NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan is hosting the first Central Asian Volunteers Forum on Aug. 15-19 with the national level kicking off today in the country’s capital Nur-Sultan.
Volunteers engaged in productive talks and discussions in the Turkistan Region and Burabay before they arrived in Nur-Sultan. Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Information and Social Development
The forum, organized by the Kazakh Ministry of Information and Social Development, brings together volunteers and volunteer organizations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan as well as Azerbaijan and Armenia.
During the forum, participants discuss new trends in volunteerism and preparations for the International Year of Volunteer Mobilization for Development, Kazakhstan’s experience in the development of volunteerism. The forum will also feature the presentation of a report on volunteerism in the world titled Creating an Equal Society for All.
The second stage in Nur-Sultan comes after the participants held productive talks and exchanges at Burabay National Park and the Turkistan Region.
Among other goals, the forum is designed to support the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to declare the International Year of Volunteer Mobilization, which he voiced at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2020. Back then, he said volunteerism had become particularly important as a way to show solidarity and lend a helping hand when COVID-19 hit the world.
2020 was the Year of Volunteers in Kazakhstan, as the country’s efforts to support volunteering gained momentum. Following that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed a cooperation agreement with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program in November 2019. Kazakhstan contributes to the work of UNV through its full funding program, cost-sharing efforts and support for International Volunteer Day (IVD), among other events.
