The VI International Scientific and Practical Conference "Renaissance of the Reading Nation" took place in Almaty, organized by the International Center for Cultural Integration under the auspices of UNESCO.
The event brought together scholars and writers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Russia and France, who discussed the development of national literatures, the strengthening of intercultural dialogue and their impact on the formation of knowledge societies in the 21st century.
The conference was organized as part of UNESCO's Medium-Term Strategy for 2022-2029, with a focus on implementing the ideas of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, as well as supporting UNESCO's initiatives to create knowledge-based societies.
Among the participants were the Director of the International Center for Cultural Integration under the auspices of UNESCO, People's Writer of Kazakhstan and poet Olzhas Suleimenov, Vice President of the Turkic Academy Askhat Kessikbayev, Knight of the Order of Academic Palms of France, historian and professor Albert Fischer, People's Writer of Azerbaijan Elmira Akhundova and the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty Amir Pirich.
In his speech, Askhat Kessikbayev conveyed a greeting from the President of the Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev, highlighting the key achievements of the organization in the current year. He noted that the Turkic Academy is systematically engaged in the study, publication and popularization of works in the field of Turkology. Its library holds around 70,000 valuable works, collected from the personal archives of prominent scholars such as Abduali Kaidar, Rabiga Syzdyk, Ahmet Zeki Velidi Togan and Istvan Kongur Mandoki, as well as from leading academic and cultural centers.
Electronic versions of the Academy's publications are available on its official website, while the unique portal "Atalar Mirasy" (Heritage of Ancestors) offers access to materials covering over three thousand years of history and culture of Turkic peoples, including texts, transcriptions, translations, and facsimiles.
In 2023, the Academy published a significant number of scientific works, and in 2024, within the framework of 37 projects, it plans to publish over 50 books dedicated to the study and preservation of the rich cultural heritage of the Turkic world.
The conference marked an important step in promoting the idea of a "reading nation" and strengthening cultural ties between nations.
As part of the conference, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Turkic Academy and the International Center for Cultural Integration under the auspices of UNESCO.
