Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan hosts over 8,000 people of concern to UNHCR, including 354 refugees, 319 asylum-seekers and more than 7,000 stateless persons.

Most undocumented stateless persons in Kazakhstan are ex-citizens of the former Soviet Union who have not yet acquired or confirmed the citizenship of successor states. Since the launch of the #IBelong Campaign in 2014, Kazakhstan has granted citizenship to over 9,000 stateless persons.

Most refugees in Kazakhstan are from Afghanistan and have been living in the country for many years. They speak the local language, are culturally integrated, and some have family ties with citizens. Without permanent residency status, however, refugees do not have access to most socio-economic rights, including naturalization.

The UNHCR National Office in Kazakhstan focuses on meeting the protection needs of refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless persons, including identifying and documenting people with undetermined nationality, and promoting local integration and self-reliance for refugees.

The Kazakhstan Multi-Country Office provides oversight, funding, and overall strategic direction to UNHCR operations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.