State Social Order: Time for Change!

The Kurultai platform traditionally serves as a venue for discussing key issues of national development and making important decisions. Critical topics are raised, and the results of ongoing work are reviewed.

At the National Kurultai 2025 in Burabay, several important issues regarding the development of the NGO sector were highlighted. In his speech, the President emphasized the need to improve legislation on non-governmental organizations, including the development of a separate Law on the State Social Order (SSO).

The current legal framework governing NGOs and the SSO has led to a number of negative consequences, undermining the sector due to the activities of unscrupulous organizations. Public oversight of budget spending within the SSO framework has revealed systemic violations and inconsistencies, effectively dividing NGOs into bona fide and non-bona fide actors.

There are growing concerns about the emergence of “cartel NGOs” that crowd out genuine organizations from funding opportunities. In addition, inefficient use of public funds, misalignment of SSO priorities with real societal needs, and the lack of impact evaluation over the years remain pressing issues. In some cases, NGOs are created solely to access budget funds, distorting the true purpose of the SSO and the NGO sector.

Kurultai members Zulfiya Baisakova and Banu Nurgaziyeva emphasized the need to reform approaches to the SSO. Today, ensuring transparency, accessibility, and effectiveness is crucial. The SSO must become a real mechanism for sustainable change and provide meaningful support to vulnerable groups.