BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 20. Kazakhstan attaches particular importance to the development of the volunteer movement.
This was announced by the press service of the Kazakh government, citing a statement made by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a meeting with UN Volunteers Executive Coordinator Toily Kurbatov.
According to the information, the president noted that Kazakhstan's proposal to declare 2026 the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, supported by the UN General Assembly, is evidence of the country's focus on developing volunteerism.
"We view volunteering through the prism of state policy as an expression of true patriotism and, of course, the state's support for young people. At my initiative, the principle of volunteering was included in the new Constitution. For the first time, support for volunteer activities has been enshrined at the constitutional level," Tokayev said.
More than 1,000 events are being held in Kazakhstan as part of the International Year of Volunteers, while the number of volunteers in the country has approached 300,000.
The country is also developing a Concept for the Development of the Volunteer Movement through 2030, introducing a digital volunteer passport and strengthening state support and regional volunteer infrastructure.
Kurbatov thanked the president for his attention to the development of the volunteer movement and highlighted the high level of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UN Volunteers Programme, as well as their coordinated work during the International Year of Volunteers.
"Kazakhstan is the only country to have reached such heights in the field of volunteering. More than 60 countries supported Kazakhstan's initiative to proclaim the Year of Volunteers. You are setting global trends. A public initiative such as Taza Kazakhstan has attracted considerable interest from a number of countries," the UN Volunteers Executive Coordinator said.
