More than 12 billion tenge in foreign funding entered Kazakhstan in just the second half of 2025. Following the publication of the expanded Register of Recipients of Foreign Funds, Majilis deputies are proposing to disclose not only the amounts of funding and donors, but also specific projects, fund distribution chains, final implementers, and program outcomes.

Majilis Deputy Magarram Magarramov, on behalf of the People's Party of Kazakhstan faction, sent an official inquiry to Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva, proposing a revision of the current mechanisms for disclosing information on foreign funding of the non-governmental sector and other organizations involved in shaping the public and political agenda.

The impetus for the inquiry was the data published by the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan on individuals and organizations receiving funding from foreign sources. For the first time, the register reflected not only the recipients of funds, but also the amounts of funding and the sources of incoming funds.

According to the authors of the inquiry, the published data indicate the need to transition to the next stage of legal regulation in this area, providing for more detailed disclosure of information on the purposes, mechanisms, and results of the use of foreign funds.

The inquiry notes that the People's Party of Kazakhstan supports the decision of state bodies to expand the information contained in the relevant register.

– The People's Party of Kazakhstan welcomes this expansion of the Register and considers it an important step toward ensuring transparency in this area, – noted the Majilis deputy.

At the same time, deputies draw attention to the scale of financial flows coming from abroad. According to official data from the State Revenue Committee, in just the second half of 2025, the volume of foreign funding received in Kazakhstan exceeded 12 billion tenge.

According to the authors of the inquiry, a significant portion of these funds is directed to organizations operating in the areas of human rights, information, and expert-analytical work. Given the influence of such structures on public opinion and sociopolitical processes, the issue of transparency in their funding acquires not only financial-administrative but also publicly significant dimensions.

As Magarram Magarramov emphasized, the current disclosure procedure provides only basic information on the amount of funding and its direct recipients.

At the same time, as parliamentarians note, data that would allow for an assessment of the actual substance of the funded activities, the allocation of funds, and the ultimate beneficiaries remain outside the public domain.

Specifically, according to the deputy, there is no information on the specific projects and programs implemented with foreign grants and donations, the objectives and thematic focus of funded activities, the mechanisms for further distribution of funds among contractors and subcontractors, the final implementers and project beneficiaries, or the practical results of the implemented initiatives.

In the deputies' view, the lack of such information limits the ability of both the state and society to objectively assess the impact of foreign financial resources on the country's information, expert, and public environment.

– The Register discloses only basic parameters – amounts and primary recipients. The key aspects that would allow an assessment of the real substance and direction of the funding remain closed, – noted Magarram Magarramov.

Speaking about international practices in regulating foreign donor organizations, the deputy emphasized that among the structures appearing in the published register are international foundations and organizations that support media, civic participation projects, and public initiatives in various countries.

Deputies note that the activities of such institutions in different countries have repeatedly become the subject of political and legal debates regarding the limits of external involvement in domestic sociopolitical processes.

In this regard, parliamentarians consider it necessary to view the issue of transparency in foreign funding in the broader context of ensuring information security and protecting national interests.

– The issue of transparency in foreign funding extends beyond financial regulation and assumes direct significance for ensuring the national security and information sovereignty of the Republic of Kazakhstan, – emphasized the deputy.

Thus, members of the faction propose mandating the publication of the names and descriptions of funded projects, the objectives and thematic focus of programs, information on all participants in the fund distribution chain, data on individuals who are the final project implementers, and information on achieved results, including research, media products, public campaigns, and other activities.

The authors of the initiative are convinced that such measures will ensure a higher level of accountability and openness in the use of foreign funds.

Linara SAKTAGANOVA
Astana