Published on: 2026-10-25
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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October 24, 2026 Sustainable Development Goals
A forest protected from fires, schoolchildren rediscovering the joy of reading, a young refugee striving to become a doctor. These are just a few of the 30 stories presented in the photo exhibition and multimedia exposition “GLOCAL: Global Goals. People’s Destinies,” organized by the UN team in Kazakhstan in cooperation with the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The name GLOCAL is derived from the English words global and local. It reflects the main idea of the exhibition: global goals are realized through local actions. Through 30 portraits and personal stories, the exhibition tells about people and communities contributing to the sustainable development of Kazakhstan.
Sustainable development is not something we bring to people. It is something we create together with them.
The exhibition is dedicated to United Nations Day, which is celebrated on October 24. It offers visitors an opportunity to see, behind the goals and targets, primarily the people through whom real change happens. The fates and activities of the exhibition’s heroes show how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are brought to life.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, Sarango Radnarachha, noted: “It is here that global commitments are turned into concrete actions on the ground – and this is the main message of the exhibition we are opening today.”
“Sustainable development is not something we bring to people. It is something we create together with them. On this UN Day, let us celebrate not only the ideals that unite us, but also the people who bring them to life,” she added.
© UN-Kazakhstan Kudsia Azimi, a refugee from Afghanistan who opened a sewing studio.
The exhibition brings together stories of people from various parts of Kazakhstan – from Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, and Kyzylorda to settlements in the Karaganda, Akmolinsk, Turkestan, and Mangystau regions. These are stories of innovation, resilience, and a drive for change. The youngest participants are only 17 years old.
Among the heroes are a young inventor developing technology to convert air-polluting particles into pigments for printer cartridges; an entrepreneur using solar energy to obtain drinking water from the air; and a rural teacher, whose initiative increased students’ interest in reading from 15 to 35 percent. One young eco-activist collected more than 15,000 plastic caps to help pay for the treatment of two children.
The exhibition features no less impressive stories of a specialist who helped train over five thousand medical workers on vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV); a refugee from Afghanistan who revived her sewing business and participated in Eurasian Fashion Week; a craftswoman from Mangystau who taught traditional crafts to 145 rural women and people with disabilities; as well as a Kazakh military doctor who served in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon and contributed to strengthening international peace and security.
© UN-Kazakhstan Jasulan Tomubekov, an eco-activist who collected 15 thousand plastic caps to help pay for the treatment of two children.
These achievements demonstrate how personal initiative can change the destinies of individuals and the lives of entire communities. The GLOCAL exhibition reveals the interconnectedness between environmental protection, innovation, healthcare, education, human rights, and cooperation.
The exhibition also reflects the broader partnership between the UN and Kazakhstan under the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2026–2030. The framework outlines four strategic priorities – empowering people and strengthening institutions, a sustainable and inclusive economy, environmental sustainability, and enhancing social cohesion. These areas serve as the foundation for joint efforts to promote sustainable development in the country.
The First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Erzhan Ashikbayev, noted that the country has integrated the Sustainable Development Goals into its national development agenda by incorporating their tasks into state planning documents, including the National Development Plan of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2029.
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