Please enjoy an archive of news and updates previously posted on the front page of the IACA website. 

NEWS & UPDATES

Originally Posted 2024 October 10

Press release on the visit of the President of the International Association for Court Administration (IACA) Prof. Dr. Luis Maria Palma to Kazakhstan

From October 2 to 5, 2024, IACA President Luis Maria Palma visited Kazakhstan.

As part of the visit, Luis Maria Palma took part as an honorary guest and speaker in the IX Congress of Judges of the Republic of Kazakhstan and a Round Table to Discuss the Strategy of Judicial Administration in Kazakhstan. The events discussed the most pressing issues of the rule of law, improving the quality of justice, the independence of the courts and the effectiveness of the judicial system, as well as modern methods of judicial administration and the use of IT technologies in the judicial system.

On the sidelines of the IX Congress of Judges, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Luis Maria Palma. During the conversation, they discussed current issues of judicial reform in Kazakhstan. The Head of State expressed confidence that the interaction of the Judicial Administration of Kazakhstan with the IACA will bring the judicial administration sphere to a qualitatively new level. Luis Maria Palma highly appreciated the changes in the judicial management segment of Kazakhstan and stated the need for other IACA members to study Kazakhstan's experience.

Luis Maria Palma also met with the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan Aslambek Mergaliyev and the Head of the Court Administration of Kazakhstan, Vice-President of IACA for the Central Asia region Nail Akhmetzakirov. The meetings noted the importance of close cooperation between the Court Administration of Kazakhstan and IACA, exchange of experience in the areas of modernization of the justice system and digitalization of legal proceedings.

Welcome Speech for the IX Congress of Judges | Presentation for the Round Table on Court Administration Implementation Strategy

Video Shorts: IX Congress of Judges of the Republic of Kazakhstan | Meeting with President Tokayev

Originally Posted 2024 October 10

Press release on the visit of the IACA Vice President for Central Asia, Head of the Court Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. N.Akhmetzakirov to China

From September 23 to 27, 2024, the IACA Vice President for Central Asia, Head of the CourtAdministration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. N.Akhmetzakirov visited China.

As part of the visit, N. Akhmetzakirov took part in the Meeting of the Chairmen of the Supreme Courts "China - Central Asia", where he spoke as the main speaker in the session: "Development of information technology to promote fairness and efficiency of justice". The IACA Vice President shared with the participants of the event the latest developments of the Court Administration of Kazakhstan in the IT sphere.

 Originally Posted 2024 July 25

IACA President Addresses National Association for Court Management (NACM) Conference 

IACA President Luis María Palma addressed the NACM 2024 Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Please enjoy this excerpt from the speech below, and the full text of the speech here. The full video can be viewed on IACA's YouTube channel. 

"Considering the current circumstances, one of the primary challenges we face is maximising our impact while operating with a limited set of resources. This constraint requires that we be strategic and innovative in our approaches. We are fully committed to not only sharing valuable experiences but also disseminating best practices that can effectively enhance the local capabilities in various regions. By doing so, we aim to foster positive contributions and sustainable development, especially in areas where resources are scarce and needs are great. Our goal is to empower local communities, enabling them to thrive despite these limitations."  

Originally Posted 2024 May 31

The Chairman of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan and the Chief Justice of India met in Almaty 

The Chairman of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan Aslambek Mergaliyev and the Chief Justice of India Dr. Dhananjaya Chandrachud discussed aspects of further cooperation during the meeting in Almaty. 

The meeting was attended by Nail Akhmetzakirov, Head of the Court Administration, Vice President of the International Association for Court Administration for the Central Asia and India, and Askar Smaylov, Chairman of the Almaty City Court, Judge of the Economic Court of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). 

The guest was informed about the ongoing work of improving the quality of justice. The conversation was about the effectiveness of the administration, which established new rules for the consideration of disputes between citizens and government agencies, strengthening the role of appeal, strengthening the independence of the court. 

In more detail, A.Mergaliyev focused on the creation of inter-district courts, the expansion of the jurisdiction of family courts and jury courts, and how the dynamic development of digitalization has facilitated access to justice. 

Hon’ble Dr. Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, in turn, expressed interest in integrating Kazakhstan's judicial management experience, including studying it within the framework of the upcoming meeting of the chairmen of the Supreme Courts of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) member states in Tashkent. 

After visiting the Almaty City Court and getting acquainted with the work of IT services in them, the Chief Justice of India noted that he was impressed by the level of IT development in the courts and wished the judiciary to achieve key indicators of the rule of law. 

At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed their mutual opinion on the need to develop cooperation. 

Originally posted 2024 May 3 

Innovations and experience: Kazakhstan at the XIX Meeting of the Chairmen of the Supreme Courts of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

The XIX meeting of the chairmen of the Supreme Courts of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held in Tashkent.

The event was hosted by the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan. The meeting was attended by the Heads of the Supreme Courts of India, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan was represented by the Chairman of the Supreme Court Aslambek Mergaliyev, Head of the Court Administration, Vice-President of IACA Nail Akhmetzakirov and Chairman of the Akmola Regional Court Arman Zhukenov.

In his welcoming speech, A.Mergaliyev highlighted the importance of the event for the exchange of best practices and strengthening international cooperation. Separately, the Chairman of the Supreme Court focused on the reforms carried out in Kazakhstan, at the initiative of the Head of State.

N.Akhmetzakirov and A.Zhukenov made reports , highlighting Kazakhstan's achievements in the judicial system. They described how the introduction of legislative incentives for conciliation procedures has reduced the number of lawsuits, and the development of IT technologies has freed up significant human resources, minimized judicial errors and corruption risks.

Kazakhstan's innovations were highly appreciated, prompting a lively discussion among the participants. Special attention is paid to the effectiveness of justice in Kazakhstan: in two years, the percentage of disputes won by citizens against the state has increased from 15% to 60%.

The participants of the meeting noted that such meetings contribute to the exchange of experience and improvement of judicial practice.

Within the framework of the forum, A.Mergaliyev held bilateral meetings with the Chairmen of the Supreme Courts of China, Russia and Uzbekistan.

At the end of the event, the Leaders of the delegations exchanged views and took part in the ceremony of adopting a Joint Statement. The next meeting will be held in China.

The delegation of Kazakhstan visited his mausoleum within the framework of the 380th anniversary of the Great Kazakh statesman Ayteke bi, which became an important cultural event of the program.

Originally Posted 2024 April 25

Participation of the IACA Vice President for Central Asia, Head of the Court Administration Nail Akhmetzakirov in the conference in Berlin

Berlin hosted a significant event for the legal sphere of Central Asia – the conference of the Association of Administrative Law. 

Vice-President of our Association for Central Asia, Head of the Court Administration Nail Akhmetzakirov and Chairman of the Judicial Board of Administrative Cases of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aslan Tukiyev took part from Kazakhstan. 

Mr. Akhmetzakirov and Mr. Tukiyev shared the successes of administrative justice, which has been operating in Kazakhstan since July 2021. Kazakhstani courts support citizens and entrepreneurs in disputes with government agencies in more than 60 percent of cases. 

There is an increase in confidence in the national judicial system, which makes the country more attractive for investment.     

A significant role in the formation of the administrative courts of Kazakhstan was played by the participation of judges from Germany, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Estonia and other countries in the retraining program for more than 350 Kazakhstani judges.    

This program is organized with the support of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ).        

As part of the conference, Nail Akhmetzakirov signed an agreement to continue the training of Kazakhstani judges at the Institute of Oriental Law in Wismar.   

This will be a new step in the development of the judicial system of Kazakhstan and its integration into the international legal community.

Originally Posted 2024 April 25

Chairman of the Supreme Court Aslambek Mergaliyev and Vice President of the IACA for Central Asia, Head of the Court Administration Nail Akhmetzakirov made an official visit to China at the invitation of Chairman of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China Zhang Jun.