Kazakhstan: International Volunteer Forum to be held in Astana on June 20, 21

New Delhi [India], June 20 : The International Volunteer Forum will be held at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in Astana on June 20 and 21.

More than 40 speakers from 34 countries will take part in the event, including Toily Kurbanov, executive coordinator of the UN volunteer program, Timur Bekmambetov, director and founder of the Cultural Initiatives Foundation, Haluk Levent, musician and president of the ANVAR Association (Turkey), Michaela Friberg-Storey, UN Resident Coordinator for Kazakhstan, Arthur Van Diesen, Representative of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan, Shirin Abidova, head of the Uzbekistan Volunteer Association (Uzbekistan), among others.

Delegates from all regions of Kazakhstan will also participate in the forum. In total, over 400 people will attend the event, including 140 representatives of international organizations and foreign participants, the Embassy of Kazakhstan said in a release.

The main purpose of the forum is to develop and support the volunteer movement, present Kazakhstan's experience in volunteering and form a positive image of the country in the international arena, as well as raise the status of volunteers, and strengthen cooperation and interaction.

In order to promote and popularize the Forum, a slogan, hashtag and logo have been approved.

"The slogan of the forum is 'Awaken the gene of kindness', which serves as a reminder that each of us is capable of doing good. The logo of the forum is an image of a person and a fragment of a DNA chain, as a symbol of the 'kindness gene'. This is a special type of gene that is inherent in all people, regardless of gender, age, nationality, and other distinctive features. The image of a person symbolizes a volunteer and embodies humanity's readiness for mutual assistance and cooperation," the release said.

The volunteer movement in Kazakhstan has turned into a large project with the support of the entire population. The 'Year of the Volunteer' in 2020, initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, highlighted the role of volunteering, especially during the pandemic.

The active participation of Kazakhstan's citizens in the volunteer movement and the creation of the right conditions for this by the state has contributed to the development of volunteerism in the country. This is evidenced by the positive dynamics of the growth of volunteer organizations - a threefold increase from 224 to more than 600 between 2020 and 2023, and a fourfold increase in active volunteers (50,000 in 2020, and more than 200,000 in 2022), the release said.

Measures to support volunteers have been introduced at the legislative level in the country. Benefits are provided for admission to educational institutions and employment, and state property is also leased free of charge to volunteer organizations.

In order to develop the volunteer movement infrastructure, there is a state front office and 20 regional offices. Every year they hold more than 6,000 events with the participation of over 113,000 volunteers.

According to the Embassy, the Ministry of Information and Public Development of Kazakhstan is actively working to develop international volunteering. Currently, seven volunteers from Kazakhstan are working in the UN structures with the support of the Government of Kazakhstan.

The United Nations Volunteers program (UNV) contributes to peace and development through volunteerism around the world. The UNV program appeared in Kazakhstan in 1993. Over the next three decades, more than 300 Kazakhstan's citizens became UN volunteers.

They have also worked as international UN volunteers in countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Niger, Mozambique, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Turkiye. Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian country with this type of experience in the volunteer movement.

At the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, President Tokayev proposed to proclaim the International Year of Mobilizing Volunteers for Development. This initiative testifies to Kazakhstan's special attitude to the development of traditions and culture of volunteering not only in our country, but also around the world.

In this regard, the first Central Asian Volunteer Forum was held in 2022. The Forum was attended by more than 600 delegates from Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries (the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan), as well as representatives of volunteer movements and international organizations, experts in the field of volunteering from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia and Turkiye, government agencies, and representatives of the business sector.

The organization of the International Volunteer Forum is supported by the Representative Office of the UN Volunteer Program in Kazakhstan, the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, the National Volunteer Network and other volunteer and international organizations, the Kazakhstan Embassy stated.