United Nations Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites presented in Astana

The event was opened by UN Deputy Secretary General and High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Ángel Moratinos and Speaker of the Senate of the Kazakh Parliament Maulen Ashimbayev.

Addressing the session, Ashimbayev, who also heads the Secretariat of the Congress, underlined the Alliance’s important mission in fostering dialogue among nations, cultures and religions for the benefit of humanity. He noted that throughout 20 years, the Alliance has been significantly contributing to preventing extremism, fighting religious discrimination and strengthening the culture of peace.

He also underscored that the session became a logical continuation of the 10th Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, held in Portugal in November 2024, and focused on urgent global challenges and approaches to their settlement.

In his remarks Ashimbayev noted that throughout history, the temples and spiritual sites of different religions have coexisted peacefully in Kazakhstan, remaining an integral part of the country’s cultural heritage.

“All these sacred places are an essential part of the history of our nation and represent a priceless spiritual and cultural heritage. We attach great importance to their preservation and protection,” said he.

The Senate Speaker emphasized that Kazakhstan supports the 2023 UN General Assembly resolution on Promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech, as well as the United Nations Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites.

As part of the open dialogue, religious leaders and government officials also exchanged views on the need to develop coordinated approaches to ensuring the safety of religious buildings and places of worship. Participants voiced deep concern over the growing threats towards places of worship, shrines and religious institutions across many regions of the world. The rise in vandalism, desecration and violence fueled by religious intolerance was highlighted, requiring an immediate and coordinated response from the international community. In this context, participants issued a unified call to strengthen global partnerships among religious organizations, governments and international institutions, while emphasizing the need to develop sustainable legal and institutional mechanisms for the protection of sacred sites.

The session underscored that safeguarding these sites is a common responsibility of the entire world community, and the Congress serves as a unique platform where spiritual and political leaders can join forces to promote the ideas of tolerance and mutual respect

In turn, UN Deputy Secretary-General, High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Ángel Moratinos highly appreciated the steps taken by Kazakhstan to ensure peace and stability at the global level. He also expressed readiness to assist in the implementation of joint initiatives in this direction.

The special session also featured a presentation of the United Nations Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites, developed under the leadership of Miguel Ángel Moratinos. The document includes specific measures to safeguard places of worship, protect religious communities, strengthen legal mechanisms and promote universal values ​​of mutual respect and solidarity.

On the same day, Maulen Ashimbaev and Miguel Ángel Moratinos held a bilateral meeting. The parties explored the prospects for cooperation in key areas, in particular, in coordinating efforts to strengthen interreligious harmony and advance global dialogue of civilizations. Discussions also focused on the  joint efforts to tackle the problems related to education, youth development, migration, the role of women and mass media.

Earlier it was reported that the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions held its 23rd session in Astana.