OREANDA-NEWS. March 24, 2014. The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors approved a USD36 million loan to Kazakhstan for the Justice Sector Institutional Strengthening Project. The objective of the project is to improve the key legal arrangements governing the relationship between the state, businesses and citizens, as well as to improve the efficiency, transparency and access to justice services in Kazakhstan.

An effectively functioning justice system with the appropriate skills mix is key to an investor-friendly business climate and access to justice for vulnerable and marginalized population. In recent years Kazakhstan has taken measures to modernize its justice system to increase institutional capacity, operational efficiency, service quality and public trust. Today, the country sharpens its focus on responsiveness and transparency of Kazakhstan’s core justice sector entities across the judiciary and executive, which together provide a variety of justice services to citizens and the private sector.

The new project is designed to help strengthen the implementation of key elements of the legal and institutional framework. This will help facilitate development of the private sector, enable self-regulation of professional bodies, and introduce modern and transparent dispute resolution systems. The project will also focus on improving the quality of services and responsiveness by the Ministry of Justice, as well as strengthening judicial efficiency.

The project is envisaged as a technical assistance to provide capacity-building and monitoring and evaluation support over a 5-year period. The implementation will start once the country approval process is completed.