BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 22. The International Volunteer Forum was held at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 20-21, Trend reports.
More than 40 speakers from 34 countries took 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 (Türkiye), 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 and many more. In total, over 400 people attended the event, including 140 representatives of international organizations and foreign participants.
The main purpose of the forum was 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. The Forum's symbol was an image of a person and a fragment of a DNA chain, representing a "kindness gene".
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 involvement of citizens in Kazakhstan's volunteer movement, along with the support provided by the government in creating favorable conditions, has significantly contributed to the growth of volunteerism in the country. The introduction of legislative measures to support volunteers has further strengthened this trend. Various benefits are now available, including preferential admission to educational institutions and employment opportunities. Additionally, volunteer organizations are granted free access to state-owned property for their activities.
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.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Information and Public Development of Kazakhstan is also actively working to develop international volunteering. Currently, 7 volunteers from Kazakhstan are working in the UN structures with the support of the Government of Kazakhstan.
The UN Volunteers program (UNV) promotes peace and development worldwide through volunteerism. Introduced in Kazakhstan in 1993, the program has seen over 300 Kazakh citizens become UN volunteers. These volunteers have worked both domestically and internationally in countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Niger, Mozambique, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Türkiye. Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian country with this type of experience in the volunteer movement.
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.