ASTANA – Kazakhstan is heading into this year’s United Nations General Assembly debate with an expanding agenda that stretches from nuclear disarmament and peacekeeping to water security, artificial intelligence and sustainable development, as the country’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi leads the country’s delegation in New York.
A high-level week began at UN headquarters in New York. Photo credit: igov.un.org.png Foreign Minister Tileuberdi is representing Kazakhstan at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, whose annual general debate opened Sept. 22 amid wars, geopolitical tensions and mounting pressure on the international system.
He is expected to deliver Kazakhstan’s national statement during the debate. The delegation is also expected to meet with UN leadership and heads of UN agencies, representatives of the OSCE and the International Committee of the Red Cross, among others. Bilateral meetings are scheduled with foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Jordan, Canada, Cyprus, Kuwait, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Switzerland, and El Salvador, among other countries.
The high-level week comes as Kazakhstan seeks to build on more than three decades of engagement with the UN while broadening its traditional focus on nuclear nonproliferation into newer areas including digital cooperation, climate policy and regional water security.
Kazakhstan joined the UN on March 2, 1992, and opened its first UN representation in Almaty the following year. It later served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 2017-2018, becoming the first Central Asian country to hold a seat on the council.
Kazakhstan has also sought a broader institutional role within the UN system, serving on bodies including the Security Council, Human Rights Council and Economic and Social Council and securing seats on several UN commissions. One of Kazakhstan’s most significant recent UN initiatives has been the creation of a regional UN center for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
Kazakhstan has presented the center as part of a broader effort to give the region a stronger institutional role within the UN development system. Kazakhstan has also expanded its role in UN peacekeeping. According to the Foreign Ministry, 167 Kazakh personnel currently serve in UN peacekeeping operations, including a 139-member national contingent in the Golan Heights.
Kazakhstan’s priorities are increasingly reflected in its cooperation with the UN under a new 2026-2030 cooperation framework. The country’s Foreign Ministry identifies nuclear disarmament, sustainable development, peacekeeping, AI, volunteering, environmental initiatives and water as major areas of Kazakhstan’s UN activity.
Water security is emerging as another major component of Kazakhstan’s multilateral diplomacy. Astana has proposed establishing an international water organization within the UN system, reflecting growing concern over water scarcity and cross-border water management in Central Asia.