Conference ‘Women Say ‘NO’ to Corruption’ has been organized by the National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Akimat of Zhambyl region, Association of Business Women of Kazakhstan and the Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana.

The event was held in order to increase the level of legal and anti-corruption culture of Kazakhstani society and the development of recommendations for the implementation of effective mechanisms and measures to combat corruption.

In her opening remarks, Ms Gulshara Abdykalikova, Chairwoman of the National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Secretary of State of the Republic of Kazakhstan stressed the importance of measures to combat corruption in the implementation of the Plan of the Nation ‘100 concrete steps to implement the 5 institutional reforms.’

Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana Mr Alikhan Baimenov mentioned that the country's competitiveness is determined by two key factors: these are - quality of human resources and the quality of the systems that allow the public to use this potential. Corruption has a heavy toll on both of these key factors and reduce the competitiveness of the country, - he emphasized.

In order to familiarize the participants with the best international practices and experiences in the field of combating corruption the Hub invited leading international experts, in particular, Deputy Director of Civil Service Bureau of Georgia Ms Maia Dvalishvili and Senior Officer for External Relations and Protocol of the International Anti-Corruption Academy Ms Simona Marin. The experts participated in the discussions of topical issues in the field of anti-corruption activities and shared the best practices and expertise in this area.

The conference also brought together the representatives of Akimat of Zhambyl region and other central and local government bodies, international and non-governmental organizations, business community.