Page 915 – The Times Of Central Asia

09 Jan 2024

Environment, Kazakhstan Environment, Kazakhstan, Features, Kazakhstan Featurees

Kazakhstan to Plant Forests on a Million Hectares of Former Aral Seabed

October 7, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

On January 8^th, the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, Erlan Nysanbayev chaired a meeting on the implementation of instructions from the Head of State to plant saxaul shrub plantations on dried up sections of the Aral Sea. It was stated at the meeting that 500,000 hectares of the former seabed have been included in the lands of the state forest fund, and in 2023 afforestation work began on that area.

It was also emphasized that as climatic conditions are changing and the frequency and severity of storms increase, wind-borne salt and dust cause significant damage to areas adjacent to the Aral Sea and their inhabitants. Every year, more than 100 million tons of salt, dust and sand are blown from the bottom of the former Aral Sea and mix into the air. Kazakhstan’s part of the Aral is more saline than its Uzbek counterpart.

In order to improve the situation, President Tokayev has set the task of planting saxaul shrubs on 1.1 million hectares by 2025. This project has now been provided with the necessary infrastructure for preparing seeds for sowing and cultivation, and the necessary equipment has been purchased, the meeting heard.

Photo: Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources

Through joint efforts oy the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the administration of the Kyzylorda region, 544,500 hectares of saxaul have been sown over the past three years. This year, it is planned to plant on another 275,000 hectares.

As the decimation of the Aral Sea is a global problem, the Ministry cooperates with international organizations, including the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), the World Bank, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Korean Forest Service.

In the summer and autumn of 2021, specialists from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan exchanged their experiences in planting saxaul and other trees on the former Aral Sea, and a memorandum was signed for closer cooperation in afforestation of the region.

09 Jan 2024

Nomad Games, Kazakhstan Life & Culture, Kazakhstan, Features, Kazakhstan Featurees

Kazakhstan Prepares to Host Fifth World Nomad Games

August 21, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

On January 8^th, the Minister of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan, Yermek Marzhikpayev chaired a meeting on the progress of preparations for the fifth World Nomad Games, which are to be held in Kazakhstan later this year. The meeting was attended by the leadership of the Association of Traditional Sports, the directorate for the World Nomad Games, and the presidents of federations of traditional sports.

Marzhikpayev referred to President Tokayev, who in an interview with the Egemen Kazakhstan newspaper earlier this month stressed the importance for the nation of this major sporting event.

“To fulfill instructions of the Head of State, it is necessary to host the World Nomad Games at an outstanding level,” Marzhikpayev stated. “Therefore, we must clearly define what measures have been taken to date and what tasks lie ahead. All remaining problems must be resolved as soon as possible. Preparations for the Games are going according to plan. However, the training of national sports teams must be first-rate. It is necessary to provide athletes with high-quality conditions and fully resolve all financial issues.”

It is expected that delegations from more than a hundred countries will visit Kazakhstan for the games, which will include twenty competitive and ten demonstration events, with 110 sets of medals will being competed for. Equestrian sports, traditional wrestling, archery, bird hunting, and traditional intellectual games will all be included.

The World Nomad Games were initiated by the government of Kyrgyzstan in 2012 for the revival and preservation of the culture of nomadic civilizations. The First World Nomad Games were held in September 2014 in the resort city of Cholpon-Ata on Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan.

09 Jan 2024

Kazakhstan, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Kazakhstan to Host Sixth Digital Almaty Forum

October 8, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

The forum, Digital Almaty 2024, “Industry X: the Digital Evolution of the Future,” will be held in Almaty from February 1^st to 3^rd, bringing together officials from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), leading experts and entrepreneurs to exchange ideas aimed at creating a new era of digital industry.

The Forum will also include Industry 4.0 Startup Battle – a large-scale challenge for the title of best industrial startup – and an exhibition of Kazakhstan’s largest subsoil users, technology parks, and technology companies that will share their experience about projects in the IT ecosystem.

Panel discussions will feature more than 200 speakers, including international experts, industry leaders, and leading innovators in IT and business.

“The Digital Almaty International Forum annually brings together the world’s leading experts from fifteen countries,” Bagdat Mussin, the Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan said. “In the new year, new digital solutions are needed that will help improve business processes. This platform provides ample opportunities for the presentation and discussion of key trends, projects, and technologies in this industry.”

The organizers of Digital Almaty are the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Almaty municipality, and the Autonomous Cluster Fund “Park of Innovative Technologies” (Tech Garden).

09 Jan 2024

Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan Business & Economy, Business & Economy

Uzbekistan Taking Measures to Increase Employment

June 28, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

At a government meeting on January 8^th, President Mirziyoyev listened to proposals aimed at increasing levels of employment in the country. According to official statistics, the number of unemployed in now stands at 1.3 million, and this year another 2.4 million people will enter the domestic labor market.

Taking this into account, officials said that this year they will create sustainable and well-paid jobs for five million people, including 2.5 million in the services sector, 2.1 million in agriculture, 250,000 in investment projects and industry, and 140,000 in construction. In addition, it is planned to involve two million people in business through the widespread introduction of new financial instruments, including a new microfinance system.

At the meeting, the importance of vocational training for those without work experience was emphasized; 2024 has been declared the “Year of Support for Youth and Business,” with a focus on establishing more favorable conditions for doing business in the country.

09 Jan 2024

Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan Life & Culture

Introduction of Separate Collection of Household Waste to Begin

June 28, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

Starting this year, a system for the separate collection of household waste will begin in Tashkent and several other regions. Residents will be provided with free packaging for the sorting of waste, and a system of rewards will be introduced for recycled materials.

In accordance with a decree issued by President Mirziyoyev on January 4^th, this will be implemented in stages from 2024 to 2026 at garbage collection sites (SMEs) near multi-story buildings in Tashkent, Angren, Andijan, Bukhara and Termez, as well as in the Tashkent district.

According to the decree, by July 1^st, sanitary cleaning enterprises must provide residents of these territories with free garbage bags with a QR code of three types: transparent for recyclable solid waste, black for non-recyclable solid waste, and brown for food waste. The decree also states that sanitary cleaning enterprises will purchase recyclable household waste at garbage collection sites. It is expected that this decision will lead to an increase in recycling, and a decrease in waste.

09 Jan 2024

Kazakhstan Life & Culture, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Tourism Rapidly Expanding in Kazakhstan

June 28, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

According to the Bureau of National Statistics, in the first nine months of last year, the number of foreign tourists visiting Kazakhstan increased by 37%, reaching 834,900 people. The geography of places visited is also expanding every year. “Kazakhstan, in addition to its closest neighbors, has also been visited by travelers from far-flung countries,” the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan, Yerzhan Yerkimbayev stated.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, for the period from January to September 2023, the largest number of tourists to visit Kazakhstan, 356,850, came from the Russian Federation. In second place were Chinese tourists, who numbered 75,131 people. The third place was taken by travelers from Turkey – 41,134 people, in fourth came India (34,757), and in fifth came and the U.S.A. (28,160), which entered the top five for the first time.