The 30th session of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities took place in Geneva on March 4-5. The Kazakh government delegation, led by Vice Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Nazgul Sagindykova, presented a report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
One of the key focuses highlighted by Alexander Terentyev, the director of the Department for Consumer Rights Protection of Financial Services of the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market, is enhancing the accessibility of financial services for people with disabilities and integrating them into the financial system.
Thanks to collaborative efforts between various organizations, including the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market, the Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities named after Kairat Imanaliev, and financial institutions, the National Standard 38-44 on the accessibility requirements of financial organizations for people with disabilities and other mobility-impaired groups has been approved.
Terentyev emphasized that legislative amendments are being introduced by the Agency to ensure financial accessibility in financial organizations. This is aimed at establishing a unified procedure for providing financial services to mobility-impaired citizens, expanding the range of financial products in accordance with the National Standard, and enhancing the social responsibility of businesses.
The commitment to supporting and facilitating access to quality financial services for people with disabilities was reiterated by Terentyev, emphasizing the importance of ensuring equal opportunities and rights for this demographic in the financial market.
In 2020, the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market established a specialized body, the Working Group on Increasing the Accessibility and Quality of Financial Services for People with Disabilities, to develop the methodological framework. The Working Group includes members from various sectors, such as parliament deputies, human rights experts, representatives of organizations advocating for the rights of people with disabilities, the Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan, and financial institutions.
