Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan, 20 August 2026
*translation
Distinguished Aida Balayeva, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture and Information,
Distinguished Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers,
Distinguished Deputy Secretary-General of the CIS,
Your Excellencies,
Dear volunteers!
I am pleased to take part in the opening of the First CIS Volunteer Forum.
The year 2026 has brought volunteerism to the forefront of international attention. And today, it is important that the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly at the initiative of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and receiving broad international support, including from many CICA Member States, leave behind not only memorable events, but also lasting partnerships, new joint projects and mechanisms for cooperation.
In this context, I would like to highlight Kazakhstan’s initiative to establish a new platform aimed at strengthening interaction among volunteer communities and giving additional impetus to international cooperation in this area.
The Forum’s theme – Unity through Volunteering: Partnership, Trust and Development – aptly captures its central idea. Today, volunteering goes far beyond selfless assistance: it brings people together, builds partnerships and creates lasting connections.
This philosophy is in line with the very nature of CICA – the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. Bringing together 28 states, CICA is a unique pan-Asian platform for dialogue and practical cooperation. It is especially important to us that volunteerism adds a genuine human dimension to this interaction, uniting people around shared values and concrete action.
Esteemed colleagues!
In recent years, volunteering has gained institutional status at CICA.
The process was launched at the Sixth CICA Summit in Astana in 2022, at the initiative of the Presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia. In 2023, the CICA Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs adopted the Statement on Promoting Volunteerism for Sustainable Development, and in 2024, volunteerism was included in the CICA Catalogue of Confidence Building Measures as a separate area under the human dimension of interaction.
In a relatively short period of time, we have managed to move from a political initiative to concrete practical cooperation.
In 2024, Astana hosted the first Rally of Volunteer Movement Leaders of CICA Member States. In November 2025, this initiative continued in Baku under the auspices of the Azerbaijani Chairmanship.
And this July, the CICA volunteering agenda was presented on the global stage, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
On the margins of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the Republic of Kazakhstan, with the assistance of the CICA Secretariat and the support of the United Nations Volunteers, held a side event during which the first CICA e-publication was presented, bringing together the best practices of CICA Member States in the field of volunteerism in Asia.
At the same time, a photo exhibition was organized at the United Nations Headquarters, showcasing, through real-life stories and images, the contributions of volunteers from CICA Member States to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
These projects complement each other: the publication allows for the sharing of accumulated experience, while the exhibition puts a human face on volunteering.
It is fitting that, as early as tomorrow, the CICA e-publication will become available to a wider audience on our website. Its development was the result of close cooperation with the United Nations Volunteers, which provided us with substantial support throughout all stages of this work.
The scale of the volunteering agenda itself is truly impressive. According to the 2026 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report, 2.1 billion people engage in volunteering every month. This represents approximately one-third of the world’s working-age population.
However, it is important to see behind this figure, above all, the immense human potential – people willing to devote their time, knowledge and energy to the benefit of society.
Our common task is to create conditions that will enable this potential to fully contribute to sustainable development, the strengthening of social cohesion and mutual understanding among countries and peoples.
It is important to develop joint projects, enhance ties among volunteer organizations and build sustainable international interaction.
In my view, this is precisely where the main focus of our future work should lie: moving from the exchange of experience to joint action, and from individual initiatives to sustainable partnerships.
Ladies and gentlemen,
CICA stands ready to contribute to this collective effort by drawing on the experience accumulated by its Member States, fostering connections among volunteer communities and continuing its interaction with the United Nations Volunteers and other international partners.
Ultimately, the value of volunteerism is determined not only by the number of participants or projects implemented. Its strength lies in its ability to bring people together around a common cause and turn solidarity into trust.
And in this, our efforts are aligned: CICA strengthens trust among states, while volunteers strengthen trust among people every day.
It is precisely these two levels – the state and the individual – that form a solid foundation for a more peaceful, cohesive and sustainable future.
I wish the First CIS Volunteer Forum productive work, meaningful dialogue, and, most importantly, concrete joint initiatives that will continue long after the International Year of Volunteers.
Thank you for your attention.
