New York, 15 July 2026 – On July 13 and 14, the United Nations Headquarters hosted a series of events to showcase the impact of civic engagement across the Member States of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
Held on the margins of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the two-day programme was organized by the Republic of Kazakhstan, supported by the Azerbaijani Chairmanship and CICA Secretariat in cooperation with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV).
The events began on July 13 with the official opening of the photo exhibition dedicated to Volunteering in CICA Member States. The visual impact of the exhibition provided a foundation for the discussions that followed on 14 July, when the distinguished panel of delegates gathered for the side event on “Best Practices in Volunteerism in CICA Member States” and presentation of a new e-publication “Review of Best Volunteerism Practices in CICA Member States” developed in cooperation with UNV.
Delivering opening remarks, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the UN Mr. Kairat Umarov underlined the growing global recognition of volunteerism as a key driver of the 2030 Agenda. He particularly noted the significance of the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026) – an initiative put forward in the UN by Kazakhstan's President H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and supported by 10 CICA Member States, as well as CICA Observer State Turkmenistan.
Describing volunteering as an expression of solidarity that transcends borders, Ambassador Umarov expressed confidence that the region's shared best practices would meaningfully contribute to the global goals.
In his welcome remarks, CICA Secretary General Ambassador Kairat Sarybay highlighted the evolution of volunteerism within CICA tracing its path from initiation as track at the 2022 CICA Summit to the 2023 Ministerial Council’s Statement on Promoting Volunteerism. He underscored that volunteerism has become an essential part of its Human Dimension and now serves as practical tool for confidence building among Member States, notably through its inclusion in the CICA Catalogue of Confidence Building Measures in 2024.
He noted that, while photo exhibition gives a human face to the initiatives by showcasing an inspiring dedication of volunteers, the presented publication is set to drive the cross-enrichment of knowledge, allowing Member States to build partnerships and launch joint initiatives.
Ms. Indira Hajiyeva, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Azerbaijan, delivered remarks on behalf of the CICA Youth Council. She expanded the human-centric approach by focusing on the role of youth engagement, social cohesion and people-to-people contacts. To translate focus on youth into concrete initiatives, she proposed establishment of a standing CICA Youth Volunteer Exchange mechanism, which would allow Member States to second young volunteers to each other's flagship events.
The dialogue featured support from the United Nations system with Mr. Haoliang Xu, UN Under Secretary General - UNDP Associate Administrator and Ms. Lotta Tähtinen, Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development (OISC) at UN DESA, delivering remarks on the importance of integrating volunteer efforts into broader sustainable development frameworks.
Mr. Narendra Mishra, Policy Specialist for Volunteerism Integration at the UNV, shared data about 2.1 billion people volunteering every month worldwide. He praised Kazakhstan for its successful national tracking of volunteer data and warmly welcomed CICA’s focus on volunteerism as a vehicle for peace and resilience.
As part of the exchange, guided by the theme “A Stronger CICA: Connectivity, Digitalization, and Sustainable Growth in Asia”, the Azerbaijani Chairmanship emphasized its priority to deepen cooperation between CICA and the United Nations to advance sustainable development and youth empowerment. The event provided a platform for Member States to share their practical achievements, highlighting a powerful movement of 21 million volunteers in Russia, Kazakhstan's comprehensive strategies to promote volunteerism agenda on the global stage and volunteer practices across urban and rural areas in Bangladesh.
With the international community actively observing IVY 2026, the events demonstrated important role of volunteers in driving sustainable development and solidarity.
The "Volunteering in CICA Member States" photo exhibition will remain open for visitors at the UN Headquarters until July 17.
