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Kazakhstan and the International

Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures

Olzhas Suleimenov, Ambassador, President of the ‘Culture’ Foundation, Kazakhstan

n many countries, there are associated schools of the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO), such as the UNESCO

Chairs in universities. They perform important work,

especially now that the United Nations has proclaimed

the International Decade for the Rapprochement of

Cultures (2013-2022).

In order to participate in this work it is necessary to actively

involve young people, so that they will inherit a world that

is not overloaded with problems that can complicate the

lives of future generations.

For many years I was the Ambassador, Permanent Delegate

of Kazakhstan to UNESCO and helped organize the corre-

sponding Chairs in the universities of our country and others.

Recently I met with students of the Eurasian University in

Astana city. The lecture – or rather, the conversation – was

held in the format of a ‘question and answer’ session. Here are

some excerpts from that conversation.

Question:

Will the states also come together for the rapproche-

ment of cultures? Since January 2015 the Eurasian Economic

Union officially began operating, bringing together five states

each with different sized territories, different level economies

and different psychologies. The first three states – Russia,

Dialogue for peace and harmony

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chairman, Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Head,

Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions

Despite the hopes of humankind, the world of the twenty-first century has

not become safer. A matter of particular concern is increased violence

motivated by religious and ethnic intolerance which threatens to turn into

a full-scale clash of civilizations.

The current situation has significantly increased the need for a global

dialogue to find efficient solutions to contemporary problems, including

through intercultural, interethnic and interreligious cooperation. Kazakhstan,

the initiator of the global interactive forum G-Global, believes that every state,

regardless of the size of its territory, population or type of economic and

political system, can make a tangible contribution to such a dialogue.

Our country actively promotes the values of peace, harmony and

cooperation at the international level, participating in the work of major

international organizations, developing constructive cooperation on a

bilateral basis, promoting the initiative to convene the Conference on

Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia and the Congress

of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Using the potential of

our chairmanship in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in

Europe (OSCE) in 2010, Kazakhstan put the promotion of tolerance

and intercultural dialogue in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian space at

the heart of the OSCE agenda. The course towards the expansion of

inter-civilizational dialogue between Muslim and Western countries was

continued within the framework of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the

Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation

in 2011-2012.

Kazakhstan regards the initiative of President Nazarbayev to hold the

Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana as an

important item on the international agenda. Since 2003, four congresses

have taken place in the capital of our country and the fifth congress will

be held 10-11 June 2015. This time, the spiritual forum will be dedicated

to the dialogue of religious leaders and politicians in the name of peace

and development. Kazakhstan believes religious leaders can make a

valuable contribution to the solution of complex political problems in close

cooperation with leading politicians.

Kazakhstan’s peace-loving efforts in the international arena are, in a

sense, the extension of its internal policies directed at ensuring unity,

peace and harmony in our society. Our head of state rightly believes that

internal political stability is a prerequisite for the successful continuation

of reforms.

The state pays great attention to the preservation and development

of all ethnic groups. There are 800 national cultural centres and ethno-

cultural associations, as well as 3,500 religious associations active in

Kazakhstan. In addition to Kazakh and Russian theatres, there are four

other ethnic theatres. The country now has 75 schools teaching in the

Uzbek, Uighur and Tajik languages. The languages of 22 ethnic groups

are also being taught. There are more than 300 news media outlets

publishing in 11 languages. The state bodies, along with Kazakh which is

the state language, officially use Russian which completely eliminates the

problems of interlingual communication.

Kazakhstan’s experience has an international dimension, as it has

proven its effectiveness as a factor of ensuring security. Indeed, we have

been able to show that polyethnicity and different religious affiliations

are not a risk factor, but rather an advantage, contributing to the mutual

enrichment of cultures, useful exchange of knowledge, and the increase

of our country’s competitiveness at the global level.

Former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize

laureate Kofi Annan said: “Kazakhstan can serve as a perfect example of

different ethnic groups coexisting peacefully in a country. Ethnic diversity

is regarded as a blessing instead of a calamity here.”

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