UNICEF, the Ombudsman and Norway launch trilateral project on the protection of the rights of children

On November 25th former Prime Minister of Norway and current president of the Center for Peace and Human Rights (Oslo) Kjell Magne Bondevik and representatives of the Oslo Center and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee visited Astana.

On 10 December in Oslo the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 was presented Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman for their tremendous contributions to the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy has completed the selection of projects for small grants in 2011, providing financial support to civil society in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Priority has been given to projects on the environment, energy efficiency, education, human rights and civil society, promotion of entrepreneurship among women, gender equality, democracy and media development.

If they had known all the challenges they were going to face along the road, the three young Norwegians might have dropped their plan. Martin Bredeli (28), Kristian Pettersen (28) and Morten Espeland (26) ventured into the unknown when they left Beijing and drove westwards on two CJ750 motorcycles on 1 August 2011.