendments to the social contracting law and implementing regulations went into effect in 2012 that improve the transparency of the process and the selection criteria for vendors. The amendments also open the door to longer-term financing programs and require all government agencies awarding social contracts to establish councils for cooperation with CSOs. Since 2001, the Government has hosted five high-profile bi-annual civic forums. These forums serve as a dialogue platform, where hundreds of CSOs from throughout Kazakhstan and representatives of national and local governmental bodies discuss current issues and develop specific recommendations for civil society development and CSO-Government cooperation. Based on CSO recommendations from the Civic Forum held in 2011, the Kazakh Government approved a new Action Plan.

At a Glance

Organizational Forms	Institutions; public associations; foundations; consumer cooperatives; religious associations; Associations of individual entrepreneurs and/or gal entities in a form of association (union).
Registration Body	Ministry of Justice
Barriers to Entry	Unregistered public associations are prohibited. Foreign citizens and stateless persons cannot form public associations. A minimum of 10 citizens required to form public associations
Barriers to Activities	Excessive penalties for minor violations
Barriers to Speech and/or Advocacy	None
Barriers to International Contact	None
Barriers to Resources	None

Key Indicators

Population	17,522,010 (July 2012 est.)
Capital	Astana
Type of Government	Republic; Centralized Presidential Rule
Life Expectancy at Birth	Male: 64.34 years Female: 74.591 (2012 est.)
Literacy Rate	Male: 99.8% Female: 99.3% (1999 census)
Religious Groups	Muslim 47%, Roman Catholic 44%, Protestant 2%, Other 7%
Ethnic Groups	Kazakh 63.1%, Russian 23.7%, Uzbek 2.8%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Uighur 1.4%, Tatar 1.3%, German 1.1%, Other 4.5% (1999 census)
GDP per capita	$13,000 (2011 est.)

Source: The World Factbook. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2011.

International Rankings

Ranking Body	Rank	Ranking Scale (best – worst possible)
UN Human Development Index	68	1 – 182
World Bank Rule of Law Index	31.5	100 – 0
World Bank Voice & Accountability Index	13.6	100 – 0
Transparency International	120	1 – 180
Freedom House: Freedom in the World	Status: Not free Political Rights: 6 Civil Liberties: 5	Free/Partly Free/Not Free 1 – 7 1 – 7
Foreign Policy: Failed States Index 2012	107	177 – 1
States Index	Human Rights: 6.3	0-10

Legal Snapshot

International and Regional Human Rights Agreements

Key International Agreements	Ratification*	Year
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)	Yes	2006
Optional Protocol to ICCPR (ICCPR-OP1)	Yes	2009
International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)	Yes	2006
Optional Protocol to ICESCR (OP-ICESCR)	No
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)	Yes	1998
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)	Yes	1998
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (OP-CEDAW)	Yes	2001
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)	Yes	1994
International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (ICRMW)	No
Convention on the Rights of Persons with No Disabilities (CRPD)	No
Regional Treaties
Organization for Security Co-operation in Europe	Yes	1992

* Category includes ratification, accession, or succession to the treaty

Constitutional Framework

The Constitution of Kazakhstan was adopted on August 30, 1995, and amended several times, most recently on February 2, 2011.

Relevant provisions include:

Article 4. The Constitution shall have the highest juridical force and direct effect on the entire territory of the Republic. International treaties ratified by the Republic shall have priority over its laws and be directly implemented except in cases when the application of an international treaty shall require the promulgation of a law.

Article 5. Public associations shall be equal before the law. Unlawful interference of the state in the affairs of public associations and of public associations in the affairs of the state, imposing the functions of state bodies on public associations shall not be permitted. Formation and functioning of public associations pursuing the goals or actions directed toward a violent change of the constitutional system, violation of the integrity of the Republic, undermining the security of the state, inciting social, racial, national, religious, class and tribal enmity, as well as formation of unauthorized paramilitary units shall be prohibited.

Article 14. No one shall be subject to any discrimination for reasons of origin, social rank, property status, occupation, sex, race, nationality, language, religious views, convictions, place of residence or any other circumstances.
Article 18. State bodies, public associations, officials, and the mass media must provide every citizen with the possibility to obtain access to documents, decisions and other sources of information concerning his rights and interests.
Article 20. The freedom of speech and creative activities shall be guaranteed. Censorship shall be prohibited.

Everyone shall have the right to freely receive and disseminate information by any means not prohibited by law. The list of items constituting state secrets of the Republic of Kazakhstan shall be determined by law.

Propaganda of or agitation for the forcible change of the constitutional system, violation of the integrity of the Republic, undermining of state security, and advocating war, social, racial, national, religious, class and clannish superiority as well as the worship of cruelty and violence shall not be allowed.
Article 22. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of conscience. The right to freedom of conscience must not specify or limit universal human and civil rights and responsibilities before the state.
Article 23. Citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan shall have the right to freedom of forming associations. The activities of public associations shall be regulated by law.

The military, employees of national security, law-enforcement bodies and judges must abstain from membership in political parties, trade unions, and actions in support of any political party.
Article 32. Citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan shall have the right to assemble peacefully and without arms, hold meetings, rallies and demonstrations, street processions and pickets. The use of this right may be restricted by law in the interests of state security, public order, protection of health, rights and freedoms of other persons.
Article 33. Citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan shall have the right to participate in the government of the state's affairs directly and through their representatives, to address personally as well as to direct individual and collective appeals to state bodies and local self-governance bodies.
Article 39. Rights and freedoms of an individual and citizen may be limited only by laws and only to the extent necessary for protection of the constitutional system, defense of the public order, human rights and freedoms, health and morality of the population.

National Laws and Regulations Affecting Sector

Relevant national-level laws and regulations affecting civil society include:

The Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Part 1 (December 27, 1994, as amended June 22, 2012);
The Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan(December 10, 2008, as amended July 10, 2012);
The Labor Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (May 15, 2007, as amended July 10, 2012);
The Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan(July 16, 1997, as amended June 28, 2012);
The Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Administrative Offences (June 20, 2001, as amended July 10, 2012);
The Law “On Public Associations”(May 31, 1996, as amended January 12, 2012);
The Law “On Noncommercial Organizations”(January 16, 2001, as amended April 27, 2012);
The Law “On Registration of Legal Entities and Record-Keeping Registration of Branches and Representative Offices”(April 17, 1995, as amended June 5, 2012);
The Law “On Professional Unions”(April 9, 1993, as amended April 29, 2009);
The Law “On Religious Activity and Religious Associations”(October 11, 2011);
The Law “On Procedure of Organization and Conducting of Peaceful Gatherings, Meetings, Processions, Pickets and Demonstrations”(March 17, 1995, as amended December 20, 2004);
Law “On State Social Contracting”(April 12, 2005, as amended February 15, 2012);
Law “On State Procurements” (July 21, 2007, as amended July 10, 2012);
Law “On Special Social Services”(December 29, 2008, as amended July 10, 2012);
Law “On Rural Consumer Cooperation” (July 21, 1999, as amended May 15, 2007);
Law “On Rural Consumer Cooperation of Water-Users”(April 8, 2003, as amended March 24, 2011)
Law “On Consumer Cooperatives”(May 8, 2001, as amended April 27, 2012);
Law “On Housing Relations”(April 16, 1997, as amended July 10, 2012);
Law “On Joint Stock Companies” (May 13, 2003, as amended July 5, 2012);
Law “On State Youth Policy”(July 7, 2004, as amended July 27, 2007);
Law “On Social Protection of Disabled Persons in the Republic of Kazakhstan” (April 13, 2005, as amended July 10, 2012);
Ecological Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (January 9, 2007, as amended March 19, 2010);
Law “On Banks and Banking Activities” (August 31, 1995, as amended July 5, 2012);
Law “On Tourist Activities” (June 13, 2001, as amended July 10, 2012);
Law “On Protection of Consumers’ Rights” (May 4, 2010, as amended July 5, 2011);
Law “On Notarial System”(July 14, 1997, as amended June 28, 2012);
Law “On Advocatory Activities”(December 5, 1997, as amended June 28, 2012);
Law “On Auditing Activities”(November 20, 1998, as amended July 10, 2012);
Law “On Appraising Activities” (November 30, 2000, as amended July 10, 2012);
Law “On Private Entrepreneurship”(January 31, 2006, as amended July 10, 2012);
Instruction on State Registration of Legal Entities and Record-Keeping Registration of Branches and Representative Offices(April 12, 2007, as amended January 30, 2012).

Pending NGO Legislative / Regulatory Initiatives

Relevant legal initiatives affecting CSOs include a draft Law on Grants, draft Law on Social Control, and a Proposal on Foreign Funding.

Draft Law on Grants

The government is drafting the Law on Grants, which would set up a mechanism to issue grants from the state budget. Responsibility for preparing the draft is with the Ministry of Culture and Information. An additional Concept Paper proposing similar legislation is also being circulated by a Parliamentary deputy.

Draft Law on Social Control

It is anticipated that the draft Law on Social Control will be submitted to the Parliament in September 2013. The draft law is intended to increase citizen participation in decision-making and increase the transparency of activities of government bodies.

Proposal on Foreign Funding

The head of the pro-government Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan (CAK) said in May 2013, "foreign cash means hypocrisy and double standards" and "the government can by itself fund NGOs which are receiving grants from foreign companies if their projects are useful for Kazakh society." There was no immediate official reaction to the statement, but members of civil society and political analysts accused the head of CAK of “blindly following Russia’s path” and fear he could be a ‘trojan horse’ in efforts to advocate for restrictive legislation.

Please help keep us informed; if you are aware of pending initiatives, write to ICNL at ngomonitor@icnl.org.

Legal Analysis

Organizational Forms

The Civil Code of Kazakhstan defines a non-commercial organization (NCO) as a legal entity which does not seek to produce income and which does not distribute earned net income to its participants. The Civil Code (CC) recognizes a large number of organizational forms of NCOs: institutions, public associations, foundations, consumer cooperatives, religious associations, associations of individual entrepreneurs, and associations of legal entities. NCOs can also be created in other forms pursuant to separate laws, such as notary chambers, bar associations, chambers of commerce and industry, professional auditing organizations, cooperatives of apartment owners, chambers of appraisers, etc.

All legal entities created on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, regardless of the purpose of their creation, type and nature of activities, participants or members, are obliged to register with the Ministry of Justice.

The most popular forms of NCOs are as follows:

Institutions. An organization created and financed by its founder for the performance of managerial, social, cultural or any other functions of non-commercial nature (Article 105 of CC).
Public associations. Political parties, professional unions and other associations of citizens created on a voluntary basis for the attainment of common goals which do not contradict legislation (Article 106 of CC). The Law on Public Associations (PA Law) further categorizes public associations by territorial status. National public associations are associations that have subordinate structures (branches and representative offices) on the territories of more than a half of the regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Regional public associations are associations with subordinate structures (branches and representative offices) on the territories of less than half of the regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Local public associations are associations operating within the borders of one region of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Article 7 of PA Law).
Foundations. A non-commercial organization without membership, which is founded by citizens and/or legal entities on the basis of their voluntary property contributions, and which pursues social, charity, cultural, educational, and any other publicly useful purposes (Article 107 of CC).
Consumer cooperatives. A voluntary association of citizens on the basis of membership, formed for the satisfaction of their financial and other needs by means of pooling the property contributions of the individual members (Article 108 of CC).
Religious associations. A voluntary association of citizens who unite in accordance with the procedure stipulated in legislative acts, on the basis of their common interests for satisfying their spiritual needs (Article 109 of CC).
Associations of individual entrepreneurs and/or legal entities in a form of association (union). An association of either individual entrepreneurs or legal entities formed for the purpose of coordinating their entrepreneurial activity, as well as for representing and protection of their common interest (unions) (Article 110 of CC).

According to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as of July 2011, the number of NCOs amounted to the following:

Private institutions – 4,621;
Public associations – 8,134;
Foundations – 4,831;
Religious associations – 1,331;
Associations (unions) of legal entities – 1,288;
Consumer cooperatives – 5,252;
Non-commercial joint-stock companies – 843; and
Other organizations – 10,515.

Public Benefit Status

There is no separate law regulating charitable activities in Kazakhstan. Kazakh law does not make use of the term “charity” or “charitable organization.” Most charitable organizations are registered as public associations or foundations and therefore are regulated as NCOs.

However, the Tax Code contains a definition of “charitable aid” and provides some benefits for donors and beneficiaries. Charitable aid is defined as property provided on a gratuitous basis:

to individuals for the purpose of rendering social support;
to non-commercial organizations for the purpose of implementing their charter objectives;
to organizations engaged in the social sphere for the purpose of implementing activities, specified in paragraph 2 of Article 135 of the Code (see below).

Article 134(2) of the Tax Code provides that NCOs are exempt from taxation of income received “under contract for the implementation of state social contracting, in the form of … grants, entry and membership fees, … charitable and sponsorship aid, gratuitously transferred property, subsidies, and donations.” An NCO must account for such income separately from taxable income.

The Tax Code also defines a specific category of organizations, so-called “Social Sphere Organizations” (SSOs),which can be formed either as commercial or non-commercial organizations.

There are two categories of SSOs (Article 135):

Organizations (regardless of legal form) deriving no less than 90 percent of their gross annual income from the provision of services or conduct of activities in enumerated fields, basically limited to healthcare, child care and education, science, sports, culture, library services, and social welfare of children, the elderly, and disabled persons; and
Organizations (also regardless of legal form) meeting the following criteria:

at least 51 percent of the employees of the organization must qualify as disabled; and
wages paid to the disabled employees must comprise no less than 51 percent of the organization’s overall payroll (this number is further reduced to 35 percent for specialized organizations employing hearing-, speech-, or vision-impaired workers).

SSOs are broadly exempt under Article 135 from corporate tax on income received on a gratuitous basis, passive (investment) income (except when taxed at the source under other rules), and income earned from entrepreneurial activities, provided that the SSO’s entire income is used for the performance of exempt activities.

For donations made to NCOs (including but not limited to SSOs), corporate donors can deduct the cost of the donated money and other property up to 3% of their taxable income. There are no tax incentives for individual donors.

Barriers to Entry

The creation and operation of unregistered public associations is prohibited; the members of such illegal informal associations are subject to administrative and criminal liability.

A minimum number of 10 citizens of Kazakhstan are required in order to form a public association. Foreign citizens and stateless persons may not be founders of public associations, although they can be members of public associations (other than political parties) if such membership is specified by the charter of the association. Citizens aged 16 or older may be members of youth public associations affiliated with political parties. The age requirements for members of other youth and children’s public associations is specified by their charters or regulations (Article 11 of the PA Law).

All NCOs must be registered with the Ministry of Justice based on the Law on State Registration of Legal Entities and Record-Registration of Branches and Representative Offices. NCO applicants are required to pay a registration fee, which is determined by the Tax Code. Currently, the fee amounts to approximately USD 70. For associations of youth or disabled people the registration fee is reduced to USD 20.

Registration of NCOs is relatively straightforward and usually takes about 10 days. In order to register a public association, an application must be submitted within two months from the date of its formation, which must be accompanied by the charter, the minutes of the founding meeting that adopted the charter, information about the organization’s founders, documents confirming the status and legal address of the organization, and proof of payment of the appropriate registration fee. In case of refusal to register a public association, or any other organization, the registration body should provide a written rejection, which explains the reason for refusal.

The PA Law (Article 7) categorizes public associations by territorial status as local, regional and national public associations. In order to register a regional public association it is required to have branches in at least 2 oblasts of Kazakhstan, while for national public associations branches must be located in at least 8 oblasts, including the cities of Astana and Almaty.

Barriers to Operational Activity

As mentioned above, in accordance with Article 7 of the PA Law, public associations are categorized by territorial status. Though the Law does not explicitly restrict an organization’s activity to coincide with its territorial status, in practice, associations that do not so limit their activities are under threat of violating Article 374 of the Administrative Code, which penalizes any minor deviation from the charter objectives or any violation of Kazakh legislation. Since the sanctions envisioned by this Article are potentially serious (ranging from written notification to a 6-month suspension of activities), many public associations prefer to operate within the region where they are registered.

Barriers to Speech/Advocacy

There is no legal barrier limiting the ability of NCOs to engage in advocacy or public policy activities. All forms of public associations may participate in advocacy and lobbying activities.
According to Article 19 of the PA Law, public associations have the right to engage in the following activities in order to achieve their statutory goals, subject to compliance with applicable laws:

disseminate information about their activities;
represent and protect the rights and lawful interests of their members in courts and other state bodies;
establish mass media outlets;
hold meetings, protests, demonstrations, marches, and pickets;
perform publishing activities;
join international non-commercial non-governmental associations; and
exercise other powers, not contrary to the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

According to the Law on Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan, public associations can actively participate in organizing and conducting elections, as well as become observers of elections for compliance with the legislation. Religious associations and international NGOs are expressly prohibited from using their assets to support political parties, movements, and campaigns.

Barriers to International Contact

There are no legal barriers to international communication and contact.

Barriers to Resources

Foreign Funding

There are no legal barriers to foreign funding that apply to NCOs.

Domestic Funding

An NCO may engage in entrepreneurial activities to the extent that it corresponds with its statutory goals. Income from the entrepreneurial activities of NCOs may not be distributed among members or participants of NCOs (Article 33 of the NCO Law). Except in the case of SSOs, income from entrepreneurial activity is subject to taxation in the same manner as for a commercial organization.

Freedom of Assembly

In accordance with the Constitution, citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan have the right to assemble peacefully and without weapons, hold meetings, demonstrations, marches and pickets. The application of this right can be restricted in the interests of national security, public order, protection of health, right and freedoms of other people (Article 32 of the Constitution). The legal regulation of the freedom of peaceful assembly is contained in the Law of March 17, 1995 “On the Procedure for the Organization and Conducting of Peaceful Assemblies, Meetings, Processions, Pickets and Demonstrations in the Republic of Kazakhstan,” as amended on December 20, 2004 (further referred to as “the Law”). Activities such as conducting hunger strikes in public places, erecting yurts (traditional Kazakh houses), tents and other constructions can also be viewed as a form of assembly covered by the Law (Art. 1). Spontaneous actions conducted without obtaining a permit from a local executive body are not permitted and must be terminated upon demand by the local executive body.

In order to hold an assembly, an application must be filed no later than 10 days prior to the scheduled date. Article 2 of the Law provides that the application must be made by representatives of work collectives, public associations or individual groups of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who are more than 18 years of age. In other words, the Law does not recognize the right of a single individual to submit an application. The application must specify the following information: the goal, form, and place of conducting the activity or routes of movement; the beginning and ending times; approximate number of participants; names of authorized persons or organizers, persons responsible for public order, place of their residence and work or study. The date of filing is calculated from the day of its registration. The local executive body must issue its decision not later than 5 days prior to the day of the assembly as specified in the application.

Blanket prohibitions against mass activities apply to several locations, including railways, water and air transport sites; and in the vicinity of organizations responsible for ensuring defense, national safety, and public services, such as public transport, water and electricity supply, heating and other energy carriers, and establishments of public health and education (Article 7 of the Law).

Furthermore, Article 10 of the Law permits local representative bodies to impose additional regulations on the procedure for conducting assemblies. In accordance with this Article local executive bodies have designated places where assemblies may occur. For example, in the capital Astana only two locations have been designated, and in Almaty only one place, which is in the outskirts of the city.

Organizers of an assembly are responsible for filing the necessary application and also for compliance with the lawful requirements of the local executive body (Article 8). Organizers are also obliged to conduct the assembly in accordance with the aims specified in the application, within the specified periods and in the specified place and also to keep public order. A violation can lead to a fine of up to twenty times the monthly rated index (Article 373, Par. 1 of the Code on Administrative Offences).[1] Organizers and participants also bear criminal responsibility in the case of violation of the rights and lawful interests of citizens and organizations (with punishment ranging from high fines to imprisonment for a period up to one year). The police can also apply administrative detention to organizers and participants.

Chapter 27 of the Civil Procedural Code stipulates the procedure for appealing decisions and actions of government officials to a court.

[1] The monthly rated index is an indicator used in Kazakhstan for calculating pensions, grants and other social payments, and also for the application of penalties and calculation of taxes and other payments. The index grows slightly every year, and in 2013 it is equal to 1,731 tenge, which is approximately $11.50.

Reports

UN Universal Periodic Review Reports

Seventh session Geneva,12 February 2010

Reports of UN Special Rapporteurs

Kazakhstan

U.S. State Department

Background Note: Kazakhstan

Failed States Index Reports

Foreign Policy 2012 Failed States Index

IMF Country Reports

Kazakhstan and the IMF

International Center for Not-for-Profit Law Library

Kazakhstan

News and Additional Resources

While we aim to maintain information that is as current as possible, we realize that situations can rapidly change. If you are aware of any additional information or inaccuracies on this page, please keep us informed; write to ICNL at ngomonitor@icnl.org.

General News

Police Raid Kazakh NGO Before Award Ceremony (June 2013)
Authorities searched the offices of the NGO, Arqa Suyeu (Support), in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, on the eve of an important award ceremony. The prosecutor's office said the award is associated with the opposition party Algha (Forward), which is officially banned in Kazakhstan, and fugitive opposition politician and banker Mukhtar Ablyazov. The annual award was established by Kazakh opposition groups 10 years ago and is given to journalists, writers, artists, and activists for their contribution to democratic institutions in the country.

Religious institutions have to report for foreign money (November 2012)
The chairman of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Religious Affairs said at the Second Forum of Religious Experts that, "All religious unions are considered non-commercial organizations. That's why the amounts and structure of their profits, as well as the information on the sizes and content of the non-commercial organization's property, its expenses, personnel, labor payments cannot be subject to commercial secret," He added that, "There have been cases registered (in Kazakhstan) when representatives of religious unions got involved in doubtful and even criminal activities. Transparency financial flows of a range of religious institutions is quite doubtful. We have studied the experience of other countries as well. I have to note that the international practice is also based on transparency of financial activities of religious unions," chairman of Kazakhstan Agency for Religious Affairs said.

Kazakhstan Elected Member of UN Human Rights Council November 2012)
On November 12, the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) elected Kazakhstan for the first time to the UN Human Rights Council, for the 2013–2015 term, with 183 of 193 member states voting affirmatively. Various international human rights groups openly lobbied against the election of several countries, including Kazakhstan, but their campaigns proved ineffective. Kazakhstan received the fifth highest vote total of the 20 candidates competing for the 18 available seats for this round.