President Tokayev: “We continue to live only seconds away from existential collapse”
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wrote an article for The Hill. As he noted, world leaders must never forget that they have a solemn responsibility to a future beyond their own political careers.
What happened? The Hill has published an article by Tokyev called “UN must focus on choices that will define our century, not just the short-term.”
According to the president of Kazakhstan, the U.N. General Assembly and decisions by global leaders play important roles in issues related to climate change, nuclear nonproliferation and artificial intelligence, among others.
«This year, that responsibility weighs even heavier than usual. Not only is our international order more polarized than it has been in decades, but it is fragmented at a time when we cannot afford division, given the reality that these are decisive years in our planet’s history,» Tokayev wrote.
He also noted that the decisions taken by global leaders over the next few months and years will resonate for decades, if not centuries.
What has Tokayev called for?
«My message, then, to my colleagues from around the world is that while we cannot disregard the immediate crises and concerns that consume so much of our time as leaders, we must never forget that we have a solemn responsibility to a future beyond our own political careers, beyond even our time on Earth,» he wrote.
Kazakhstan’s president also pointed out that the experience of recent years has shown that the world has been woefully underprepared for threats like the COVID-19 pandemic or climate change.
About nuclear weapons
«Perhaps the most terrifying of all these threats is that of nuclear annihilation — a threat that has become more apparent in recent months, as tensions between nuclear powers across the world have risen to levels unheard of since the darkest days of the Cold War,» Tokayev wrote in the article.
He underlined that as a country deeply affected by nuclear proliferation during those years, Kazakhstan has been at the forefront of global denuclearization efforts.
«Progress was made in this regard. Yet the fact that we continue to live only seconds away from existential collapse shows that, collectively, we failed to capitalize on the opportunity afforded by years of peacetime,» he wrote.
What has the president of Kazakhstan suggested? President Tokayev has proposed establishing a U.N. biological security agency to prepare the world for the pandemics of the future.
«We have been outspoken on global water and food security. We continue to work with our international partners to lay the foundations for the economy of the future, by searching for the most effective way of harnessing our significant deposits of uranium, lithium, rare earth metals and other critical minerals,» Tokayev said in the article.
He underlined that these efforts can be meaningful and effective only if they are truly internationalized.
«This will require vision, determination and foresight from leaders across the world. It is no small challenge, particularly in a world where globalization and the mass media have ratcheted up political pressure and polarization, near and far. Yet, if we are to chart a sustainable and prosperous course through human history, we do not have a choice but to think with the bigger picture in our mind,» Tokayev concluded in his article.
On September 19, many world leaders gathered in New York to take part in the 78th U.N. General Assembly devoted to major international issues covered by the U.S. Charter. Each of the 193 member states, including Kazakhstan, has a right to share its vision on the agenda.
