Politics & pop: Rare UN photos of Dimash & leaders unveiled

A photo exhibition has opened in Astana to mark the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. The exhibition features 80 historical photographs highlighting key moments in the UN’s work, many of which have never been published or widely seen before.

Among the images are photographs of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, former President Nursultan Nazarbayev and People’s Artist of Kazakhstan Dimash Qudaibergen.

One photo (below), taken in September 1948, shows the start of construction on the permanent UN headquarters in New York. Acting Secretary-General Benjamin Cohen attended the ceremony and officially launched the project.

Another image from 1980 documents the World Health Organization’s confirmation of the eradication of smallpox, three years after the last known case.

A 2020 photo shows UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, shortly after a global emergency was declared.

Kazakhstan’s own UN history is also represented. The country was admitted to the organization on March 2, 1992, becoming the UN’s 168th member state.

Eight other nations joined that year as well: Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia and San Marino.

One photograph shows Akmaral Arystanbekova, Kazakhstan’s first permanent representative to the UN, who presented her credentials to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on June 6, 1992.

A separate photo shows Arystanbekova presenting a traditional Kazakh shapan to Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1999 as she concluded her term as Kazakhstan’s UN representative.

The exhibition also includes a photo of President Tokayev speaking online with Secretary-General Guterres in 2021.

Another 2024 photo, taken in Astana by photographer Ospan Ali, shows Guterres meeting renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen, who serves as a goodwill ambassador for the International Organization for Migration in the region.

The exhibition will run at the Presidential Center in Astana through Dec. 12, 2025. Address: 1A Alikhan Bokeikhan St.