Within the framework of the joint project "Sustainable Development of the System of Social Protection of the Population: Promotion of Programmes on Social Integration and Inclusion," UNDP inaugurated a centre for employment and professional rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.

I joined the UNDP Kazakhstan team in 2020. For me, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities has always been a day closer to sadness, arousing memories of being excluded from society due to my disability. Therefore, when my interview for this UN Volunteer assignment was scheduled close to the day, I felt this was ironic.  However, I was successful, and since the start of the assignment, my perspective on how the world sees people with disabilities has changed.

Since 2018 the Astana Civil Service Hub (ACSH), a flagship initiative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Kazakhstan has grown to become an important and valued knowledge exchange platform for 40 participating countries. 

During 2020, the WHO Country Office in Kazakhstan initiated and conducted several missions in collaboration with Dr Joanna Zwetyenga (Denmark), Technical Expert on Laboratory issues, Biosecurity and Biosafety from the WHO Regional Office in Europe. The first mission concluded with Dr Zwetyenga developing an action plan to strengthen laboratory response to COVID-19, with recommendations to train national mentors to support the laboratory capacity of staff conducting testing for SARS-CoV-2.

I have served as an Online Volunteer with the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme, partaking in emergency mapping, women’s rights advocacy, NGO funding, creating learning opportunities for people in poverty, rare bird species conservation and much more. 

Dina is one of seven people selected for international volunteering in the framework of an agreement between the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and Kazakhstan. Knowledgeable young expert that she is, Dina is quickly adjusting to the UN environment and gaining sound experience in the field of international politics. Born and raised in Kazakhstan, the now 26-year-old volunteer serves at the UNDP office in Istanbul.

The initiative of the Head of State to declare this year the Year of the Volunteer is a great incentive for the development of the volunteer movement, especially during this pandemic. Under the aegis of the republican front office Birgemiz, volunteer headquarters were created, hotlines were established and about 40 thousand volunteers were involved in providing targeted assistance to socially-vulnerable segments of the population. As a result, during the state of emergency, assistance was provided to almost one million citizens in difficult situations.

The project focuses on development measures to contribute to prevention of violent extremism through in-country activities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. At the same time, all countries of Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, are taking part in the activities envisaged within the regional component of the initiative. The project is spearheaded by UNDP Kazakhstan, which works closely with the respective UNDP country offices and UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub (for regional components).

The UNDP project "Conservation and sustainable management of key globally-significant ecosystems for various benefits" started in Kazakhstan in 2019. It introduces a new, conservation-centered and financially self-sufficient approach to the management of forests, climate and land integrity, particularly in the pilot biodiversity areas of Zhambyl and Turkestan.