About us
The Programme Office in Astana is based in the capital of Kazakhstan and is mandated to support the country in implementing OSCE principles and commitments in all three dimensions within the OSCE framework approach to co-operative security, and in the regional context.
Overview
According to its mandate, the Office is entrusted with engaging with Kazakhstan in implementing programmes in all three dimensions within the OSCE framework approach to co-operative security, and in the regional context.
The Office maintains contacts with central and local authorities, universities, research institutes, representatives of civil society and non-governmental organizations. It helps arrange OSCE regional events, including regional seminars and OSCE delegation visits.
The Office also partners with the Government of Kazakhstan by building the capacity of national stakeholders and by facilitating the information exchange between OSCE institutions and relevant state agencies on OSCE activities. It also contributes to raising awareness of the OSCE’s values, principles and field activities among government and non-governmental institutions.
Figures
The offices, staff and budget of the Programme Office at a glance
Offices
1 office
The Programme Office has its headquarters in the capital Astana.
Staff
35 Fixed-term staff
The Office has 6 international and 29 local fixed-term staff (as of 31 December 2024). These figures include staff financed from extrabudgetary contributions.
Budget
€2,232,700
In 2024, the Programme Office operated on the basis of a Provisional Expenditure Authorization based on its 2021 Unified Budget, which amounted to €2,232,700. The extrabudgetary actual expenditure for 2024 was €646,645.
Leadership
Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana
History and mandate
Established in 1998 by the Permanent Council
The first OSCE presence in Kazakhstan was the OSCE Centre in Almaty, established by the Permanent Council on 11 June 1998. Its key task was to "promote the implementation of OSCE principles and commitments as well as the co-operation of the Republic of Kazakhstan within the OSCE framework, with special emphasis on the regional context, in all OSCE dimensions, including the economic, environmental, human and political aspects of security and stability".
On 21 June 2007, the Permanent Council decided to rename the field operation to OSCE Centre in Astana, reflecting the move of the office to the country's new capital.
Another change occurred on 1 January 2015, when the Centre was transformed, by Decision No. 1153 of the Permanent Council, into the OSCE Programme Office in Astana. Between 2019 and 2022, the name changed again to stay in line with the renaming of the country's capital from Astana to Nur-Sultan, but on 23 September 2022 the Programme Office's name changed back to its original designation in line with the capital having been renamed Astana. The Office's mandate remained unchanged in this period.
Resources
Official OSCE documents and publications from the Programme Office in Astana
Contact
