Statement by Permanent Representative Magzhan Ilyassov at the Meeting of the UNAOC Group of Friends

(As delivered)

Statement by Ambassador Magzhan Ilyassov, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan, at the Meeting of the UNAOC Group of Friends

(8 February, 2022, New York)

Thank you!

Let me start by conveying greetings and best wishes of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Honorable High Representative Miguel Moratinos and his team, and members of the UNAOC Group of Friends.

As an active member of this Group and a regular donor of the UNAOC Trust Fund, Kazakhstan acknowledges with deep appreciation the activities and accomplishments of the UNAOC team within the past year, when despite the challenging conditions posed by the global coronavirus pandemic, the UNAOC swiftly adapted and successfully held its major activities, proving its capacity to adjust to fluid circumstances and deliver.

Today, we are facing an increasing number of violent conflicts aggravated by intense political, inter-religious and ethnic tensions and civil strife. Terrorism and violent extremism continue to remain a constant threat, further destabilizing many countries around the world.

In light of this, we welcome active cooperation between UNAOC and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, including the launch last year of a joint pilot project called “Empowering Dialogue and Interfaith Networks”. We sincerely hope that with political will and multilateral cooperation we can work together to minimize this threat.

Kazakhstan fully supports UNAOC’s continued efforts to prioritize interaction with religious leaders and their organizations with a view to further expand their scope and network of dialogue as part of its mandate.

We appreciate the presence and contribution of the Alliance of Civilizations to the meeting of the Secretariat of the International Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which was held in the capital of Kazakhstan in October last year.

The Secretariat decided that the next seventh Congress will be held in the capital of Kazakhstan on 14-15 September this year. This Congress is anticipated to be very special as it will bring together religious leaders, government officials and civil society from around the world to deliberate on the further steps that can be taken in interfaith realm to contribute to the post-pandemic development. As usual, we look forward to proactive participation of the UNAOC delegation in the Congress.

We also find noteworthy the focus and activities of the Alliance on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and efforts to develop media literacy initiatives, which help to counter the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation and provide young people and citizens with tools to become responsible media users.

Kazakhstan is confident that the UNAOC will continue to strengthen and reinforce its role as a bridge-builder by establishing and enhancing partnerships with new and traditional media to promote the values of tolerance, non-discrimination, and pluralism.

To conclude, I wish to convey the unfailing support of my Government, our Mission here in New York, for High Representative Miguel Moratinos, his team of the Alliance of Civilizations as it moves forward with much comprehensive and far reaching visionary solutions for the 21st century.

Kazakhstan looks forward to meaningfully engage as a reliable member of the UNAOC to implement its priorities and new projects to promote peace and stability.

I thank you.