ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE
Ambassador Kairat Abdrakhmanov of Kazakhstan took up the mandate of OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities on 4 December 2020. Before taking up the position of High Commissioner, Abdrakhmanov was Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Sweden and Denmark.
Amb. Abdrakhmanov joined the Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993 and held a number of key positions. He was Foreign Minister from 2016 to 2018, and twice held the position of Deputy Foreign Minister. From 2013 to 2016, he was Kazakhstan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, when he led Kazakhstan’s bid to become the first Central Asian State elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. He then represented his country as the Foreign Minister on the UN Security Council between 2017 and 2018.
Amb. Abdrakhmanov served as Kazakhstan’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE from 2007 to 2013 and Chaired the OSCE Permanent Council in 2010 when Kazakhstan became the first post-Soviet country to hold the Chairmanship. He was instrumental in organizing the first OSCE Summit in 11 years in December 2010, during which the Astana Commemorative Declaration: Towards a Security Community was adopted.
He also served as the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Austria from 2007 to 2008 and 2011 to 2013; and to the State of Israel from 2003 to 2006. He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Kazakhstan to the United Kingdom from 2001 to 2003.
Ambassador Abdrakhmanov holds a degree in history from the Kazakh National University.
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ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE
The High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) gets involved in a situation if, in his judgement, there are tensions involving national minorities which could develop into a conflict. Much of the day-to-day work is in identifying and addressing causes of ethnic tensions and conflicts. The High Commissioner addresses the short-term triggers of inter-ethnic tension or conflict and long-term structural concerns. If a participating State is not meeting its political commitments or international norms, the High Commissioner will assist by providing analysis and recommendations. Based on experience, the HCNM publishes thematic Recommendations and Guidelines that give advice on common challenges and best practice. The HCNM also provides structural support through small collaborative projects that aim to achieve sustainability through increasing local ownership.