Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took part in the International Forum of Volunteers.
In his speech, the head of state noted the importance of a reliable partnership between the state and society. In his opinion, in this respect the role of volunteers is exceptional.
“2020 was the Year of Volunteers in our country, a lot of work has been done. To date, the number of volunteer organizations in the country has tripled, that is, there are 680 organizations. The number of volunteers reached 200 thousand people. Front offices have been opened in all regions of the country, where thousands of volunteers have been trained. Qazvolunteer.kz platform launched. Today, anyone in the country can become a member of the volunteer movement and make a contribution to a useful cause. Indeed, this is a great opportunity. Our volunteers have specially visited Jordan, Kenya, Thailand, Turkey, where they have gained useful experience in their field. Therefore, I would like to thank the UN representatives who support the volunteers of Kazakhstan,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The President believes that being a volunteer means being, first of all, a patriot of your country. This is the way of life of those who put moral values above all else.
“Thanks to their good deeds, volunteers make a significant contribution to the development of society. Mercy is a quality inherent in the Kazakh people. Our people have always extended a helping hand to those in need. In a difficult moment, rallying, people found a way out of a difficult situation. Many representatives of ethnic groups deported to Kazakhstan found their second home here. Therefore, the purpose of today's forum is undoubtedly consonant with the way of life of the Kazakh people,” the head of state noted.
Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev once again emphasized that only responsible citizens will build a Just Kazakhstan and called all volunteers responsible citizens.
“I am deeply impressed that volunteers and philanthropists always act in accordance with their founding principle: “Think globally, act locally.” Indeed, while dreaming of a better future tomorrow, we must take effective steps today. This approach is especially relevant for the formation of ecological culture and traditions of conscious consumption. The most important thing is to change the consciousness and mental attitudes of people, only then the results of the reforms will be sustainable and become irreversible. I am sure that the phenomenon of social attractiveness of volunteering largely lies in the power of personal example and invariable adherence to the principle of “peer to peer”. It is the active dissemination of ideas and practices of volunteering that contributes to the formation of a new paradigm for the development of society, based on responsible citizenship and active patriotism. Therefore, everything possible is being done in our country to open up new, even broader development horizons for the volunteer movement,” the President said.
According to him, a number of successful projects have been implemented as part of the Roadmap for the development of volunteering in Kazakhstan for 2021-2023. The head of state proposed the following comprehensive steps to strengthen the traditions of volunteerism and charity in our society.
“It is necessary to launch a new Roadmap capable of setting a clear strategic vector in this area. This document should give a powerful impetus to the volunteer movement and identify key vectors for its development in the coming years. Secondly, it is necessary to gradually introduce a system of accounting for voluntary and charitable activities. This initiative will allow at the legislative level to take effective measures to stimulate the volunteer movement. Thirdly, the activities of volunteers should be stimulated through the provision of long-term grants. At the same time, it is important to build a sustainable partnership between public and private donors, as well as productive interaction between domestic and international donors. Fourth, the infrastructure for institutional support of volunteer and charitable structures should be consistently developed. For this, it is necessary to significantly strengthen the organizational, technical and personnel potential of the front offices of volunteers at the national and regional levels. Fifth, special attention should be paid to further strengthening and promoting international cooperation in the field of volunteering,” said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
In conclusion, the President of Kazakhstan noted that this forum is an excellent example of the relevance and relevance of efforts in this direction. He expressed confidence that today's event will give an additional impetus to the development of volunteering in our country.
During the forum, an appeal was made by the UN Secretary General António Guterres, which was read out by the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, Mikaela Friberg-Story. The Executive Coordinator of the UN Volunteers Program Toyli Kurbanova, Director General of the Ministry of Tolerance and Peaceful Coexistence of the UAE Afra Mohammed Al Sabri, well-known Turkish cultural figure Haluk Levent and others also spoke.
By the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
