ASTANA – The Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan has played a key role in preserving harmony and unity in the country, becoming a vital foundation for peace, said Marat Azilkhanov, deputy chairman and head of the secretariat of the assembly, during a roundtable dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the assembly in Astana on March 5.
A roundtable titled “The Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan: three decades of unity and development” was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Assembly. Photo credit: Presidential Center of Kazakhstan/po.qr-pib.kz
Kazakhstan is now home to around 100 ethnic groups. Azilkhanov recalled how in the early years of Kazakhstan’s independence many questioned the country’s ability to maintain peace with such ethnic diversity, predicting that it would inevitably lead to tensions and conflict.
“Kazakhstan at that time took on an important task: to prove that cultural diversity does not divide us but rather makes us stronger. Kazakhstan had no ready-made recipes, and no one offered them. Kazakhstan moved its own way,” said Azilkhanov.
The Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan was established in 1995. Following the constitutional reform in 2007, it was granted constitutional status and the right to elect nine deputies to the Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s Parliament, which significantly strengthened the assembly’s political and administrative role.
“The Assembly of Nations in 2007 was renamed the Assembly of the People, reflecting the understanding that we are one united people. We have many ethnic groups inside, with the Kazakh ethnos at the center, playing a key state-forming role. Yet, we are all brought together under a single shanyrak (the dome of yurt), supported by uyks (wooden poles) that represent every citizen of Kazakhstan. This is why we consider ourselves one people — one nation,” said Azilkhanov.
The assembly today is a civil society institution that brings together 4,000 organizations, with 50,000 people directly involved in its activities.
“But it is also the center of the unification of the nation—a strong, well-structured system where every institution within the assembly plays its role. At the heart of the assembly are cultural associations — we have over 1,000 of them across the country. They represent the richness and diversity of Kazakhstan’s national culture,” said Azilkhanov.
As one of the impactful institutions within the assembly, Azilkhanov outlined the Mothers’ Council.
“The Mothers’ Council has taken under its patronage all mothers’ homes. Today, every region of the country has mothers’ homes — shelters where women facing difficult life situations can stay until their children are 1-1.5 years old. After that, they transition to living independently,” he said.
Bakytzhan Temirbolat, director of the Presidential Center of Kazakhstan, also highlighted the unifying role the assembly played over the three decades.
“The 30-year journey of the assembly is not just the history of the organization, but an essential component of the state course of our country. This path is based on the idea of national unity, mutual respect and constructive dialog, which was established in the early years of independence. Kazakhstan firmly adheres to the principle of ‘unity in diversity,’ which postulates a careful and sensitive attitude to the national and religious feelings of people,” said Temirbolat.
