Astana, 12 May 2026 – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yermek Kosherbayev held a meeting with the UN Under Secretary-General, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Diene Keita.

During the talks, the head of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy ministry noted that President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attaches particular importance to comprehensive cooperation with the United Nations. Kazakhstan remains a steadfast supporter of the UN as a universal platform for addressing global issues and actively participates in the implementation of the “UN80” initiative aimed at a comprehensive reform of multilateral dialogue.

In this context, the Minister positively assessed the cooperation between the Government of Kazakhstan and UNFPA in improving maternal and infant health outcomes, developing youth health centres, and conducting comprehensive demographic and population studies.

As noted by Minister Kosherbayev, healthcare, youth policy and gender equality should become key areas of regional dialogue with UNFPA.

In this regard, the Minister called for the active use of the UN Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty as a platform for expanding UNFPA’s presence in the region.

For her part, Diene Keita stressed that the United Nations commends Kazakhstan’s systemic reforms in promoting gender equality, protecting women’s rights and expanding opportunities for women.

She also noted that Kazakhstan has achieved impressive results in healthcare, the development of youth and family policy, as well as in reducing maternal and child mortality rates.

During the meeting, the UN Under Secretary-General announced the Organization’s decision to establish the UNFPA Central Asian Hub on Demographic Resilience in Almaty, which will serve as a regional centre for collecting, analysing and researching demographic development trends in Central Asia.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to continue their constructive dialogue on pressing issues of the global and regional agenda.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa/press/news/details/1218504?lang=kk