07.06.2021-13.06.2021 No 310 A BRIEF REVIEW ON YOUTH POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN As of today, the population of Kazakhstan, a young nation with its low average age, and training were given to more than 20 thousand which is approaching 19 million, has an aver- that the investment made in human capital young people, approximately 1.500 people age age of 30.7 recorded in 2020. With this av- from independence to the present provides the were provided with micro-credits to start their erage, almost half of the population of Kazakh- emergence of a talented and young generation, own businesses, and as a result, employment stan, which ranks 114th in the world, is under and that this youth is the guarantee of the coun- was created for more than 160 thousand young the age of 29. The ratio of the population be- try’s development. In this context; “Who are people. Within the framework of this program, tween the ages of 14-29, which is accepted as we?, Where is our direction? Where will we be the youth unemployment rate, which was 5% the youth age range in the Youth Law and other by 2050?” questions were addressed to young in 2016, was reduced to 3.98% in 2021 accord- relevant official documents, corresponds to people and the goal of “being among the 30 ing to official data. 22.3% within the total population. In this most developed countries” is assigned to Important steps have also been taken in terms study, the youth policies of Kazakhstan from young people as a mission. Regarding the of socialization of young people, political par- its independence to the present will be briefly value judgments of youth, emphasizing that ticipation and representation. The most im- examined. moving away from cultural codes and deviat- portant of these is the Youth Council formed As a young republic, Kazakhstan has a young ing to extremes poses a great risk for national under the Parliament of the Republic of Ka- and very dynamic population demographically. identity and in particular, attention is given to zakhstan (Senate). Besides the Youth Council, During the 30 years since independence, Ka- the dangerous consequences of the recently which was established as an advisory board zakhstan has been experiencing significant emerged “real Kazakh” (Nagyz) and “half Ka- aiming to reflect the expectations of the youth changes and transformations in every field. zakh” (Shala) differentiation. In addition to the effectively in the legislative process, commit- Undoubtedly, youth as a social group has been general topics, the 2050 Strategy also includes tees and forums have been established to in- both an object and a subject of the transition a special section titled “Appeal to the clude young people in political and administra- period experienced after 1990. Based on this Youth”. In the aforementioned section, it is tive mechanisms, as well as at the level of var- importance, Kazakhstan has made many legal stated that the youth, the main element of the ious ministries and local administrations, espe- regulations on youth since the 1990s and has success chain extending from the family to the cially the Ministry of Information and Social developed various projects and programs re- state, constitute the power center of the 2050 Development. On the other hand, with the co- lated to implementation. These are chronolog- Strategy, therefore, especially the Youth Con- ordination and support of the Ministry of Infor- ically “Kazakhstan Strategic Development cept, which created important programs and mation and Social Development, it is encour- Plan 2030” (1997), “State Youth Concept” action plans for the youth and the best educa- aged to increase the level of social and political (1999), “Kazakhstan Youth Program” (2001), tion opportunities are offered to the youth for a participation of young people through non- “2005-2007 Youth Program” (2005), “Kazakh- better future. governmental organizations. As a result of all stan Strategic Development Plan 2020” (2010), We can say that the policies determined in the these policies, the visibility of youth in the de- “Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy” (2012), “Kazakh- basic regulations, which are briefly summa- cision-making processes and levels of politics stan Youth Policy Concept until 2020” (2013) rized, have been implemented to a large extent. and bureaucracy increases with each passing and “Kazakhstan State Youth Law” (2015). In addition to these, 2019 has been declared as year. Apart from these, there are other relevant legal the “Year of Youth”. Looking at these prac- Apart from these basic policies, various pro- regulations regarding the training of youth and tices to date, we can say that many projects jects and programs have been implemented to strengthening their place in the development of have been initiated and continued for educa- raise the health, housing and living standards the country, especially the education and labor tion, employment, entrepreneurship, political of the youth. For instance, the budgets allo- laws, and institutional structures such as the participation and representation, improvement cated to health investments are increased, with Youth Council. of living standards, protection and develop- government support, housing (over 40 thou- If we look at the Youth Law, which is a basic ment of national and spiritual values. Among sand) for young people (young families) is be- regulatory document, first of all, the youth is these topics, the field of education attracts at- ing built, both for rent and for sale at affordable determined as between 14-29 years old in the tention. Because within the framework of the prices. On the other hand, social opportunities first article of the law. Education, science, 5-year development programs, educational in- are tried to be developed for young people to health, employment, entrepreneurship, spir- stitutions in the field ranging from pre-school spend quality time by socializing. itual, cultural and physical development of to higher education have been taken to a very In conclusion, within a short period of 30 youth are determined as basic principles in the advanced level in terms of both infrastructure years, the youth policies of Kazakhstan, espe- law (art.3), which emphasizes the determina- and education quality. With the spread of Naz- cially in the field of education, had tangible re- tion of a scientific, holistic and systematic ap- arbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS), which was sults. However, some problems that need to be proach in youth policies. For the youth, which started as a pilot project, across the country, emphasized are still awaiting solutions. is accepted as the main element of intergenera- Kazakhstan’s secondary education approached Among them, despite the officially stated tional continuity, special emphasis was placed OECD standards. A similar reform process is youth unemployment rate of 3.98%, 42% of the on family education at the point of transferring experienced in higher education. As of 2021, youth have problems with job satisfaction and traditions, and “youth forums” created at the more than 500 thousand students are studying finding a qualified job, in addition, as a result national and regional level in terms of citizen- at various levels in 129 higher education insti- of other socio-economic expectations, it is seen ship, social and political participation and re- tutions. On the other hand, within the frame- that 41% of Kazakhstani youth have a high ex- sponsibilities were mentioned. work of the “Bolashak Scholarship Program” pectation to live abroad permanently due to ed- Apart from the Youth Law, one of the main initiated in 1993, 13.976 young people were ucation or work. It is vital for young Kazakh- documents of the growth and development awarded by scholarships to study at the world’s stan to take the necessary measures and the ne- planning of Kazakhstan are the Addresses of leading universities, and 7.846 of them com- cessity of emphasizing this phenomenon, the Founding President Nursultan Nazarbayev pleted their education and started working in which can be defined as the loss of qualified to the public and the 2030 and 2050 Strategy various institutions. human resources and brain drain. Another is- Documents, where important targets and road The “2020 Employment Roadmap” program sue that should be mentioned is the develop- maps for the youth of Kazakhstan were deter- was accepted within the scope of priorities ment of policies that will eliminate the possible mined. In this context, it is seen that youth is such as providing quality education, encourag- destructive consequences of globalization on given a special and detailed place in many parts ing entrepreneurship and ensuring workforce the national and moral values of the youth. At of the “Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy”, which is mobility according to the founding President this point, it is important to support national the most recent of the previous speeches and Nursultan Nazarbayev’s statement “human re- projects such as “spiritual resurrection” strategy documents. When we look generally, sources are the foundation of modernization”. (Ruhani Zhangyru) with comparative scientific it is frequently emphasized that Kazakhstan is In this framework, technical and vocational research on youth. Written by Suat Beylur, Eurasian Research Institute, Kazakhstan Politics, Foreign Affairs, and Security Economy, Finance, and Energy Society and Culture The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart The National Company «KAZAKH IN- The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries