On September 8, 2025, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, delivered his Annual Address to the people of Kazakhstan. This is a new strategic document for the upcoming business year, outlining the key directions for the further national development of our country. In this regard, the head of the International Human Rights Protection Center, Zhandilda Zhakupov, expressed his response as a professional mediator to this Address:

“The Address of the President of Kazakhstan as an Impulse for the Development of Mediation and the Strengthening of National Unity”

Every year, with the beginning of the academic year, we anticipate not only September 1, but also the President’s Address. Traditionally, the Head of State delivers an Address to the people of Kazakhstan, where he sets priorities and emphasizes the changes that must be implemented in various spheres of activity — the economy, the work of state bodies, and public institutions. The President draws attention to the areas that require development and to the measures that need to be undertaken.

This year, a number of points in the Address of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, were devoted to issues of international relations, as well as the need to preserve unity, ensure stable socio-economic development, and strengthen the country’s security. From the standpoint of my professional activity, I would like to focus on several points that were voiced by the Head of State in this Address.

The President emphasized that in today’s world contradictions between global powers and international associations are deepening. Tensions and aggressiveness in international relations are intensifying, and the number of wars and conflicts across different parts of the globe is increasing. In this regard, the tool of mediation and negotiations using mediative techniques once again comes to the forefront, becoming both relevant and in demand.

Therefore, it is necessary to continue developing the Institute of Mediation, which can grow into an international body with enormous potential for constructive resolution of contradictions and disagreements — both at the local level, between neighbors or within families, and at the interstate level. The President of Kazakhstan noted that the Western concept of multiculturalism and harmony is currently experiencing a crisis, while the foundations of national cultures and traditions are being eroded under the influence of destructive globalist forces. Under such conditions, one of the major challenges of modern times is precisely the resolution of disputes and conflicts. The Institute of Mediation can be effectively used to address these tasks.

The President outlined his main mission as ensuring the stable socio-economic development and security of Kazakhstan during turbulent and dangerous times. In this context, mediation is a tool that has proven its effectiveness, and it must find broad application in all spheres of society and state activity.

Analyzing the Address, it is impossible not to note that much attention was devoted to investment development and the necessity of attracting large-scale investments. The President considers it essential to launch a new investment cycle. In this regard, the experience of neighboring Uzbekistan deserves attention, where mandatory application of mediation is provided for in the resolution of investment disputes. Kazakhstan should carefully study this experience, as well as the practices of other countries, in order to build a system of prevention and resolution of conflicts in the investment sphere. According to the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Investments and Investment Activity,” investment disputes must be subject to mandatory mediation before a lawsuit can be filed in court.

The President also reported that during his recent visit to China, multibillion-dollar agreements were signed with world-class companies. Here, particular significance is attached to the China Mediation Convention recently signed by 33 countries. This is the first international institution that elevates mediation to the interstate level (IOMed). Kazakhstan has not yet participated in the signing ceremony; however, the issue of joining the Convention is being studied and considered.

I personally took part in a working meeting of the Ministry of Culture and Information with the Ambassador of China on these matters and expressed my position on the need for a thorough analysis of the Convention. It is necessary to consider what opportunities and prospects it may bring to Kazakhstan and, in the near future, to determine the format of our country’s participation in it. Today, China is taking steps to create an international association of mediators who provide services at the interstate level for commercial and other disputes in which one of the parties is a state.

Kazakhstan cannot remain on the sidelines of these global processes, especially since the Institute of Mediation in our country has already been developing for 14 years under the Law “On Mediation.” We must keep pace, analyze and study international experience, and not remain apart from such large-scale initiatives. Since the Convention is open for signing, Kazakhstan should consider the possibility of becoming one of its founding members and, from the early stages, participate in the development of conceptual and foundational documents of this community.

The President once again emphasized a simple truth: for lasting peace and universal progress, compromises must be sought. As folk wisdom says, “a bad peace is better than a good quarrel.” This proverb is one of the key principles underlying the institution of mediation.

The President also noted that the United Nations must serve as the main platform for negotiations aimed at a just resolution of pressing international problems. In the near future, he plans to speak at the jubilee session of the UN General Assembly in New York and present his vision of the international situation as well as proposals for reforming the Organization. We hope that these proposals will also reflect Kazakhstan’s positions on the development of mediation.

In concluding his Address, the President once again stressed the importance of strengthening sovereignty, preserving the country’s territorial integrity, and maintaining unshakable unity. He called on all compatriots to remember: if the people remain united and internal stability is preserved, Kazakhstan will be able to overcome any difficulties and withstand the most serious challenges.

As the head of the Mediation Center of the International Human Rights Protection Center, and as a professional mediator, I am glad that such important issues are consistently reflected in the President’s Addresses. He attaches great importance to issues of ethnomediation and intercultural interaction, which is especially significant in the work of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan and the Council of Ethnomediation of Almaty.

We are ready to continue working in this direction: developing mediation, conducting research, and expanding joint activities with the House of Friendship in Almaty and the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan. We will propose new ideas, relying on professional experience — fifteen years of practice as a mediator and trainer, as well as thirty years of legal work and conflict resolution experience in law enforcement.

Chairman of the Council of Ethnomediation, Almaty
President of the International Human Rights Protection Center
Trainer-Mediator
Zhandilda Zhakupov