ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s proposed international volunteer portal could be more than an image project, giving the country an opportunity to turn its global volunteer agenda into a practical mechanism for international cooperation, said an expert with the National Volunteer Network.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (R) and UN Volunteers Executive Coordinator Toily Kurbanov (L). Photo credit: Akorda
“If the initiative is implemented, for our country this will be much more than an image project. It is an opportunity to establish the role of a country that not only supports volunteering domestically, but also proposes concrete mechanisms for its development at the global level,” Aiman Nakispekova, coordinator of the International Volunteer Center at the National Volunteer Network, told The Astana Times.
From initiative to practical mechanism
Kazakhstan proposed creating a unified international portal to register volunteers, determine their status and systematize areas of activity during a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva and UN Volunteers Executive Coordinator Toily Kurbanov on Aug. 19.
Photo credit: gov.kz
The proposal follows Kazakhstan’s initiative to proclaim 2026 the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, endorsed by the UN General Assembly.
On Aug. 20, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Kurbanov to discuss Kazakhstan’s role in advancing the global volunteer agenda. Tokayev said more than 1,000 events are being held in Kazakhstan during the year, while the number of volunteers has approached 300,000. Kazakhstan is also developing a volunteer movement concept through 2030 and introducing a digital volunteer passport.
Nakispekova sees the portal as a logical continuation of these efforts, moving Kazakhstan from a political initiative toward a practical international tool. She stressed that it should not necessarily be viewed as a new institution created by Kazakhstan, but as international volunteering infrastructure developed with its support and participation.
What could make it different?
International volunteering already has digital infrastructure. UN Volunteers operates a Unified Volunteering Platform where candidates create profiles and apply for assignments within the UN system.
Kazakhstan’s proposal could add value by going beyond UN recruitment and connecting national volunteer organizations, volunteers and projects across countries.
Kazakhstan already has relevant domestic experience. Its Qazvolunteer platform connects volunteers, organizations and projects and includes opportunities for volunteering abroad. An international model could build on this experience while accommodating different national systems and local priorities.
The system behind the platform
The portal’s value would ultimately depend on the infrastructure supporting it.
Tatyana-Tinkay Koreshkova, an expert with the National Volunteer Network, said the priority should be coordination and verification.
“For this to work well, what is needed is not so much a website or portal as a powerful back office,” she told The Astana Times.
Such a system would need to verify volunteers and opportunities, connect organizations, support safety and coordinate logistics. This would require sustained cooperation among participating countries and organizations.
What Kazakhstan could gain
For Kazakhstan, the initiative could strengthen its international profile while giving practical substance to its leadership in the
Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Yermek Kosherbayev with UN Volunteers Executive Coordinator Toily Kurbanov. Photo credit: gov.kz
global volunteer agenda. A functioning system could also facilitate the exchange of experience, increase the visibility of volunteer contributions and strengthen cross-border civil-society cooperation.
The main test will be implementation, including common approaches to verification, coordination, safety, financing and measuring results.
During Kurbanov’s meeting with Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Yermek Kosherbayev on Aug. 19, the officials discussed expanding Kazakh volunteers’ participation in UN activities and promoting Kazakhstan’s experience in volunteering internationally. They also discussed developing the volunteer agenda beyond 2026 at the national, regional and international levels.
If these mechanisms are developed, Kazakhstan could move from promoting volunteering as a global priority to helping build practical infrastructure for cross-border volunteer cooperation.
