Photo exhibition “UN – 80: Unfiltered” opens in Astana

The event was organized by the Presidential Center jointly with the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan. It became part of a series of jubilee events devoted to the Organization’s landmark anniversary.

The exhibition “UN – 80: Unfiltered” includes rare and previously unpublished archival photographs that show the Organization “without filters” — from behind-the-scenes diplomatic missions to humanitarian operations in the field.

Speaking at the event, UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan Sarangoo Radnaaragchaa highlighted a special section of the exhibition titled “UN and Me”, which showcases the impact of the UN’s work through the lives of people across different communities:

“The section on ‘UN and Me’ is about whatever we do as a UN — it’s for the people, it’s for the target groups. This is a reflection of how each of the stakeholders, be it the young people from rural areas, or the doctors working in hospitals, are working together with the UN. So this is like a moment of real action.”

Sarangoo Radnaaragchaa also shared that around 100,000 people in Kazakhstan benefit each year from the UN’s capacity-building and economic empowerment programs:

“The UN has been operating in Kazakhstan for almost 30 years. Just one figure I will give you: in one year, for example, 100,000 people receive capacity-building training and access to economic opportunities.”

Commenting on the preparation of the exhibition, she noted that the UN archive served as a vast source of inspiration:

“As you can imagine, the UN archive is huge — it’s really a depository of years of documentaries, documents, photos, images. The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office supported the Presidential Center to select some of the very unique, never-before-published photos to display in this exhibition.”

Throughout 2025, the UN plans to continue its anniversary activities in Kazakhstan.

“We are continuing to organize lectures and joint initiatives with universities, the government, and the private sector. For example, earlier this year, we celebrated the UN 80th anniversary with a symphonic orchestra and also participated in a mural project at Shymbulak ski resort,” she said.

Asked about future plans, the Resident Coordinator revealed that the UN is working on a short documentary film dedicated to the Organization’s 80th anniversary:

“We will continue working also with some of the media to do the documentary… And actually you are giving me some ideas — why not to do something digital? I’m sure there will be some news on social media showing some of the images, but why not create some digital possibilities for many people to see.”

Earlier, it was reported that Astana hosted a concert marking the UN’s 80th anniversary, featuring the Yerkegali Rakhmadiyev Academic Symphony Orchestra.