Trainings to increase electoral literacy and activity

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ASTANA. May 26. KAZINFORM Pavlodar Regional School of Management in collaboration with UNDP Kazakhstan and support of UNDEF held a series of trainings for women, rural youth, and people with disabilities on participation in elections, electoral law and its practice.

More than 550 participants from 10 regions of Kazakhstan participated in the trainings, conducted in Russian and Kazakh and organized in Karaganda, Shymkent, Petropavl, Aktau, Ust-Kamenogorsk, and Pavlodar, the UNDP in Kazakhstan reports.

Trainings were organized within the project initiated in 2010 to raise electoral awareness of vulnerable groups and strengthening the capacity of local election bodies. The main implementing partner of the project is the Pavlodar Regional School of Management - an NGO which has been closely working with UNDP for a number of years to improve the electoral potential of different segments of the population of Kazakhstan.

During the workshops, participants were able to not only familiarize themselves with various aspects of the electoral system in Kazakhstan and receive a detailed analysis of the electoral procedures, but also to take part in practical role-playing games as candidates, election commission members, election observers, and media representatives.

A training participant, Botagoz Asabekova, from the Society of Disabled Youth noted: "Today I have learned a lot of new information. The most important thing for us - is to realize that we can execute a constitutionally guaranteed right to elect and be elected in order to continue to defend the rights of disabled people. "

One of the seminars was attended by member of the Central Election Commission, Marat Sarsembayev. He distinguished the important role that young people play in the development of the country and encouraged young people to actively participate in governance. UNDP Kazakhstan Deputy Resident Representative, Ekaterina Paniklova, in turn, expressed her hope that through such initiatives vulnerable groups of population will be more extensively involved in the processes of democratic development in Kazakhstan.

The director of Pavlodar Regional School of Management, Gulnar Issenova, told that within the project interactive computer games and the web portal are to be developed this year in order to attract young people in electoral matters, enhance their legal awareness, draw attention to round tables and discussions, and increase the potential of young members of election commissions.

For more information, please contact Rakhymzhan Assangaziyev (rakhymzhan.assangaziyev@undp.org ), Project Manager, tel: +7 (7172) 592809.

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