NUR-SULTAN – Three decades ago, Kazakhstan became a full-fledged member of the United Nations (UN), opening a new chapter of building peace, prosperity, and human rights in the region. Kazakhstan will continue its cooperation with the UN in tackling global challenges, said experts at the roundtable marking the 30th anniversary on Mar. 2 in Nur-Sultan.
Akan Rakhmetullin and Michaela Friberg-Storey giving speech at the conference, which marks 30 years of Kazakhstan’s membership in the UN. Photo credit: gov.kz
Over the past 30 years, Kazakhstan has fully upheld the UN principles and made significant contributions to peace and prosperity in the region, said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Akan Rakhmetullin in his opening speech.
Among the highlights of Kazakhstan’s achievements during its UN membership he mentioned the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site that created a nuclear-free zone in the region, provision of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, and promotion of universal human rights with the resolution to abolish the death penalty.
Rakhmetullin said that further cooperation is essential: “Today it is obvious that without cooperation and solidarity it will be impossible to address multiple challenges that we face, such as global pandemic, climate change, human rights violation in different parts of the globe.” According to him, Kazakhstan will continue strong cooperation in the climate agenda aimed at gradually reducing greenhouse gas emission and becoming carbon neutral by 2060.
Michaela Friberg-Storey, the UN Resident Coordinator for Kazakhstan shared the congratulatory letter from the Secretary General of the UN – Mr. Antonio Guterres. Guterres said that “Kazakhstan has been an important supporter of the multilateral system advancing the sustainable development goals and tackling global challenges. As we look to recover from COVID-19 pandemic, I trust that together we can advance to a more resilient, sustainable, and just society… We are looking forward to continue to strengthen our ties in the years ahead.”
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also expressed the need to further strengthen cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UN on his Twitter: “Amid growing geopolitical tensions, we advocate strengthening the UN and its consolidating role.”
Recalling the history of 30 years of cooperation, Friberg-Storey further said that “Being a member of the United Nations is a great privilege and a great responsibility for any country. The principles of the units of the UN Charter cannot be applied selectively. Member states have accepted them all and they must apply them everywhere, everyone, all the time,” and Kazakhstan was successful in implementing those principles.
“We know that we can count on Kazakhstan’s continued engagement for international peace, security, and prosperity in the region and beyond. Our strategic partnership with the government of Kazakhstan is growing,” she continued.
Upon the 30th anniversary, an exhibition was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Mar. 1. The exhibition presented documents that showed key stages in the formation and development of Kazakhstan’s relations with the UN, including texts of speeches, official letters and photographs.
