Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations

The permanent representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations serves as Kazakhstan's chief diplomat at the United Nations. This person leads Kazakhstan's diplomatic mission in New York, engages in the work of the United Nations Security Council (when relevant), and delivers the country's positions in the United Nations General Assembly and other UN forums.

The Permanent Representative is appointed by the President of Kazakhstan, normally upon recommendation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a senior diplomatic post, the role involves advocating for Kazakhstan's foreign policy priorities at the United Nations.

Since September 2025, Erzhan Kazykhanov has held this position. Before his appointment, he was Assistant to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for International Affairs and has a long history of service in Kazakhstan's multilateral diplomacy.^[1]

The Republic of Kazakhstan became a 168th member of the United Nations on 2 March 1992, shortly after its independence. Soon after, Kazakhstan established a Permanent Mission in New York to represent its interests at the United Nations. On 15 April 1992, Akmaral Arystanbekova was appointed as Kazakhstan's first Permanent Representative to the United Nations under Presidential Decree No. 718,^[2] becoming the fourth woman ambassador among the 176 UN member states at that time.^[3]

Under Article 9 of Law No. 299 "On Diplomatic Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan" (7 March 2002), the President of Kazakhstan appoints and dismisses the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, who holds the rank of extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador. If the charter of the United Nations or another international organization requires a different procedure, the appointment may not be considered a political civil service position.^[4] The Presidential Decree No. 1287 of 4 February 2004, "On the Approval of the Regulation on Diplomatic and Equivalent Representative Offices of the Republic of Kazakhstan", further establishes the legal framework for Kazakhstan's diplomatic and permanent representative missions abroad, recognizing them as equivalent in status to embassies.^[5]

The Permanent Representative serves as the chief diplomat of Kazakhstan at the United Nations, representing the country in the General Assembly, participating in Security Council work when applicable, and engaging with other UN bodies.