President Tokayev praises UN contribution to Astana International Forum
Astana, The Gulf Observer: President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the essential contribution of the United Nations (UN) to the agenda of the Astana International Forum (AIF) during a meeting with the UN delegation on June 9 in Astana, reported the Akorda press service.
The UN delegation included Armida Alisjahbana, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ivana Živković, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), David Chikvaidze Chef De Cabinet, Office of the UN Director-General, and Michaela Friberg-Storey, UN Resident Coordinator for Kazakhstan.
Tokayev emphasized the UN’s exceptional role in strengthening peace and ensuring security.
The President stressed the need to carry out a comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council, noting the importance of its expansion. He also reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to join efforts with the UN to strengthen its role.
Over 20 different UN institutions are successfully operating in Kazakhstan. Tokayev reiterated the initiative to open the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty. The center will focus on strengthening the coordination of UN agencies with the region’s governments by adopting comprehensive measures to advance the 2030 Agenda.
High-ranking UN diplomats shared their impressions of the AIF, highlighting the platform’s strategic importance in developing approaches to addressing the pressing challenges of our time. Central Asia’s role was particularly noted in the transport and logistics sphere and digitalization.
The parties discussed the prospects for developing multifaceted cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UN institutions and exchanged views on topical issues of the international and regional agenda.
