The United Nations remains the only universal organization with the legitimacy and capability to bring together the peoples of the world to develop peaceful and just solutions. No other global organization has helped prevent and mitigate conflicts, saved hundreds of thousands of lives through its humanitarian efforts and continues to protect the most vulnerable.
However, we still have not yet achieved what the UN founders hoped for. The 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly is taking place at a time of unprecedented challenges. We continue to see the threat of an arms race, terrorism, extremism and religious violence. All this is compounded by poverty, illegal migration, humanitarian instability and climate change.
The global economic and humanitarian crisis caused by the COVID-19 has exposed the deepest problems of our society. The pandemic has become a test not only for our humanity and values, but also for the multilateral system itself. While none of us have been left untouched, the most vulnerable have been hit the hardest. Only by working collectively can we deal effectively with the pandemic and its consequences.
Kazakhstan commends the rapid and effective response of the United Nations and personal commitment of Secretary-General António Guterres to lead the global efforts to overcome the pandemic and address the needs of the most affected. Kazakhstan thus contributed to the Strategic Preparedness and Humanitarian Response Plan.
Timely and coordinated support from developed countries and UN agencies is the key to strengthening national and global health systems. The WHO, International Financial Institutions, Governments and the pharmaceutical industry should work together to develop, test and manufacture safe, effective and affordable COVID-19 tests, medicines, and vaccines.
Kazakhstan stands ready to join the efforts in countering the global challenge with decisive unified action. We have always been fully committed to strengthening the three pillars of the United Nations – peace and security, sustainable development and human rights.
The next decade will be crucial for the UN and all of humanity. Forging ahead with progressive global development without dividing lines is the only way to successfully reach the SDG Agenda, and build back better from the Coronavirus pandemic.
These formidable goals demand unshaken international partnerships under the leadership of a stronger UN.
The next ten years have been designated as the Decade of Action. We expect that the 75th session of the UN General Assembly will be followed by decisive actions by the global community.
The priority of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy has always been to unfailingly support the UN and its ideals enshrined in the UN Charter.
We are committed to multilateralism, global peace building, security, transparency and sustainable development, serving as an impartial honest broker for mutual common good.
Escalated level of geopolitical tensions and the crisis of trust between major global powers pose grave concern for all of us. These threats are aggravated by trade wars, terrorism, extremism, unprecedented refugee flows and internal displacement, environmental degradation and climate change.
The increase in such complex challenges must be urgently resolved through peaceful means. In this regard, Kazakhstan has launched many initiatives, such as the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone and the Conference on Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) among others.
Kazakhstan firmly believes that the peaceful settlement of disputes through mutual respect and diplomacy, constructive dialogue and negotiations, is the only viable solution for the world based on the rule of law.
Kazakhstan would like to see us all achieving a world free of violent conflicts by the centenary of the United Nations in 2045. In this regard, we fully support the Secretary-General’s initiative for a global ceasefire. It is obvious that we need to manage challenges and opportunities as we confront them, collaborating with Member States, and rebuilding trust around common goals.
We propose the three-fold strategy as a model to prevent and resolve conflicts and large-scale developmental threats. It includes reinforcing the security and development nexus, utilizing a revamped regional strategy, and strengthening the “system-wide” approach, with the UN system “Delivering as One”.
III. PEACEKEEPING AND SUSTAINING PEACE
Kazakhstan is expanding its participation in peacekeeping operations. We see partnerships and joint deployment within UN PKOs as the cornerstone of our collective efforts to maintain peace and stability throughout the world.
At the moment, our military peacekeepers are deployed in peacekeeping activities as part of the Indian military contingent in Lebanon (UNIFIL), as well as staff officers and military observers in UNIFIL and Western Sahara (MINURSO).
We fully support the efforts by the Secretary-General to reform the UN peacekeeping in order to enhance its relevance, responsiveness and accountability. Kazakhstan intends to expand its contribution to the UN PKOs by sending specialized military units registered in the UN PCTS and additional officers to several UN missions.
An important part of the work is capacity-building to reach the UN standards. Our national peacekeeping training center (KAZCENT), which is certified by the UN, will continue to upgrade the preparation of our women and men for increasing roles in peacekeeping.
Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation feature among the main priorities of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. Our country has come a long way as a leader in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation after being a one-time holder of the world´s fourth nuclear arsenal and the world´s largest nuclear test site in Semipalatinsk.
During Kazakhstan’s Presidency of the UN Security Council in January 2018, our First President - Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev once again called upon all Member-States to build a world without nuclear weapons by 2045, the UN´s 100th Anniversary. Only nuclear disarmament and confidence-building measures, through the complete elimination of nuclear arsenals, can provide the only and absolute guarantees against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.
Proceeding from its moral right and obligation against the WMD threats, on 29 August 2019, Kazakhstan deposited the instrument of ratification for the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). We looking forward to it entering into force on this jubilee year for the UN.
The early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) will remain a major objective for Kazakhstan. As one of the most affected by the harmful consequences of nuclear tests, our country is making great efforts to reach Global Zero. Our initiative to observe the International Day against Nuclear Tests annually on 29th of August is effectively helping to rally the international community towards this goal. Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site, one of the landmarks in the history of nuclear disarmament.
Consolidating practical measures on uniting the efforts of nuclear-weapon-free zones towards building a world free of nuclear weapons will be another priority task for Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan aims to provide the momentum for expanding nuclear-weapon-free zones on our planet and thus intends to actively participate in the renewal of the UN GA Resolution 73/58 on the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia of 5 December 2018.
Other priority areas for Kazakhstan are the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and preserving and ensuring the proper implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The work of the UNSC 1540 Committee has become very critical and Kazakhstan is actively engaged in fulfilling its important mandate.
Kazakhstan is improving its national export control system in the light of new trends. This will strengthen our capacity to prevent of WMD proliferation.
Kazakhstan will work with the UN to stem the proliferation of new sensitive technologies, hypersonic devices, cybercrime, weapons in outer space and artificial intelligence with their unprecedented lethal threats. It is necessary to be proactive to prepare ourselves to address such threats in a timely and effective manner.
Terrorism remains one of the most serious crimes against humanity. Kazakhstan contributes to the fight against terrorism in several significant ways.
Firstly, by initiating a non-binding political Declaration entitled „Code of conduct towards a world free of terrorism”, which was adopted in September 2018. To date, 88 Member States have acceded to the Code and are committed to implementing the United Nations Global Counter-terrorism Strategy (UNGCTS) and other legally binding instruments.
Secondly, through the Code we are implementing the GCTS in Central Asia - the first such systematic regional action on a global scale.
Thirdly, we are addressing Paragraph 3 of the Code, which states that besides deploying holistic counter-terrorism measures, there should be systematic steps to prevent threats, and especially those posed by foreign terrorist fighters returning or relocating from conflict zones, to their countries of origin or nationality.
Thus, the humanitarian operations “Zhusan” and “Rusafa” are two of many Kazakhstan’s responses, to repatriate Kazakh citizens from the conflict zones in Syria and Iraq, respectively. These projects were successful in returning 609 Kazakh citizens to the homeland, including 33 men, 156 women and 420 children, of whom 32 orphans. Kazakhstan remains fully committed in countering and preventing terrorism and stands ready to work with the international community over priority the repatriation and rehabilitation of citizens trapped in conflict zones.
To support global measures, Kazakhstan is combating covert methods used by criminals and terrorists, such as the dark web and encryption, by developing its own national system, entitled Cyber Shield of Kazakhstan.
The threat of terrorism and violent extremism extends beyond national borders and needs effective joint action. Kazakhstan is committed to a long-term comprehensive approach, cooperating at all levels with Member States, global and regional structures and civil society.
Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires urgent efforts. Kazakhstan has been investing in the 17 SDGs at the country, regional and global level.
Kazakhstan underlines the primary importance of the regional approach, through elaborating a region-wide strategy for sustainable development, and at the same time, addressing potential threats and conflicts.
During the 75th session, we will vigorously promote the SDGs in all regions of the world, with our primary focus on Central Asia. The country will strive to provide leadership to the region, in a spirit of true partnership with other countries, in order to reach the SDGs indicators and mobilize humanitarian action and resources. We will work on early warning and reducing foreboding human-made and natural disasters, and thus transcend vulnerabilities by building resilience. Kazakhstan´s commitment to the objectives of the Paris Agreement, Agenda 2030, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, and other parallel global processes, is reflected in all the strategic national and regional programmes for the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, enabling them to reach their own vision.
In its capacity of the LLDCs Chair for 2020-2021, Kazakhstan will continue taking pointers from the Almaty and the Vienna Programmes of Action. With the support of the Secretary-General, UN-OHRLLS and many other UN and international agencies, Kazakhstan initiated the development of the Roadmap for Accelerated Implementation of the VPoA in the five remaining years. We fully believe this innovative document will bring practical deliverables to LLDCs on the issues of transit policy, infrastructure development, international trade, trade facilitation, regional integration, structural economic transformation, together with the means of implementation.
It is clear that all the 17 SDGs have a direct bearing on the progress and future of the LLDCs, which must endeavor to fulfill indicators and criteria. Likewise, each of the goals, in turn, supports the LLDCs with their need for trade-related capacity building, regional economic integration and interconnectivity. We realize that sustainable transport is the key factor to transform landlockedness into landlinkedness. This highlights the importance of the recommendations of the High-level Midterm Review of the Implementation of VPoA, held last December.
The outcomes of the Midterm Review have explicitly shown that the LLDCs were not on track to deliver the SDGs before COVID-19 hit them; and the impact of the crisis has made the way ahead now even steeper. This calls for urgent joint international actions demonstrating solidarity between the most vulnerable countries and donor nations, development partners, as well as, international organizations. It means raising additional sources of financing and increasing investment in poverty reduction, economic diversification, climate friendly development, including social protection, clean water, and digital connectivity. It also implies pursuing a recovery that builds an inclusive and gender-responsive economy.
Geographically and fiscally disadvantaged countries like the LLDCs, LDCs and SIDS need not only economic and social stability but also political diplomacy and mediation at various levels through a multi-dimensional approach. It is essential to reinforce the security-development nexus, with adequate investments in education, health care and job creation, so as to avert conflicts and achieve social cohesion. The regional approach is a primary fundamental tool, since connectivity starts with neighbours, and the most contemporary challenges and problems of implementing the 17 SDGs, have a transboundary character.
Kazakhstan continues to devote recourses to the rehabilitation and development of Semipalatinsk region. We call upon the international community to support the UNGA resolution during the 75th session on international cooperation and coordination efforts aimed at the rehabilitation of the population, the environmental restoration, and economic development of the Semipalatinsk region in Kazakhstan. We urge international community to render assistance to Kazakhstan in its efforts to ensure economic growth and sustainable development of the region.
VII. UN REFORM
Our working methods must adapt to the new developments. Kazakhstan fully supports the ongoing reforms by the Secretary-General. It is critical to improve the accountability, transparency and overall coordination of all UN entities to meet the objectives of long term balanced regional and global development.
We are fully engaged in the revitalization of the UN, and its organs - the General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, and the Security Council, the International Court of Justice and others too, for mutually reinforcing cooperative multilateral action.
The reforms initiated by the Secretary-General create effective organization able to address modern crises. Kazakhstan believes that the repositioning of the UN development system should respond to national needs and priorities on the ground and be positioned to better support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It must ensure effective links between monitoring and revision of the decisions for the 2030 Agenda as well as better coordination between the UN agencies. Kazakhstan thus supports the recent initiative of the Secretary-General to establish Regional Collaborative Platforms to promote such an approach.
The UN inter-agency coordination is becoming more essential in view of competing demands and restricted shrinking resources. We cannot afford duplication or inefficiencies in this difficult time. A multi-sectoral approach contributes not only to improving effectiveness of the UN system, but also to coordination among agencies on national, regional and global level. Kazakhstan has made its contribution through opening a new Building of International Organizations in Almaty, which hosts 16 UN agencies´ representative offices under one roof, some at regional, sub-regional and multi-country level. We believe this will ensure better coordination of the UN system and cost-effective measures, as well as a holistic approach to “Deliver As One”.
Kazakhstan actively builds up cooperation with its neighboring Central Asian countries, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan within the framework of the UN Special Programme for Economies of Central Asia.
Kazakhstan also appreciates the work in progress on strengthening the capacities, tools and skills of the Resident Coordinator system to better respond to the specific challenges of the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS - most vulnerable groups of countries.
VIII. INTERRELIGIOUS AND INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE
Kazakhstan’s hallmarks are its pluralism and promotion of interethnic and interfaith accord. The state policy of Kazakhstan is presently restoring spiritual values and shaping new forms of durable and lasting tolerance between representatives of different multicultural groups and faiths.
Political culture, ethnic and religious diversity have proven to be major and unique assets of our state and not a challenge. Kazakhstan demonstrates solid commitment to the UN fundamental concept of unity in diversity. Tolerance is an integral part of Kazakh culture. As a responsible member of the international community, Kazakhstan supports the Secretary-General´s appeal to end hate speech globally. Kazakhstan will not cease to contribute to the collective actions to promote peace, harmony and prosperity. Kazakhstan initiated and has successfully convened six Congresses of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Nur-Sultan. The idea of having a global interfaith dialogue platform has been unprecedented. “The value-added” of the Congress is that the forum brings together religious leaders with distinguished political leaders, representatives of international organizations, as well as experts, NGOs and civil society on a common platform of dialogue and action.
The Congress has become “a hallmark” of contemporary Kazakhstan, changing the paradigm of state development from the model of conflict and clash of civilizations, cultures and religions to a unique model of tolerance and harmony.
Kazakhstan fully stands for the rule of law at the national and international levels. The UN Charter has become the cornerstone of international law and the multilateral system. The violation of the UN Charter and its principles of international law can cause tragic consequences similar to what the world had experienced in the past.
Kazakhstan stands for protecting civilians and their human rights, especially those of women, youth, children and the entire spectrum of other vulnerable groups. The country strives to forge cooperation with all stakeholders, on the basis of equal partnership, to strengthen capacity-building for good governance, the rule of law and institutional development. It is the intention of Kazakhstan to renew its membership in the UN Human Rights Council for the term 2022-2024.
We strive to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country’s political and economic life, public administration and in all areas of national decision- making. Our Kazakh 2030 Gender Equality Strategy, elaborated with the assistance of UN Women and UNFPA, seeks to localize the gender-related aspects of SDGs in all walks of Kazakh society.
Legislation in conformity with international legal instruments and norms has been enacted for the wellbeing of various categories of vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, the elderly, the economically disadvantaged, ethnic minorities and rural populations. Youth and their empowerment will continue to be given their full importance and constitute a national priority.
Kazakhstan is committed to the principles of equity and mutually beneficial cooperation in its relations with all Central Asian states. We are strengthening our regional cooperation among our brotherly nations of Central Asia in diverse spheres ranging from trade and investments, transportation, water management to culture and education. We will continue to seek new opportunities for greater trade growth and mutual investment, and developing systems that support and streamline the greater movement of services and labour.
We are proud of the recent progress made in the Central Asian region in promoting trade and commerce and enhancing interaction among the citizens of the five countries. Positive regional relations led to the first consultative meeting of leaders of the Central Asian states in our capital in March 2018, followed by the second consultative meeting of leaders in Tashkent in 2019.
As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (2017-2018), Kazakhstan actively promoted the common interests of the Central Asian states, advanced issues that were critical for the successful and secure development of the region. The First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in his Policy address to the Security Council in January 2017, had proposed the creation of a model zone of peace, security and cooperation in Central Asia. Several elements of such a zone are already in place, as noted in the International Aral Sea Fund, the Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in Central Asia and other mechanisms.
Despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Central Asian countries have continued their multifaceted regional cooperation. The leadership and governments of Central Asia continued to maintain regular contacts, strengthen cross-border cooperation, and provide humanitarian assistance in the most effective and efficient way possible.
We see Afghanistan as an attractive development partner with a large potential to be integrated in the region. Kazakhstan believes that joint efforts by all key stakeholders should be mutually reinforcing and synergetic.
Kazakhstan welcomes the start of inter-Afghan negotiations in Doha, Qatar. We hope that the peace-seeking process, based on principles Afghan-own and Afghan-led and with a wide support of the United Nations, will create a solid basis for stability and integrity of Afghan society.
Our regional security and stability are intertwined with the fate of Afghanistan and all others in an interconnected world. We should focus on sustainable economic and social models, and stable political structures to fight poverty, violent extremism and terrorism, drug-trafficking, organized crime and illegal migration. We, therefore, see Afghanistan’s peace and progress as critical to the entire Central Asian region and thus invest significantly towards its advancement.
Conclusion
The experience of Kazakhstan´s close partnership with the United Nations, in all its global processes and programmes, is important. Many of our achievements are recognized by the UN system and key bodies, as well as the international community.
In these challenging times, the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the United Nations is more important and stronger than ever. As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the UN this year, Kazakhstan will continue to support the UN as an indispensable forum for multilateral solutions to global challenges.
We are determined that, as this new session begins, more foundations will be laid for peace, security and sustainable development with dignity and justice for all.