Tokayev: Number of volunteers in Kazakhstan approaches 300,000

Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received the Executive Coordinator of the UN Volunteers programme, Toily Kurbanov, the Akorda press service reported. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.

During the meeting, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed gratitude to Toily Kurbanov for his consistent support of Kazakhstan's volunteer initiatives and participation in the CIS Volunteers Forum held in Astana. The President noted that Kazakhstan pays special attention to the development of the volunteer movement.

This is evidenced by the country's proposal to declare 2026 the International Year of Volunteers on the path to sustainable development, which was supported by the UN General Assembly.

"We view volunteerism from the standpoint of state policy as a manifestation of true patriotism and state support for young people. On my initiative, the principles of volunteerism were introduced into the new Constitution. There, the stimulation of volunteer activities was for the first time enshrined at the constitutional level," the President said.

According to the Head of State, more than a thousand events are taking place in Kazakhstan within the framework of the International Year of Volunteers, and the number of volunteers in the country has approached 300,000. A concept for the development of the volunteer movement until 2030 is being developed. A digital volunteer passport has been introduced, and mechanisms of state support and regional infrastructure are being improved.

Toily Kurbanov noted the high level of cooperation with the UN Volunteers programme, as well as the established joint work within the International Year of Volunteers, and thanked the President of Kazakhstan for his attention to promoting the volunteer movement.

"Kazakhstan is a unique country that has achieved great heights in the field of volunteer service. Kazakhstan's initiative to declare the Year of Volunteers was supported by more than 60 states. You are shaping a global trend. Your public actions such as "Taza Kazakhstan" are of great interest in a number of countries," said the Executive Coordinator of the UN Volunteers programme.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev awarded Toily Kurbanov the Order of Dostyk, II degree, for his significant contribution to the development of volunteerism in Kazakhstan.