Kazakh Information Minister Aida Balayeva highlights role of Civil Forum

NUR-SULTAN, November 22 (KAZINFORM) – Minister of Information and Public Development of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva explained why the Civil Forum is important, Kazinform correspondent reports. «The Civil Forum is not by all means a «declaratively ceremonial gathering of NGO members» as some ill-informed citizens state but a real working process where applied ideas and initiatives are born, ministers and governors along with civil activists make joint action plans, the State delegates NGOs to solve certain social problems,» said Balayeva while addressing the 10th anniversary Civil Forum of Kazakhstan. In her speech, he expressed gratitude to her counterparts. «In this regard, I’d like to thank my colleagues – the ministers who came into a direct dialogue with profile NGOs discussing and addressing their concerns over the entire past week. Thus, not only did they demonstrate the validity of the Hearing State principles but also paid attention to the importance, efficiency, and efficacy of such meetings. I am deeply convinced that if officials, business representatives, and non-commercial sector professionals and experts consider each other as partners this will sharply reduce the possibility of political, economic, and social mistakes, creating a strong basis for development,» said the minister. Balayeva expressed special gratitude to international partners such as the OSCE, UNDP, UNICEF, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, UNESCO, and USAID that took interest and for the first time take part in the Forum. «Certainly, their contribution to the development of Kazakh civil society cannot be overestimated. Therefore, I’d like to thank these missions for constructive dialogue and valuable advice, mutual understanding and support, humanity and openness,» she concluded.