STATEMENT
by H.E. Mr. Mukhtar TILEUBERDI
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan
at the General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations
General Assembly
New York, 25 September 2026
Mr. President,
Distinguished Delegates,
I congratulate His Excellency Mr. Khalilur Rahman
on his election as President of the eighty-first session
of the General Assembly and assure him that he can
count on Kazakhstan’s full support throughout this
session.
Excellencies,
Kazakhstan remains firmly committed to the
purposes and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations and to effective multilateral cooperation.
Guided by a pragmatic and proactive foreign
policy, we continue our efforts to strengthen
international peace and security and to advance
pragmatic solutions to our shared global challenges.
For Kazakhstan, multilateralism is a key instrument
for building trust, finding common ground, and
delivering results for our citizens and future
generations. It is a key component of our own long-term
social economic development.
Kazakhstan has embarked on profound political
transformation in response to societal demand and emerging challenges.
Our new Constitution reinforces the foundations
of national sustainable development by placing greater
emphasis on human dignity, human capital,
education, innovation, responsibility.
and environmental
We have also continued to strengthen the rule of
law, public accountability and the protection of human rights.
Elections last month to the new Kuryltai
brought into parliament a diverse set of voices,
including a historic high 34% of women.
Mr. President,
I express my country’s grave concern as the world
continues its slide toward uncertainty and division.
The erosion of trust among nations is rapidly
reshaping the international order. Our collective inability
to prevent conflicts, our collective indifference toward
humanitarian crises, and our collective reluctance to
seek common solutions to shared challenges are all becoming normalized.
Trust cannot be restored when international law
is applied selectively and commitments remain unfulfilled.
Our response must be grounded in the fundamental
values we have affirmed together: freedom, equality,
justice, and respect for human dignity.
President Tokayev has repeatedly underscored the
indispensable role of the United Nations as a single
universal platform, uniquely capable of bringing the
States together to address the challenges we face.
But to fulfil its potential, UN must be able to act, adapt, and deliver.
We fully support the UN-80 initiative.
The success of the reform should be measured not
by what is cut or reorganized, but by whether the United Nations
prevents conflict more effectively,
responds more rapidly to crises and delivers better
results for all member States.
Central to this renewal is reform of the Security
Council. Broader representation of Asia, Africa and
Latin America in the Council, as well as a greater voice
for developing countries and for middle powers is a moral imperative.
Equitable geographical representation must apply
throughout the United Nations system as a condition of legitimacy and credibility.
The selection of the next Secretary-General will
be one of the defining moments of this session.
Kazakhstan supports a transparent, inclusive and
merit-based process conducted in full accordance with the Charter.
Mr. President,
The international security environment continues to
deteriorate. World military expenditures reached a
record 2.9 trillion dollars in 2025. Our small planet is
home to more than twelve thousand nuclear weapons,
each one capable of untold damage and sorrow. Every
year, we seem to lose more biodiversity yet gain more armaments.
For Kazakhstan, nuclear disarmament in particular is not an abstract doctrine.
It is a responsibility born of national experience.
This year marks thirty-five years since the closure
of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, thirty years
since the CTBT opened for signature, and twenty years
since the signing of the Semipalatinsk Treaty on a
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia.
Our experience of renouncing the world’s fourth
largest nuclear arsenal did not weaken our State. To
the contrary through international trust, it strengthens sovereignty,
enhances security and promotes development.
Today, that trust is again in danger. New START
has expired, while the 2026 NPT Review Conference
ended without substantive outcome for the third consecutive cycle.
Nuclear weapon states must never confuse the
absence of agreement with a vacuum of obligation.
They remain responsible until we secure a world free of nuclear weapons.
Kazakhstan advocates the relaunch of high-level
dialogue among nuclear powers and is ready to host one of their next meetings.
We will also continue advancing our earlier
proposal to strengthen the BWC through establishing
an International Agency for Biological Security.
Distinguished Delegates,
Peace and stability are a prerequisite for
sustainable development. We stand firmly for
diplomacy and dialogue, and against the escalation of tension and the use of force.
We remain deeply concerned by the Ukrainian
crisis, which continues to take lives, erode global trust
and undermine international security.
Even the most difficult conflicts must ultimately be
resolved through diplomacy and negotiation.
Beyond the tragic loss of life, Kazakhstan strongly
condemns the repeated drone attacks against
Kazakh crude oil export infrastructure, including
against commercial vessels in the Black Sea basin.
Such incidents endanger civilian navigation, disrupt
international trade, and threaten the stability of global energy supplies.
We call on all parties to uphold international law and
take all necessary measures to protect critical
infrastructure and ensure the safety and continuity of civilian commerce.
Political and diplomatic means remain the only
viable path towards ending hostilities and achieving
a sustainable resolution of the Middle East crisis.
The ongoing escalation carries serious
implications for regional and international peace
and security, as well as for economic stability,
transport connectivity and energy security.
A just and lasting peace in the Middle East requires
an independent, sovereign, and viable State of
Palestine living side by side with Israel in peace and security.
We support the New York Declaration as a
framework for tangible, time-bound and irreversible
steps towards the two-State solution.
My country stands ready to support every effort
aimed at maintaining unhindered humanitarian
assistance, protection of civilians and the recovery of Gaza.
Kazakhstan calls for the full and good-faith
implementation of the Comprehensive Plan to End
the Gaza Conflict and Security Council resolution 2803.
As a member of the Board of Peace, President
Tokayev has committed to contribute to the stabilization
of Gaza, by supporting civilian reconstruction, ensuring
food security, and providing digital government solutions.
Kazakhstan’s peacekeepers in UNDOF and
UNIFIL reflect our readiness to assume practical
responsibility and contribute to the internationally
mandated stabilization forces in Gaza.
Kazakhstan formally announced its intention to join
the Abraham Accords. We see them as an additional
platform to reinforce the UN-brokered political process towards a two-State solution.
The long-term stability of Afghanistan remains
inseparable from the security and sustainable
development of Central Asia. Humanitarian assistance
remains indispensable, but it cannot by itself break the
cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
Kazakhstan supports pragmatic, coordinated and
step-by-step international engagement with
Afghanistan, with the UN playing the central role.
Finally, we have watched with growing concern in
recent years the erosion of the protection of civilians in
conflict zones. In response, together with Brazil, China,
France, Jordan, South Africa and the ICRC,
Kazakhstan is advancing the Global Initiative to
Galvanize Political Commitment to International Humanitarian Law.
Mr President,
The growing role of middle powers in global affairs
is opening new avenues for practical cooperation to achieve SDGs.
Kazakhstan is working with the United Nations to
operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre
for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central
Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
Its success should be measured by what it
delivers. I thank my colleagues, the Foreign Ministers
of Central Asia, for helping shape a practical and focused agenda for the Centre.
Reaffirming our commitment to (Declaration of Alma
Ata and the Declaration of Astana) advancing primary
health care as the cornerstone of universal health
coverage, we call upon UN Member States to join the
Global Coalition on Primary Health Care.
2026 has been designated by this body as the
International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable
Development. This initiative, originally at President
Tokayev’s suggestion, has given new impetus to
volunteerism as a force for stronger communities, youth
engagement, and environmental action.
In Kazakhstan and elsewhere, hundreds of
thousands of people have joined volunteer activities.
Excellencies,
Environmental challenges are among the
defining issues of our time. Climate change,
biodiversity loss, land degradation and the growing
frequency of natural disasters are placing increasing
pressure on our societies and economies.
The Regional Ecological Summit, held in Astana
in April, reaffirmed that climate, water, food and health
challenges cannot be addressed in isolation.
Its declaration «Environmental Solidarity of
Central Asia», provides a strong foundation for
advancing regional cooperation on environmental
protection and sustainable development.
On the same day, the Heads of State of the
founding countries of the International Fund for Saving
the Aral Sea (IFAS) declared an International Day of
the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya and Syr Darya
rivers, with the aim of raising global awareness of the
region’s environmental challenges and mobilizing
greater international support for their preservation.
We are grateful for the support of UN Member
States and partners for President Tokayev’s proposal
to proclaim 22 April as the International Day of
Greening of the Planet, aimed at amplifying global
efforts to restore ecosystems. Kazakhstan a human-centered pursues
approach to contemporary challenges, emphasizing
peacebuilding, dialogue, and cooperation as an
essential response to the complex global challenges of our time.
This approach is underpinned by a broader mental
shift towards environmental stewardship, civic
engagement, and care for the public good.
It is reflected in nationwide efforts to improve public
spaces, advance large-scale greening, and promote
the values of respect for the rule of law, active and
responsible patriotism, volunteerism, and compassion
as integral elements of everyday life and civic culture.
This brings us to another critical topic of our
days. Healthy ecosystems depend on water. Water
security is fundamental to the well-being and resilience of our societies.
Water under pins public health, food and energy
security, climate resilience and peace. Yet, despite
its fundamental importance, global water governance remains fragmented.
The recent devastating floods in the mountainous
regions of Nepal and China remind us of the growing
risks associated with water- and climate-related disasters.
In this context, President Tokayev has proposed
the establishment of an International Water
Organization under the auspices of the United
Nations. The purpose is to make international water
governance more coherent, accountable and
capable of effective implementation.
Kazakhstan calls for an inclusive, Member State
led process to explore options for strengthening the
institutional architecture for water within the United Nations.
We will continue to advance this discussion in the
lead-up to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi.
Kazakhstan stands ready to work with all Member
States and partners to advance this common agenda.
Distinguished Delegates,
Artificial intelligence and rapid technological
change present another area where urgent
international cooperation is needed.
At home, we are investing in computing capacity,
digital infrastructure and AI skills. We are forging new
trusted partnerships on AI governance and emerging
technologies. And we have recently adopted a Law on
Artificial Intelligence and a new Digital Code.
But without effective governance at all levels, it will
also deepen inequality, create new security risks – as
we have seen very recently – and widen the digital divide.
We also should not let ethical norms fall behind this
rapid evolution. AI must remain human-centered, safe
and subject to meaningful human oversight.
These risks are particularly serious in the military
domain, where the use of AI in warfare and cyber
operations could have far-reaching consequences for international stability.
Kazakhstan supports stronger international rules
and cooperation, including through the United Nations
Global Mechanism on ICT Security and UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
At the regional level, we invite partners to engage
with the UN ESCAP Asia-Pacific Digital Solutions
Centre in Almaty as a platform for sharing expertise
and advancing regional digital cooperation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
One thing is clear: there is a global trust deficit.
Restoring trust will take time. But greater trust will not
just appear like magic, it is the result of increased, not
decreased, international cooperation. We must build it.
That system of international cooperation we call
multilateralism, in whose famous hall we stand today,
depends on us, just as we depend on it. True, the
institutions of multilateralism must deliver tangible
benefits, but equally true, we the member states must
honor our commitments, adhere to global standards, and work together.
Kazakhstan will remain a reliable partner for peace,
security and sustainable development. We will continue
to choose cooperation over confrontation and work with
all Member States to strengthen the United Nations and
turn our shared commitments into meaningful action.
I thank you.
