Kazakhstan heads the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs

As part of the X World Congress, held from October 26 to 29 in Seoul (Republic of Korea), President of the Kazakhstan National Federation of UNESCO Clubs Bolat Akchulakov was elected President of the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations.

Bolat Akchulakov’s victory in the vote is a historical moment both for Kazakhstan and for the global UNESCO club movement. During the meetings, the participating countries of the Congress especially noted the unique experience of our country in implementing initiatives and projects of an international organization, and also expressed hope for the further successful development of the World Federation with the arrival of a new leader. The decision to elect Kazakhstan was supported by representatives of the majority of countries participating in the Congress, who confirmed the high level of trust in our Republic in the international arena. An important role in achieving this result was played by the constant support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ISESCO.

It is worth noting that the club movement originated in 1947 in Japan with the goal of widely promoting UNESCO’s key priorities and values ​​among civil society. Today, this movement is represented in almost 90 countries and has about 5,000 organizations.

In his speech, Bolat Akchulakov shared: “For the Kazakhstan Federation, youth has always been a priority. In this regard, we propose to implement all the accumulated experience and lay a solid foundation for training future leaders of the UNESCO club movement around the world.”

Thus, previously, under the leadership of Bolat Akchulakov, the Kazakhstan National Federation of UNESCO Clubs achieved significant results. Today, the Federation has grown to include 190 clubs and 17,000 active members, and has successfully organized about 550 events with the participation of more than 45 countries. In addition, a unique international project was launched, the youth festival “The Planet of ART”, which involved about 75,000 participants.

After the election to the post of President of the World Federation, the need to strengthen and develop UNESCO associations and clubs in all regions of the globe, increase their visibility and role in local communities, and expand the number of new associations and clubs was voiced as priorities. Additionally, the desire to deepen cooperation with UNESCO and the governments of member states was indicated for the joint implementation of key programs of the World Federation.