The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered a speech in the format of a video message at the general political debate of the 75th UN General Assembly
Addressing the participants in the debate, the Head of State noted that the 75th anniversary of the UN is taking place at a time full of drama and critical challenges. According to the President, the main problem remains the coronavirus pandemic, which is causing serious damages the global economy and is the source of numerous disasters and human suffering around the world.
“In the context of this unprecedented tragedy in the history of humanity, I would like to express on behalf of my compatriots my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the doctors and all the professionals who selflessly protect us on the front lines from the deadly virus”, said Kassym -Jomart Tokayev.
The Head of State believes that the rise of trade protectionism and political nationalism has caused systemic disruptions in international cooperation and led to “global dysfunction”, which in turn undermines prospects for sustainable development, depriving billions of people of hope for a better world.
The President urged to think about fulfilling the common moral duty associated with building the “New World” paradigm and expressed the opinion that a turning point in the history of humanity has now arrived.
A symbolic moment in the speech was the citation in the Kazakh language of the famous statement of the great Kazakh poet and thinker Abay Kunanbayuly, who proposed his own formula for successful global interaction. “Adamzatka ne kerek: suimek, sezbek, keyimek, kareket kylmak, zhugirmek, akylmen oilap soilemek”. The meaning of this statement can be conveyed as follows: “To achieve harmony, the humanity needs love and compassion in feelings, balance and perseverance in deeds, prudence and wisdom in words”, said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
According to the Head of State, the international community should make much more effort to combat the pandemic.
First and foremost, according to him, the task of creating a powerful global health system will require the modernization of national institutions and medical institutions in developing countries through timely and coordinated support from developed countries and UN agencies. The President of Kazakhstan declared the inadmissibility of politicizing the topic of developing a vaccine against coronavirus, noting the need for a comprehensive international agreement on investment and trade that would facilitate global vaccine production and the efficiency of the supply logistical chains.
In addition, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed to carefully study the idea of creating a Network of regional centers for disease control and biosecurity under the auspices of the UN. The President expressed his readiness to locate one of these institutions on the territory of Kazakhstan.
The Head of State also pointed out the relevance of the development and launch of a biological weapons control system and proposed to establish a special body accountable to the UN Security Council – the International Biological Safety Agency.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev shared his vision of the prospects for the recovery of the world economy. The President joined the call of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, on the need to implement a package of measures to stimulate economic growth at a total cost of 10 percent of world GDP, and also supported his initiative to prepare a New Global Agreement aimed at creating equal and greater opportunities for all.
The President noted the continuing crisis of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. He expressed hope that UN member states will support Kazakhstan's call to the nuclear powers to take all measures to save humanity from a nuclear catastrophe. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called on five nuclear-weapon states to ratify the relevant protocols to the treaties on nuclear-weapon-free zone, including the Semipalatinsk Treaty.
The Head of State also focused on environmental issues, especially on the problem of climate change, which, in his opinion, is a kind of “catalyst” for other threats. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reaffirmed Kazakhstan's strong commitment to developing a carbon-free economy, despite its high dependence on fossil fuels and the long road ahead to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate. “We will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent by 2030 due to the systemic transformation of the economy and the modernization of the industry. At the same time, in the next five years, we plan to plant more than two billion tree seedlings in our country”, stressed the President of Kazakhstan.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recalled the need to create a broad coalition to counter international terrorism and invited all countries to join the Code of Conduct to achieve a world free of terrorism.
The President of Kazakhstan separately dwelled on the issue of strengthening regional cooperation in Central Asia, expressing his confidence that a prosperous, strong and united Central Asia meets the interests of both local and global stakeholders. The President of Kazakhstan proposed to create a Regional Water and Energy Consortium, whose activities will be aimed at the rational use of transboundary water resources. The Head of State also announced his intention to institutionalize the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals in Almaty to coordinate the development agenda in Central Asia.
Concluding his speech at the General Political Debate, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed that Kazakhstan was and remains a firm supporter of the UN, aimed to actively participate in creating a brighter and happier future for all.
The full text of the speech can be found here: