Kazakhstan has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital governance and privacy standards after being granted observer status at the Committee of the Council of Europe’s Convention 108, the world’s leading international framework for personal data protection.

The decision was approved during the Committee’s 50th plenary session in Strasbourg, attended by Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Doszhan Musaliyev, The Caspian Post reports via Kazinform.

The move gives Kazakhstan access to one of the most influential international platforms shaping policies on privacy, personal data protection, and digital rights.

Musaliyev said that the new status will help Kazakhstan exchange expertise with international partners and further modernize its national data protection system in line with global best practices.

“This is a highly significant event for Kazakhstan,” Musaliyev said, noting that recent constitutional changes have reinforced citizens’ rights to personal data protection, including in the digital environment. He described the observer status as a natural continuation of the country’s broader efforts to strengthen privacy safeguards.

The development comes as Kazakhstan pushes ahead with ambitious digital transformation plans and seeks to establish stronger regulatory foundations for emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.

On the sidelines of the session, Musaliyev also held talks with Convention 108 Committee Chair Beatriz de Anchorena and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset. Following the meeting, Berset emphasized the growing impact of artificial intelligence on modern societies and highlighted discussions on Kazakhstan’s digital ambitions and the importance of international standards for AI and data protection.

Convention 108, adopted in 1981, is the first and only legally binding international treaty dedicated exclusively to personal data protection. The agreement establishes privacy standards for both public institutions and private organizations and remains a cornerstone of global data governance.

Kazakhstan’s new observer role comes shortly after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev approved the nationwide “Digital Qazaqstan” strategy, a large-scale program aimed at accelerating digitalization and integrating artificial intelligence technologies across the country through 2029.