President of Kazakhstan Delivers Lecture at United Nations University

Images | akorda.kz

I am proud to stand here as the first Head of State from our part of the world to address this distinguished institution. I regard this as a sign of genuine trust in Kazakhstan’s growing international role and as recognition of our continued efforts to advance multilateralism and uphold global stability. The United Nations is of special significance for me, as I had the privilege of serving as Under-Secretary-General and Director-General of its Office at Geneva, as well as Secretary-General at the Conference on Disarmament," - said the President.

As Prince Shotoku wrote in the 7th century - "harmony is to be valued above all." Today, the same principle remains central to statecraft and international relations, and it is strongly reflected in Kazakhstan’s foreign policy," - noted the President.

The number and intensity of armed conflicts worldwide has reached its highest level in decades, while global military spending last year hit a record 2.7 trillion dollars. At the same time, rivalry between major countries is gaining its highest extent of tension that has already made the Security Council of the United Nations unable to tackle any of large-scale international conflicts," - Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated.

A renewed culture of strategic trust must therefore anchor international cooperation and collective decision-making. In this spirit, Kazakhstan has been consistently advancing these pillars through initiatives such as the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. It is clear that no state can meet today’s challenges alone. Only principled and effective collective action can deliver lasting results. In this context, the United Nations must continue to play a central role in the multilateral system as the universal and indispensable organization," - the President of Kazakhstan emphasized.

Any meaningful reform must begin with a renewed commitment to the UN Charter. Its core principles - sovereignty, territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes must be upheld universally and without exception. Yet, some provisions of the Charter no longer reflect the realities of the 21st century, including those that unfair to Japan and other countries greatly supporting the UN. The world has changed, while the Charter has not kept pace. I believe the time has come for a responsible dialogue on how to ensure that it remains credible and relevant for the future," - Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

I attach particular importance to developing education and international academic collaboration, especially in areas where global transformation is accelerating. These priorities are fully aligned with the mission of the United Nations University. This year, Kazakhstan became a home for the UN Regional Centre for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan. Building on this foundation, Kazakhstan would be honored to host a regional branch of the United Nations University in Almaty. Its activities could focus primarily on water and climate security, conflict prevention and peacebuilding, sustainable development and AI governance," - Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed.