UN declares 2026 int’l year of volunteers for sustainable development upon Kazakhstan’s initiative
At the initiative of Kazakhstan, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 2026 the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, Kazinform News Agency cites the press service of the Kazakh MFA.
The initiative to proclaim the International Year of Volunteers was initiated by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev from the UN rostrum during the general debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly in 2020.
Kazakhstan tabled this resolution together with the group of like-minded countries from all regions of the world – Armenia, Bolivia, Germany, Kenya and Kiribati. 54 UN member countries joined the co-sponsorship of the document.
Activities within the international year will give a strong impetus to the volunteer movement at the national, regional and global levels, will further strengthen international cooperation on volunteerism and will shape key directions for its future development.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attaches special importance to the development of volunteerism in the country, considering it one of the important components of building a Just Kazakhstan.
According to the President, volunteers – true patriots of their country – put moral values above all else and play an exceptional role in strengthening a reliable partnership between the state and the society. Noting that selflessness and mercy are qualities inherent in the Kazakh people, President Tokayev has repeatedly emphasized the importance of developing these qualities in the younger generation.
At the initiative of the Head of State, 2020 was declared the Year of the Volunteer in Kazakhstan, and a Road Map for the Development of Volunteering in Kazakhstan for 2021-2023 was adopted. As a result of the measures taken, the number of volunteers in the country has reached 200 thousand people. The Kazakhstani youth serve as UN volunteers in several countries of the world.
On July 20-21, 2023, the International Volunteer Forum was held in Astana, with the participation of the Head of State, senior UN representatives and volunteers from more than 30 countries, which reaffirmed the important role of the country in the global volunteer movement.
