ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Kazakh citizens on the International Volunteer Day on Dec. 5, reported the Akorda press service.
Photo credit: liter.kz.
“Today, on the International Volunteer Day, we honor those who devotedly serve others. Our volunteers embody the high ideals of kindness, humanity, solidarity, and civic responsibility. These fundamental values lie at the heart of the Adal Azamat (Fair citizen) concept,” Tokayev wrote in his X account.
“I thank everyone who participates in significant public events, implements charity projects, and cares for those in need. Your creative activity is a manifestation of true patriotism. The state will continue to support the country’s volunteer movement,” he noted.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) volunteer movement in Kazakhstan includes approximately 10,000 people. Kazakhstan is also one of the 36 participating states of the Global Volunteer Initiative (GVI), which aims to scale up volunteering strategies.
Photo credit: unicef.org.
Since 2020, according to the organization’s website, UNICEF volunteer activities have covered such areas as environmental protection (#PlasticFreeKazakhstan), bullying prevention (#BeKind), COVID-19 prevention awareness (#UsefulQuarantine), child rights advocacy, disaster risk reduction, inclusive society programs, road safety, environmental skills development (#BeGreen), and the Silver Volunteer Project.
In 2016, Kazakhstan adopted a Law on Volunteering that paved the way for a more sustainable and systemic development of volunteer activities.
In 2019, the head of state declared 2020 the Year of the Volunteer, calling on the government to encourage constructive youth initiatives and control problems of access to education, training, employment, and quality leisure problems.
The Qazvolunteer website indicates 60,092 volunteers, 3,572 volunteer organizations, and 1,078 projects in Kazakhstan. The platform, which facilitates the volunteer movement, was developed in 2018 by the Ministry of Culture and Information (the former Ministry of Information and Social Development) and the National Volunteer Network (NVN), a voluntary association of citizens and legal entities in Kazakhstan.
