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Kazakhstan’s president said on Saturday that he has canceled a major international forum scheduled for June in Astana so that the country can tackle nationwide floods. “Due to the severe flooding in Kazakhstan and the need to allocate financial resources for the relief efforts and aid for affected citizens, I have made the decision to cancel the Astana International Forum that was scheduled for June 13-14 this year,” President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a statement. “I sincerely hope that the invited participants will treat this decision with understanding. The Astana International Forum will resume its activities in 2025,” Tokayev said. Floods in many regions of Kazakhstan since last month have forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and disrupted transport and communication links. The president has described the floods as Kazakhstan’s worst natural disaster in 80 years. First launched in 2008 as an economic forum, the Astana International Forum aims to attract senior officials from governments, business and other institutions to discuss pressing challenges, such as climate change, food shortages, and energy security.
A fringe group of Kazakh politicians are in favor of imprisoning people for supporting LGBT rights and freedoms. Members of parliament Yedil Zhanbyrshin and Samat Musabayev are proposing an amendment to Article 174 of Kazakhstan's Criminal Code, which ostensibly concerns the 'incitement of discord'. Their idea, reports Tengrinews.kz, is to add the phrase: "including by propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations." The penalties for violating this article range from fines of between $16,200 and $57,500, to a prison term of up to seven years. Zhanbyrshin and Musabayev claim that in Kazakhstani society, a traditional family means a man and a woman, and their children -- including adopted children. In turn, however, members of the Mazhilis (lower house of parliament) have emphasized that the word family, according to the law "On Marriage (Matrimony) and Family," relates to a circle of persons bound by property and personal non-property rights, and obligations arising from marriage. Two other members of the Mazhilis, Askhat Aimagambetov and Zhanarbek Ashimzhanov, from the Amanat Party, have proposed a ban on the media mentioning LGBT people, and to close or suspend any outlet that did. This amendment was also included in the draft law "On Mass Media," which is currently under consideration.
In an enlightened new initiative to attract international attention to the country’s rich cultural and historical heritage, the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan has supported the creation of an information and educational portal on Qazaq Culture. Available in the six official languages of the United Nations, as well as Kazakh and Turkish, the portal offers a unique and comprehensive insight into Kazakhstan’s many diverse regions. Visitors to the site will be afforded a virtual exploration of the country’s landmarks and attractions in the section, ‘Culture of Kazakhstan Through the Prism of Artificial Intelligence’, and delve deeper into its heritage by accessing source material and publications held in the Archive Fund of Kazakhstan. In addition to a cultural news blog covering a vibrant array of festivals, contests, film and theatre premieres, books, and art exhibitions, the website will feature a single ticket system for all the cultural facilities in Kazakhstan.
Due to an unprecedented demand, U.K. package tours, organized by Regent Holidays and Wild Frontiers, to attend the Fifth World Nomad Games in Astana from 8-14 September 2024, have already sold out. The news, reported by Kazakh Tourism, is perhaps not surprising given that the magazine 'Wanderlust', listed Kazakhstan as one of its top 24 destinations in 2024 on account of the country's hosting the event. With reference to Kazakhstan being the only Central Asian country to make the list, Kairat Sadvakasov, chairman of the board of Kazakh Tourism, commented, "Year after year, Kazakhstan is becoming a center of attraction for foreign tourists. That's because we are a relatively new destination, particularly for American [and] European readers of Wanderlust. To appear on the publication's list shows great progress in the development of our tourist industry. It's also important for us to let everyone know about the World Nomad Games in our capital city. We hope that (it) we will open up a new perspective on Kazakhstan and especially, Astana." The World Nomad Games are international competitions in indigenous ethnic sports historically played by nomadic peoples. Aimed to support the development of ethno-sports and ethno-cultural development, the Games are included in UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. Comprising 20 sports, this year's event will involve some 3,000 competitors from more than 100 countries. Costing $17.9 million to present, the Games are expected to attract 20,000 foreign spectators.
Kazakhstan's steppe is now home to booming numbers of saiga antelope, with the country's authorities and environmentalists pulling together to revive the country's iconic species. News that the saiga population is no longer classified as "endangered" has reached the Hollywood actor Leonardo diCaprio, who recently wrote on his Instagram page: "This unprecedented recovery reflects the remarkable conservation of saigas in Kazakhstan. A species that once numbered 48,000 in 2005 has now grown to over 1.9 million individuals in the wild." The animal is, however, still listed as "threatened" in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh Ministry of Ecology estimates that the saiga population will rise above 2.6 million after the calving season this year. However, as their number has grown, the Kazakh authorities have reclassified the saiga as a species that may be hunted. Environmental scientists in the West Kazakhstan region have calculated that around 340,000 adult saigas -- around 18% of the population -- can be culled this year, to which end over 40,000 have already been killed. Saiga meat is sold in stores and bazaars in Kazakhstan, often to be used in stews, and is also found online on the Russian marketplace Ozon. Kazakh society is divided about the treatment of these indigenous antelopes. Some support the cull by pointing out the damage that they cause to crops, which lost the West Kazakhstan region alone over $25 million last year. Others argue that saiga hunting, if not properly regulated, could lead to poaching and the resale of saiga antlers on the black market. This could lead to another drastic decline in a species that has been thriving in recent years.
On April 2nd, Astana hosted the “2024 Kazakhstan-Korea Drone Roadshow” which included a seminar on the development of UAVs and the creation of the Kazakhstan-Korea Drone Competence Development Academy. As reported by the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Construction, advanced solutions were presented for the use of drones in various fields, training of drone operators, and the control and supervision of the use of UAVs. The seminar also covered the development and improvement of regulatory documents and discussions on Kazakh-Korean cooperation in UAV development. According to the ministry, the event will help Kazakhstan join the leading number of countries involved in the development and use of unmanned aerial systems.
