The President of Kazakhstan addressed at the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered a video message at the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations within the anniversary session of the UN General Assembly, held in an online format due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Head of State began his speech with the famous quotation of former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld: “The United Nations was not created to bring us to heaven, but to save us from hell”. According to the President, though conceived primarily as a system for collective security, the UN has in fact consolidated nations around much broader common aspirations and principles, resulting an era of really active and broad international cooperation.

President Tokayev expressed concern over the existing global challenges. In particular, he drew attention to the risks for the principles of multilateralism, difficulties in overcoming the coronavirus pandemic, the threat of looming second arms race, and setbacks in achieving strategic development goals. Moreover, in his speech, he also questioned the position that the ideals enshrined in the UN Charter are no longer realistic.

“As President of my country and former senior manager of the UN I strongly disagree. More than ever, we must give rein to the horse of our hopes, not pull back out of fear. We must galvanize efforts in pursuit of those shared ideals, not abandon them. We must continue to build a rules-based community, not return to lawlessness,” Kazakhstan President believes.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted the crucial importance of the next decade in the context of striving to implement the 2030 Agenda. In his opinion, this formidable goal demands a common endeavour and responsibility.

President Tokayev commended the strong leadership of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and supported his ongoing work to boost effectiveness, transparency and accountability of the UN.

“Kazakhstan adds its voice in a clear statement of commitment to the UN mission and Charter, and to the shared aspiration of building a more peaceful, just and prosperous world,” Kazakhstan’s President underscored.

In conclusion, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed his conviction that the United Nations as a single universal and most representative international organization is indeed indispensable.

The full speech of the President is available here.