Dear ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of Kazakhstan, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Chairman of the Great Hural of Mongolia, Mr. Gombojav Zandanshatar, for his warm hospitality and sincere commitment to dialogue on sustainable development.

I would also like to express my gratitude to my Mongolian colleagues and His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon and His Foundation For a Bright Future for organizing this important event at such a high level.

I congratulate you on the opening of the next meeting of the Trans-Altai Dialogue on Sustainable Development.

Trans-Altai region stands out for its unique nature and dynamic socio-political and economic growth encompassing a diverse array of multinational countries.

Therefore, prioritizing stability and peace becomes paramount for fostering sustainable economic growth across this expansive region.

Kazakhstan, as part of the Trans-Altai region, significantly emphasizes the importance of advancing sustainable development and fostering the establishment of a peaceful and inclusive society. We acknowledge that sustainable societal progress can only be attained through peaceful coexistence, openness to dialogue and collaborative efforts.

To this end, the Parliament of Kazakhstan has instituted a commission tasked with overseeing the implementation of national goals and objectives pertaining to the country's sustainable development. Leveraging the potential of such commissions is crucial in addressing pertinent issues within the parliament's competence.

Dear colleagues,

Kazakhstan is actively pursuing reforms and initiatives designed to advance the 16th SDG.

In 2022, at the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a program of diversified comprehensive modernization of the country's political system was launched. Within this framework creation of a new, Just Kazakhstan was defined.

It marked the beginning of a transformative period encompassing both political and socio-economic spheres. Central to this endeavor was a constitutional reform enacted in 2022, which fundamentally reshaped the landscape of public administration.

In the fast-paced global development it is necessary to develop a sustainable development strategy. In this regard, according to the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s decree reforms are being carried out in all aspects of the Kazakhstan's development: political, economic and social.

A key focus within the Parliament is the establishment of a dynamic mechanism capable of aligning with evolving global trends in line with our strategic sustainable development objectives.

As part of this effort the Parliament adopted a number of important constitutional laws.

These reforms set the priority of ensuring the freedom of the people and equal rights in strengthening the legal system.

First of all, appropriate work is being carried out to enhance the autonomy of the judiciary, promote fairness in case adjudication, and bolster the overall efficacy of the judicial system. This legislation primarily targets the improvement of the Quality of Justice Commission's functionality, and strengthening the independence of judges.

Kazakhstan recently adopted the second block of legislative amendments to reform the judicial system.

Secondly, nurturing a vibrant civil society hinges upon fostering the growth of NGOs and active engagement of citizens in decision-making processes that shape both individual lives and societal progress.

Concept for the development of civil society in Kazakhstan for 2020-2025 underscores the pivotal role of NGOs as essential components of the public sphere.

Number of registered NGO’s in the country is 23,335 in 2023. This figure shows that the pace of organizations in Kazakhstan has increased by 7 times compared to 2003 (the number of NGOs – 3,500).

Third, creating conditions for interethnic dialogue and mutual understanding requires strengthening peace and justice in the region.

Fourth, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recently signed a law on women's rights and ensuring the safety of children.

Purpose of the law is to improve the legal, economic, social, institutional and organizational foundations of state policy on issues of ensuring the rights of women and safety of children.

As a result of such comprehensive work, significant changes are taking place in the country.

Today, Kazakhstan has designed its own distinctive path, widely acclaimed worldwide as the “Kazakhstan Way," owing to its exceptional model of inter-ethnic and interfaith harmony.

Within its borders, Kazakhstan hosts over 3,800 religious associations coexisting harmoniously, representing more than 100 ethnic groups and encompassing 18 distinct faith traditions. 

Kazakhstan pays special attention to strengthening cooperation between world religions and cultures.

In order to establish a systematic interreligious dialogue, we decided to establish and hold a regular Congress of leaders of world and traditional religions.

The VII (7th) Congress of leaders of world and traditional religions held in Astana in 2022, became a unique historical event in terms of the level and number of participants.

Pope Francis, the Supreme imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb as well as spiritual leaders of Buddhism, Judaism and other religions raised important issues at the Congress related to the development of the world, the glorification of dialogue, promotion of mutual respect and peace, which were included in the final Declaration of the Congress.

In the future, we will expand the mission of the Congress. Its activities will be aimed at using the potential of spiritual diplomacy to solve the most pressing problems facing the world, including ensuring stability and peace. That the emphasis is on strengthening cooperation between religious leaders, politicians and international organizations.

However, we also understand that achieving these goals requires joint efforts at the international level. We support international initiatives aimed at promoting peaceful and inclusive societies through the exchange of experience and the development of joint strategies.

Dear participants of the dialogue!

Kazakhstan is ready to make efforts to continue the dialogue in order to strengthen political, socio-economic, cultural and humanitarian ties with the Trans-Altai region.

I am confident that through our collaborative efforts we will successfully realize our shared initiatives, driving forward the prosperity of our nations and the region overall.

Thank you for your attention.