President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev calls for responsible approach to UN reform

The Head of State arrived at the NEST Congress Center to participate in a panel session of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2026). He called for a responsible approach to UN reform.

"In my view, we must be as pragmatic as possible when we speak about the need for UN reform. Otherwise, we will endlessly talk about being at a crossroads, about strategic values, and other issues. We hold numerous global and regional meetings, conferences, and so on. I also want to emphasize the important and positive role of so-called middle powers, which include Kazakhstan, Türkiye, and other countries. Of course, I am not going to boast that we are the best in the world. However, we demonstrate a high level of responsibility regarding global processes, both in practice and in diplomacy. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that today the middle powers often show greater responsibility than the major powers represented on the Security Council, which, unfortunately, often block solutions to key global problems," the Head of State emphasized.

Introducing the next question, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu recalled President Tokayev's extensive diplomatic experience.

"President Tokayev is one of the world's leaders. He knows the international system and, in particular, the United Nations. As you know, he served as UN Deputy Secretary-General. At that time, I was President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Working tirelessly for the benefit of brotherly Kazakhstan, our brotherly people, he is also doing everything possible to make the international system more effective and more relevant," the moderator noted.

The Head of State presented his vision for the future of the UN and other international institutions.

"We talk about regional and global conflicts, but at the same time, as a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, you may have noticed that all major negotiations take place outside the UN platform and other major international structures. People meet in certain capitals, in private conference halls, but not within UN walls. We do not see high-ranking UN officials acting as mediators in these conflicts. This is a serious problem. It is about the UN's diminishing role. I am very concerned about this, as I myself worked in the UN system and other international organizations. Everyone is now discussing who will be the next UN Secretary-General. I believe this is not so important. The real issue at hand is whether the system itself can survive in the form it exists today," the President stated.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for studying the impact of artificial intelligence on the activities of international organizations and underlined the need for fundamental reform of the global Organization.

"I have just mentioned that it looks very strange and perhaps even absurd, but it is the Security Council that prevents the resolution of the most essential international issues. People, diplomats, or politicians are forced to negotiate within other platforms. By the way, this issue was very eloquently raised by President Donald Trump last September at the General Assembly session, and I fully agree with him. He criticized the non-working teleprompter and the escalator at the UN Headquarters, saying that everything in the UN is broken. The most serious challenge, however, is that the entire peacekeeping process has been disrupted, both in the United Nations and in other structures. I am a committed supporter of multilateral diplomacy and still believe in the bright future of humanity united around the idea of justice as a central element of peacebuilding," the Kazakh President stated.

Earlier, Qazinform reported that as part of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev participated in the panel session on Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties. There, he named the key qualities of modern global leaders and shared his views on Middle East developments.