Kazakhstan-UNESCO Cooperation

Paris, October 12, 2009 (Khabar) - The 35th session of the UNESCO General Conference involving 193 delegates from its member-states is now in progress in Paris, France. Kazakhstan’s delegation to the forum is headed by the Chairman of the Kazakhstan National Commission for UNESCO Affairs, Astana Mayor Imangali Tasmagambetov. Apart from the main agenda, the General Conference participants are expected to approve the new General Director. The incumbent UNESCO chief, Japanese Koichiro Matsuura will be succeeded by Bulgarian Irina Bokova. She is a graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and used to work as a Bulgarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Bulgaria’s ambassador to France. Many of Kazakhstan’s initiatives were backed by UNESCO. A lot of the Republic’s monuments and historical sites were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The list also contains such monuments as the Hoja Akhmet Yassaui mausoleum, rock carvings at Tamgaly as well as the Sary-Arka natural monument made up of the steppe and lakes of Northern Kazakhstan. In his speech at the 35th session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris, Imangali Tasmagambetov noted the significance of the fortification of spiritual and moral roles in modern human development.
While in Paris, Imangali Tasmagambetov also had a meeting with Koichiro Matsuura. They talked about progress in cooperation between Kazakhstan and UNESCO.

Olzhas Suleimenov, permanent representative of Kazakhstan in UNESCO:
- Koichiro Matsuura has helped Kazakhstan a lot. Firstly, he was very positive oriented, and thanks to his help three of our objects became the nominees and then the participants of list of world heritage. We hope that our poem “Kyz- Zhybek” also will enter this list of world cultural heritage. Kazakhstan is one of the most active members of UNESCO

The UNESCO Director-General also pointed out President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s role in the fight for peace and the strengthening of international security as well as the creation of conditions for dialogues between world and traditional religions, which are aimed at the enhancement of mutual understanding between cultures and civilizations. As a sign of respect and acknowledgment, Koichiro Matsuura passed on his book called “A Changing World and New Challenges” to Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Koichiro Matsuura, UNESCO Director-General:
- Let us have a look back at 1999 when I assumed the UNESCO office. Then, I was wondering why Kazakhstan, with its vast history and large number of historical monuments, have none of its cultural items listed in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage. Now that I leaving my post, I am happy to see I managed to close this gap.

Kazakhstan’s active position in UNESCO has also been noted by both the organisation’s administration and the Republic’s partners.