| Summary/Abstract |
This paper examines recent developments in refugee policy in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Specifically it considers the context of adoption of policy output—the Refugee Law—and Kazakhstan’s compliance with international commitments on providing socioeconomic support to refugee community. The analysis reveals that ratification and subsequent steps to put international policy into practice in this particular case are symbolic gestures to gain legitimation in international society without actually aligning the domestic legal system with international commitments. Although the Refugee Law appears to grant rights and protections consistent with international accords, it does so only superficially as these are undermined by a complex set of national laws and policies that have precedence over the Refugee Law. Only after the Refugee Law was adopted, Kazakhstan under intensive pressure of international organizations started slowly bringing its refugee policy into actual compliance with international standards. The process, even though important, has proved to be very slow, cumbersome and only piecemeal and in reality has amounted to walking in place.
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