Environmental Priorities of the New Constitution Draft Considered at Zhasyl Damu JSC

On January 30 of this year, a draft of the new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan was published. For the first time, at the level of the Basic Law, alongside the principles of Justice, Law, and Order, the principle of a careful and responsible attitude toward nature has been enshrined.

During a staff meeting at Zhasyl Damu JSC, the environmental provisions of the draft Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan submitted for nationwide public discussion were reviewed. It was noted that the draft Basic Law for the first time закрепляет at the constitutional level the principle of responsible and careful treatment of the environment, granting it the status of a national priority and significantly strengthening the legal foundations of state environmental policy.

It was emphasized that in the draft Constitution, ecology is defined as a key value of the state, while the obligation to preserve nature and ensure the rational use of natural resources is assigned to every citizen. At the same time, the state assumes obligations to ensure a favorable environment that is safe for human life and health, as well as to establish legal liability for concealing environmentally significant information and threats.

It was noted that the proposed constitutional norms create conditions for strengthening environmental protection activities and for transitioning from formal declarations of environmental principles to real environmental responsibility. The consolidation of environmental obligations in the Constitution forms a sustainable value framework for the development of legislation and law enforcement practice, including the principles of environmental harm prevention and “the polluter pays” principle.

Following the meeting, Zhasyl Damu JSC emphasized that the provisions of the draft new Constitution lay a solid legal foundation for the further development of environmental legislation, the protection of citizens’ environmental rights, and the transition to a sustainable development model that takes into account the interests of future generations.