al-Farabi KazNU celebrates the 70th anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

December 11, 2018. Al-Farabi Kazakh National University held a round table dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the “UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.

The jubilee event was organized jointly by the UNESCO Chair, the Faculty of Journalism, UNESCO Chair for Sustainable Development, Global Hub of UNAI on Sustainability, and the Ban Ki-moon Institute for Sustainable Development at KazNU. The round table was attended by heads and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the UNESCO, and UNAI in Almaty, as well as young scientists, undergraduates and doctoral students from various universities in Kazakhstan. In addition, the work of the round table was simultaneously broadcast on the international communication platform G-Global and was available to listeners online.

The agenda of the round table included discussing the UN activities on the implementation of the principles of the “UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights” in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

The round table was opened by Professor Rafis Abazov, the Director of the Ban Ki-moon Institute of Sustainable Development. On behalf of the organizers of the event, he congratulated all the participants highlighting this significance of the date, which the whole world celebrates. In his presentation, he focused on the analysis of the activities of youth structures in Kazakhstan, such as the UN Model - New Silk Road in strengthening peace and human rights in Central and South Asia.

The presentation by Arina Myasoed, specialist of the social and humanities sector of the UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty discussed the work of the UNESCO Chair, International Media Journalism in Society, the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Development, KazNU and colleagues from the UN Sector working for Sustainable Development for their relentless attention to human rights issues and issues. The presentation voiced valuable thoughts about the importance of the role of the state in setting standards of culture, politics, as well as human values ​​that carry the principles of the “UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.

Mr. Vlastimil Samek, a representative of the UN Department of Public Information in Kazakhstan addressed the participants via a video teleconference. They noted the special significance of the existence of the “UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, “this is an event in itself,” he said.

Mr. Bultrikov Ruslan, the Head of the Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Almaty, congratulated all those present on the date of adoption of the Declaration. He provided brief history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the events of 1948, when this important historical document was adopted at the UN meeting. He also informed about an important event - the passage by Kazakhstan of the Third Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights, scheduled for early November 2019. In this regard, Mr. Bultrikov appealed to experts, representatives of civil society and the scientific community to assist in the preparation of the National Report in the framework of the Third Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights. The speaker also informed the audience that Kazakhstan presented his candidature for membership in the UN Human Rights Council for 2022-2024.

Prof. Galiya Ibraeva, the director of the Global Hub of UNAI on Sustainability informed the participants about the activities of UNAI in Kazakhstan on promoting the ideas of the Universal Declaration for the Program on Sustainable Development. She also highlight the role of women recalling that Eleanor Roosevelt, who headed the Drafting Committee, worked on the document from the beginning of the negotiations of the Declaration.

Prof. Vitali Salnikov, the dean of the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Management of KazNU said: “The Declaration of Human Rights” is a system-forming program. Here is a specific process that requires an active citizenship ... Human rights are conscious freedom. Our freedom must not infringe upon the rights of another person ...”

In his speech, Professor Nurgul Shyngysova, the head of the department of UNESCO, and international journalism and media noted the importance of Art. 26 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights covering the Education. These rights underlying the Declaration are also in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-4).

Professor Tursubkul Bazarbayeva, the head of the UNESCO Department of Sustainable Development at KazNU highlighted the value of education in modern society in general and education for sustainable development in particular. The speaker noted the prospects of the goals and objectives of SDGs for the younger generation.

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