Today, UNDP Resident Representative, Yakup Beris, met with Kazakhstan's Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, Tamara Duissenova. The parties met to discuss priority areas of cooperation under the new reform agenda in Kazakhstan.

"UNDP greatly appreciates the long-standing and growing cooperation with the Kazakhstan Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population. We appreciate the approach that focuses on the needs of the people of Kazakhstan. We stand ready to support the country with regard to the current reform agenda, focusing particularly on the most disadvantaged to ensure that no one is left behind," said Yakup Beris.

The discussion touched on the importance of digital technology as a "fundamental force for change” as defined in the recently launched UNDP Digital Strategy 2022-2025. UNDP sees digitalization as key to sustainable development, helping to reach the most vulnerable and build an inclusive, ethical, and sustainable digital society. 

Currently, UNDP Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Kazakhstan are implementing an initiative that aims to leverage existing digital tools to deliver a platform capable of rapidly and efficiently collecting, integrating and processing information on the most vulnerable groups in Kazakhstan, to the broader partner ecosystem that analyses, targets and processes support for vulnerable groups in an integrated manner.  The project is dedicated to creating a holistic, gender-responsive, seamless and efficient system of effective social support for the most vulnerable groups of society in Kazakhstan, mitigating the effect of socio-economic shocks and upholding the UN principle of “leaving no one behind”.

The parties also discussed the issue of informal employment in Kazakhstan and its strong impact on vulnerable groups. The UNDP Resident Representative informed about the new studies initiated by the country office to assess the profiles of vulnerabilities and understand the root causes of informal employment in Kazakhstan.

Since the 2000s, UNDP, together with the UN family, has been supporting the Ministry in implementing strategic documents and programmes aimed at reducing poverty, introducing special social services, developing an effective model of social support for vulnerable categories of the population and employment generation with a special focus on people with disabilities.