Kazakhstan Sets Global Trends in Volunteering, President Tells UN Official

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Toily Kurbanov, Executive Coordinator of the UN Volunteers programme, who arrived in Astana to participate in the CIS Volunteers Forum. This was reported by infohub.kz.

During the conversation, the President of Kazakhstan expressed gratitude to Toily Kurbanov for his consistent support of the republic's initiatives in the field of volunteering and noted the importance of his participation in the forum. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that Kazakhstan pays special attention to the development of the volunteer movement and reminded that it was Astana's proposal to declare 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development that was supported by the UN General Assembly.

"We view volunteering through the lens of state policy as a manifestation of true patriotism and, of course, state support for youth. According to my initiative, the principle of volunteering was included in the new Constitution. For the first time, the encouragement of volunteer activities is enshrined at the constitutional level," the President said.

Within the framework of the International Year of Volunteers, more than a thousand events are held in Kazakhstan, and the number of volunteers in the country has approached 300 thousand. In addition, a Concept for the Development of the Volunteer Movement until 2030 is being developed, a digital volunteer passport is being introduced, and state support and regional infrastructure are being improved.

Toily Kurbanov, in turn, thanked the head of state for his attention to the development of volunteering and noted the high level of cooperation with the UN Volunteers programme, as well as the well-coordinated joint work within the framework of the International Year of Volunteers. He emphasized: "Kazakhstan is the only country that has achieved such great heights in the field of volunteer activity. More than 60 countries supported Kazakhstan's initiative to proclaim the Year of Volunteers. You set global trends; such a public campaign as 'Taza Kazakhstan' has aroused great interest in a number of countries."

At the end of the meeting, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev awarded Toily Kurbanov the Order of Dostyk, II degree, for his significant contribution to the development of volunteering in Kazakhstan.