Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, highlighted a “crisis of trust” in multilateral institutions, decrying that “serious violations of international law have become a new normality”.  The international community must empower the United Nations to act.  In that vein, a comprehensive reform of the Organization and Security Council is necessary.  Council reform must include the representation of major powers from Asia, Africa and Latin America, he said, adding that voices of “responsible Middle Powers” must also be amplified in the organ. Without action, “the UN is doomed to forever mitigate consequences while root causes forever proliferate,” he said, also suggesting that the UN Charter be reviewed in reforming the Organisation.

Voicing alarm that arms control treaties are collapsing, he noted that global military spending reached a record of 2.7 trillion dollars in 2024, while the cost of violence inflicted came to almost 20 trillion dollars.  To that end, he called on nations to relaunch a high-level dialogue among nuclear powers. Getting rid of the “militant mentality” can be measured by how much countries invest in peace, he said.  For its part, Kazakhstan is ready to host a new dialogue on nuclear disarmament and will advance its proposal to establish an International Agency for Biological Safety and Security.  Turning to the Ukrainian crisis, he voiced concern that it continues to undermine international security, adding that bilateral and international efforts should be carried out with flexibility to meet the long-term interests of both States.  Similarly, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza cannot be ignored.  The normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia under the mediation of the United States “shows that entrenched conflicts can be settled through diplomacy and common sense”, he emphasized.

He added that:  “Current geopolitical tensions sometimes tempt some leaders to claim that a clash of civilizations is inevitable.  Yet, these divisions are not fact or fate.  They are political choices.”  Moreover, statements made by political leaders that manipulate religion and identity for political gain damage trust and goodwill.  Turning to his country’s economy, he said Kazakhstan’s location in the centre of Eurasia positions it to play a role as a logistics hub, handling 80 per cent of all land transit between Asia and Europe.  His country is investing billions of dollars in its transit infrastructure, including the Belt and Road initiative and the Trans-Caspian Corridor.  However, climate change is a major threat in his region.  Recalling 2024 was the hottest year on record, he stressed that Central Asia is warming at twice the global rate.  The melting of the glaciers in the Alatau mountains multiplies threats to food and water security for millions.

And while his country succeeded in preserving the Northern part of the Aral Sea, the Caspian Sea is now rapidly shrinking, he noted.  Calling on the international community to take urgent steps to preserve the Caspian’s water resources, he said his country will host a Regional Ecological Summit in Astana in April 2026 to advance such an agenda.  Nonetheless, Kazakhstan’s energy strategy is based on oil, gas, coal, uranium and critical minerals.  “Climate change and the green agenda cannot be accepted by all countries that have huge deposits like coal, which nowadays can be cleaned up by advanced technologies,” he said, adding that Kazakhstan has committed to decarbonize in 35 years.  Noting that his country will continue cooperating with all international partners to diversify its economy to increase resilience, he added that Kazakhstan will also continue to serve as a bridge builder, to choose “peace over war”.