BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that Kazakhstan should develop a document outlining long-term priorities for the country's development within a year, according to the presidential press service.
He made the statement in his Address to the People of Kazakhstan.
Tokayev said Kazakhstan was entering a new historical cycle, requiring a critical reassessment of national plans and strategies.
"At this turning point, we must critically rethink all national plans and strategies. We should have a clear understanding of what 'baggage' we will carry as we approach the next landmark in our independence," he said.
According to the president, looking towards the distant future will help determine current tasks and priorities, maintain a firm course on the country's sovereign strategy and implement plans for development.
"Therefore, the Presidential Administration, together with the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms and with the involvement of research centers, primarily the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, should develop a document outlining long-term priorities for the country's development within a year. I believe members of parliament could also contribute to drafting this important document," Tokayev said.
He noted that this work should begin with reforming the public administration system.
Following the entry into force of the Constitution, Kazakhstan's political system had been fully modernized, making the tasks facing state institutions more complex, Tokayev said. In line with the new strategy for developing the system of government, fundamental reform of public administration had become necessary.
Tokayev noted that the main priority should be to improve the efficiency of the entire state apparatus and every civil servant. The management structure should be reviewed at all levels, from the government to rural akims, he said. The public administration system must meet the demands of the digital age and make effective use of artificial intelligence. State institutions should be encouraged to put forward sound initiatives and make decisions independently.
According to him, each institution must clearly understand not only its own powers but also how the state apparatus operates as a whole. Artificial intelligence should be used to eliminate duplicated tasks and contradictions in the management system.
The state apparatus must completely eliminate excessive paperwork and reduce all procedures that hinder decision-making and development, Tokayev said.
Civil servants should be professionally competent and highly qualified, although Kazakhstan had yet to fully achieve this standard, he noted. New ethical principles for civil servants should therefore be developed. Civil servants must be guided by the Constitution and serve their country and people faithfully.
Tokayev stressed that Kazakhstan needed genuine reform rather than the imitation of change, adding that the process would require legal and financial measures. The Presidential Administration must submit a comprehensive plan to reform the public administration system by June 1, 2027.
In conclusion, Tokayev said the public administration system needed to be modernized and adapted to a new economy based on digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
