At 73 years old, Tynyshbay Dossymbekov is not a typical retiree. Instead of spending his days in quiet solitude, he made a choice to volunteer with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Tynyshbay joined a team of experts working on the development of the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve, a project under the UN’s environmental protection initiative. To him, age is no barrier, and what truly matters is compassion and commitment. That's precisely what he's doing as a UN Volunteer.Intergenerational volunteering is a unique opportunity for people of different ages and experiences to come together and lift their communities. Despite his age, what Tynyshbay brings to the table is unique—a wealth of experience and a deep passion for conserving nature.Tynyshbay was born in the village of Bakbakty, located in Almaty’s Balkhash District, which is named after Lake Balkhash, one of the largest lakes in Asia. His professional journey began as a driver, but soon he enrolled at the Veterinary University and specialized in zoo-engineering. After graduation, Tynyshbay was assigned to the Bakanas Sheep Breeding State Farm in the Balkhash District. His innovative approach quickly led to his appointment as team leader of a youth livestock brigade."At that time, livestock farming was considered a core industry. We formed youth teams and raised a young generation under new conditions."At 34, he became the director of the local State Farm, transforming it into a profitable operation within three years by introducing efficient leasing and subcontracting systems. In 1991, he was appointed Head of the District Department of Agriculture and Food, and a year later, he became Akim (Governor) of Balkhash District. Over the next 16 years, he held various senior management positions, including Akim of Kerbulak and Koksu Districts in the Almaty Region.On his birthday in 2015, Tynyshbay decided to retire. "People asked me to stay, but I knew it was time to make space for the younger generation," he recalls. However, retirement didn't mean stepping away from the public sphere. Former residents of the districts he once governed often came to his home seeking guidance and support, something he never turned away from. His innate sense of duty, combined with Kazakh values, made volunteering but a natural choice.Tynyshbay became involved in various initiatives to restore the natural ecosystems in Kazakhstan, especially in Balkhash—the region where he was born and spent most of his life. By the 2010s, Tynyshbay observed a sharp decline in livestock farming and environmental degradation in the region.“My colleagues and I realized we could not just stand by. Kazakhstan once ranked third in the former Soviet Union in livestock production, an achievement built on a century of hard work by scientists. That legacy could not be lost.” Once driving through the Balkhash District, he noticed something rather drastic. During the 200-kilometre journey to the village of Kuygan, he encountered just one pheasant. He was surprised beyond comprehension, “There were no deer, no rabbits, no fish—nothing.”  The growing concern shared by Tynyshbay and others was the starting point of the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve, part of the UNDP’s project to improve the sustainability of protected areas in desert ecosystems. This vital ecological complex, encompassing the Ili River delta and the shores of Lake Balkhash, is the only remaining intact river delta ecosystem in Central Asia. However, scientists warn of an impending ecological crisis similar to the Aral Sea disaster, as Lake Balkhash is shrinking due to unsustainable irrigation and the construction of the Kapshagay Reservoir. Once a biodiversity haven, including the now-extinct Turan tiger last seen in the 1950s, the lake's ecosystem is increasingly under threat. In a conversation with Kazakhstan's youngest UN Volunteer, Mariya Romanova, Tynyshbay reminisces about the early days when UN experts brainstormed a project to ensure a stable food supply for the Turan tiger. "The initial plan was to kickstart this project in Kyzylorda, the former habitat of the now-extinct Amur tiger." After thorough evaluation, Balkhash district emerged as the top choice for the project, boasting 35 percent of Almaty region's agricultural land. Recognizing Tynyshbay's foresight, he was brought onboard as a UN Volunteer Project Coordinator."When we started, our first step was to raise awareness. It became one of the first challenges and obstacles we encountered at the very beginning. People were afraid, they thought that when we release tigers into the Reserve, they would eat everyone in the area, including livestock and people. Some believed we were going to bring in 200 tigers, which is simply impossible—how would you even capture that many?Tynyshbay shared the challenges at the onset of the project. Lack of awareness being the top challenge, and this is where a real effort was needed. How did he manage to overcome this? "I personally spoke to concerned people, and explained that the tiger is not a threat, but a symbol of ecological restoration. We agreed to start with four animals to gradually rebuild the population. I believe that by explaining things clearly and thoughtfully, we gain more trust. People will never be opposed to what they understand.”Alongside fellow UN Volunteers with UNDP, Tynyshbay spoke to local communities and authorities, emphasizing the tiger's crucial ecological role. He also pointed out the eight species now listed in the Red Book—biodiversity loss affects all.“If we do not do something now, we risk losing everything. People now rely on livestock for their livelihoods, but that is not sustainable either. Without water and biodiversity, the land itself begins to die. The Reserve can provide stable employment for locals and help boost eco-tourism in the region.”Financial gain does not hold importance for Tynyshbay—on the contrary, it's the environment. He works on water-related initiatives to help restore the ecosystem. “We drilled wells and conducted water surveys," he shares."We want to build a dam to preserve up to 30,000 hectares of irrigated land. Previously, 16,000 hectares of rice were sown, but today the number has lowered to only six. It is a catastrophe. If this continues, in three to four years there will be nothing left."Volunteering is deeply rooted in Central Asian culture with traditions like Asar and Zhylu zhinau compelling Kazakhs to support anyone in distress, whether they had lost their livestock, homes, or breadwinners. This sense of community and care has been passed down through generations and is evident in modern volunteering organizations throughout the region.“Volunteering made me realize that I want to leave a legacy after I pass away. I want my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to say: ‘My grandfather did this.’ You cannot take the material things of this world with you, but you can work for the benefit of society so that people remember you with kind words." Tynyshbay Dossymbekov is 73. He wants to make a difference in biodiversity and for the betterment of his region, and for that he volunteers. His message to all, especially the ones aspiring to be volunteers, is—look at the bigger picture and contribute through actions, not only words.“Respect for others, spiritual values, and contributions to society—that is what truly matters. I always said to myself, if you can do something, do it. And I did.” 

When Dmitry and Yuliya Volkov left Kazakhstan for seasonal work in the United Kingdom, they saw it mainly as a short-term opportunity to earn additional income. At the time, the couple was running a small flower shop, so the plan was simple: work, save, and return. What they did not expect was that everyday life on UK farms would change what they wanted to build back in Kazakhstan.“What stood out most while working abroad was how normal these habits were,” Yuliya recounts. “People brought their own cups as a matter of routine, sorted their waste without being asked, and businesses simply followed the same approach.”While working on farms, the Volkovs saw eco-friendly practices woven into everyday life. Alongside earning an income, they learned to value resources, waste less, follow clear standards, and pay attention to the small details that make quality possible.  “On the farm, you see how much effort goes into growing every berry and every leaf of lettuce. That teaches you not to waste anything. We apply this same principle in our business now,” Yuliya says. By the time they returned home, the couple knew they did not want to go back to business as usual. Upon returning to Kazakhstan, instead of continuing their flower shop business, the couple invested the savings they earned abroad into their new dream. They opened Green Cup, a warm and welcoming eco-friendly café in downtown Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital. For them, it was a chance to turn small, practical habits into something their community could experience every day.Green Cup offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere where customers can savour the rich aromas of coffee together with a delicious array of pastries. The café’s mission is to inspire a greener, more eco-friendly way of living in Kazakhstan. By creating this space, the family wants to show that small businesses can play a vital role in preserving the environment while serving the community.Places like Green Cup do exist in Astana, but there still aren’t many. For Dmitry and Yuliya, the café is a practical response to everyday problems they see around them – plastic waste, littered public spaces, limited waste sorting, and the heavy reliance on disposable products. They wanted the space to feel welcoming, not intimidating.  “We believe in friendly education about eco habits, not moralizing,” the Volkovs say. “We want to show our customers that integrating eco-friendly habits can be easy and fun.” So, instead of big statements, they focused on everyday choices that customers could try for themselves. Green Cup sorts waste, uses recycled and biodegradable packaging, offers a 15 per cent discount to anyone who brings a reusable cup, avoids plastic lids, reuses boxes and containers, keeps printing to a minimum, and sources ingredients from local producers. Each step is simple on its own, but together they reduce waste and set a new norm.“From the very beginning, we committed to using only biodegradable and recycled materials,” Yuliya explains. “We are working towards reaching a level where all waste generated by the café can be maximally recycled and repurposed.”Green Cup’s mission is tied to social impact, particularly the empowerment of women. The café offers a supportive workplace with flexible schedules, respect for personal circumstances, and stable income opportunities. New staff are trained as baristas from the start and encouraged to build confidence, contribute ideas, and take on more responsibility over time.  “We created an environment where women can grow without pressure or fear of making mistakes,” Yuliya says. For the Volkovs, sustainability is as much about people as it is about materials. 

To grow their initial investment, the couple took part in the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Green Grants Competition. Their idea was selected for a grant, which helped cover essential equipment for the café. Participants also received support from IOM to develop business plans and budgets, along with social media and marketing training to help them promote their businesses online.Though still new, Green Cup is already drawing people who care about the choices they make. Dmitry and Yuliya plan to expand waste sorting, build new eco-partnerships, and host simple community events that make greener habits feel doable, proving that what they learned abroad can translate into real change at home.To expand their initial investment, Dmitry and Yuliya participated in the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Green Grants Competition, launched under the “Safe Migration of Seasonal Workers from Central Asia to the UK” initiative, funded by UK International Development from the UK Government. Since 2024, this programme has supported seven returnees to develop small green businesses in their communities.This story was written by Aliya Kozhakhmetova, Senior Project Assistant with IOM Kazakhstan. 

Can feminism be rooted in national identity? A scholar, feminist, and human rights advocate, Aigerim Kussainkyzy from Kazakhstan, believes it can.Kussainkyzy is a 35-year-old senior lecturer and researcher at Maqsut Narikbayev University in Astana. Her approach blends academic rigor with activism, focusing on advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.Equally inspired by Eastern and Western thinkers, she seeks to integrate feminism with Kazakhstan’s tradition by promoting the idea that gender equality and women’s rights are closely tied to the country’s history and values.Addressing the “dream gaps”Born into a Kazakh-speaking family of teachers, Kussainkyzy developed a feminist perspective long before she understood the term.“When I was about 12, I told my physics teacher I wanted to be the first Kazakh female astronaut. She laughed and said, ‘Come on, you’re just a girl’,” she recalls.Kussainkyzy argues that discouraging moments like this highlight why societies must address not only pay gaps but also the 'dream gaps' that limit the aspirations of young girls worldwide. She explains that children up to the age of 5 have similar hopes and dreams. Afterward, their expectations become more gendered, slowly adhering to societal norms.“Most societies teach girls to stay at home or do caretaking professions and boys to excel in science or business, leading to the perpetuation of inequality. Even my father used to say, ‘girls should be girls and boys should be boys’. I was defiant, so I chose to study law. I wanted to fight back,” she recalls."Most societies teach girls to stay at home or do caretaking professions and boys to excel in science or business, leading to the perpetuation of inequality." – Aigerim KussainkyzyExcelling academically, Kussainkyzy earned scholarships that led to a Master’s in International Business Law from the University of Montreal and a PhD in Public Administration from Narxoz University in Almaty. When she became a university lecturer herself, she decided to inspire her students to dream big and challenge patriarchal limits.Building a powerful nation through education“If half of the nation is uneducated or unemployed, you cannot have a powerful nation,” she notes, quoting Nazipa Kulzhanova, Kazakhstan's first female journalist, translator, ethnographer, and educator who championed women’s rights during the first half of the 20th century.According to Kussainkyzy, 55% of present-day Kazakhstani scientists are women, yet while they dominate education and medicine, only 30% work in STEM fields. This is why she is actively pushing for more equal distribution of genders across the sectors, particularly in STEM, aligning her work with the “Full and equal decision-making power” area of the Beijing+30 Action Agenda, a voluntary, action-oriented platform to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda.Speaking about the principles outlined in the Beijing Declaration, she emphasizes that Kazakhstan was one of the first central Asian countries to establish a national entity to promote gender equality, and it was called the Commission on Women, Family and Demographic Policy in 1998.Changing the narrative around feminismSelf-identifying as a feminist, Kussainkyzy believes it is important to root her advocacy in her country’s tradition. Using the Kazakh language, she frames feminism as an integral part of the nation’s cultural fabric, countering stereotypes that portray it as negatively.“Many still have rigid ideas of how Kazakh women should look, dress, and behave. To connect with them, we must ground the feminist message in our culture and values,” she explains.A tragedy that inspired changeIn 2023, collaborating with a team of experts and public servants, she contributed to drafting a new law against domestic violence that criminalized battery and intentional harm. The public united and closely watched the open trial of a high-profile businessman and former politician who was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the murder of his wife.The Law on Strengthening Women’s Rights and Safety of Children was signed by the President of Kazakhstan in April 2024, marking a big victory for all women and girls across the country.“The law was a major step forward, but if I said violence is not only physical violence, I’d still get a lot of backlash. So our next big goal is to push for public recognition of all forms of domestic abuse: physical, but also sexual, emotional, and economic,“ Kussainkyzy says, outlining her path for the years to come.Notably, in July 2025, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev enacted a new law that imposes criminal penalties for stalking and forced marriage in Kazakhstan. These legal reforms underscore Kazakhstan's dedication to combating all forms of violence and aligning with international human rights standards.Embracing your criticsIn 2024, she moved from Almaty to Astana to pursue her second PhD, this time on gender equality, and to be closer to the decision-makers.“Criminalizing domestic violence was a crucial first step. Parliament is working on new anti-harassment legislation, which we hope will pass soon. The labor code doesn’t yet define harassment, so we’re working to add provisions to protect women in the workplace,” she says eagerly.Knowing that the real change won’t come without public support, Kussainkyzy and her students often engage in social media debates, hoping to influence younger generations of Kazakhs. Now and then, there is pushback, but she knows how to stand her ground.“Some people in Kazakhstan dislike me for being a feminist, it's often because they're afraid of gender equality. So, I tell them: don’t be afraid; it’s not about women being superior but equal. And we can achieve it together,” she says with a smile. This story is a part of the Beijing+30 regional communications campaign ‘Unstoppable’, aimed at marking the 30th commemoration of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The views expressed in this story are those of the protagonist and the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations.

On 25 November in Astana, the “End Violence” Film Festival was officially opened, marking the launch of the UN global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.”The festival is organized by the UN Country Team in Kazakhstan — the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNV, UN Women, and the Central Asian Alliance to End Gender-Based Violence, in partnership with inDrive and the Alternativa project.The festival programme features four full-length films — three fiction films and one documentary — from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Nepal. Screenings will take place in Astana and Shymkent and will be free of charge for the general public upon prior registration. From social norms to digital threats: the spectrum of violence is wideningAccording to UN data, one in three women worldwide experiences violence at least once in her lifetime, with approximately 1.3 billion people globally affected by different forms of violence. The problem remains widespread due to persistent stereotypes and social norms that continue to justify or silence violence.In 2025, the UN global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” focuses on the theme “Ending Digital Violence against All Women and Girls.” Today, the digital environment is becoming one of the most dangerous spaces — ranging from online abuse and harassment to the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, deepfakes, and gender-based disinformation.Fewer than 40 per cent of countries worldwide have laws that protect women from online harassment and abuse, leaving 1.8 billion women and girls effectively without legal protection.Collective action as the key to changeThe opening of the festival brought together representatives of international organizations, influencers, actors, experts, human rights defenders, and youth. Through the language of cinema, participants sought to draw attention to an issue that affects billions of people worldwide. The UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, Ms. Sarangoo Radnaaragchaa, emphasized that gender-based violence remains a challenge across all countries and cultures. She noted that changing societal attitudes requires diverse tools — including art and public dialogue — that help address complex issues and promote equality:“May the films presented at this festival not only move us emotionally, but also inspire action — toward respect, mutual support, and the creation of a world in which every woman and every girl feels safe.”The UNICEF Representative in Kazakhstan, Dr. Rashid Mustafa Sarwar, highlighted that children and adolescents are among the most vulnerable groups, particularly online. He stressed that it is the responsibility of society and the state to ensure a safe environment for every child’s development, so that every girl and every boy grows up knowing their rights are protected.The UNFPA Representative in Kazakhstan and UNFPA Country Director for Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, Chinwe Ogbonna, noted that digital violence often becomes an extension of offline threats. She underscored the need for more accessible support services, emphasizing that violence is a violation of human dignity regardless of where it occurs — within the family, the workplace, or online.“Digital violence causes serious harm to the health, safety, and well-being of survivors. It often extends beyond the online space — through stalking, harassment, physical violence, or even femicide. We must speak openly about this form of violence and strengthen digital literacy,” said Dr. Jerene Guven Gures, Head of the Central Asia Coordination Office of UN Women and Representative of UN Women in Kazakhstan.Representatives of UN Volunteers highlighted the important role of youth and volunteers as drivers of conversations on non-violence and equality. Cinema as a space to address what is often left unspokenAt the festival opening in Astana on 25 November, invited guests watched the film “Bauyryna Salu” by Askhat Kuchinchirekov — a drama about a boy who, according to an ancient Kazakh tradition, is raised by his grandmother. After her death, he returns to his parents and must rebuild relationships with people who are biologically close but emotionally distant. The film subtly reveals the complex emotions and experiences often left unspoken behind this tradition.The screening was followed by a discussion with actors and experts on gender-based violence. The film evoked a strong emotional response and served as a starting point for a broader conversation on how cultural traditions, social pressure, and the lack of systemic support affect people’s lives.Discussion participants — actor Aidos Auyesbayev, GBV expert Aigerim Kussainkyzy, and actor Aziz Beishenaliev, a HeForShe Central Asia ally — noted that art helps re-examine familiar social scenarios and bring to light topics that often remain taboo.In Shymkent, screenings began on 28 November with a film by Kyrgyz director Mirlan Abdykalykov, telling the story of 19-year-old Umut, who becomes an accidental victim of bride kidnapping — a practice often justified as a “tradition” but used today as a form of violence and coercion. Based on real stories of women and girls subjected to forced marriage, the film highlights how distorted cultural norms continue to destroy lives and futures.This screening was followed by a discussion with Tynchtik Abylkasymov, the film’s screenwriter, and Vera Zakutnaya, Executive Director of the Sana-Sezim Foundation. Why the festival matters for KazakhstanThe festival holds particular significance for Kazakhstan. As in many countries worldwide, cases of online harassment and digital violence are increasing, especially among young people. In response, Kazakhstan is strengthening efforts to ensure online safety by updating legislation, expanding digital literacy, and enhancing support services.The creative community also plays a critical role in raising socially important issues and fostering a culture of zero tolerance for violence. The “No Violence” Film Festival demonstrates how art and open dialogue can help address complex challenges and support those affected by violence.