ASTANA (TCA) — At a press conference during the Astana Economic Forum on May 26, UN Assistant Secretary-General, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS (RBEC) Cihan Sultanoglu praised Kazakhstan’s determination to green its economy and purposeful work which the country carries out in this area, the UNDP in Kazakhstan reported.
“Kazakhstan is serious about low-carbon development. The country developed a concept on transitioning to a ‘green’ economy in 2013. In Paris Kazakhstan declared readiness to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25% and set an ambitious target of covering 30% of its energy need from renewables and alternative energy sources by 2030 as well as announced the Green Bridge initiative, which will facilitate the transfer of green technologies and practices,” said Cihan Sultanoglu.
The Assistant Administrator pointed out in her address to the media that such initiatives are part of a broader Sustainable Development Agenda which world leaders adopted at a historic UN Summit in New York in 2015. The agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals, many of which are designed to deal with climate change; introduce greener practices in the world as a way to adjust to climate change and neutralize its effects on people’s lives and on nature.
“The President of Kazakhstan proposed opening an International Centre for the Development of Green Technologies under the UN auspices in Astana. And UNDP, as a long-standing partner of Kazakhstan, is here to support the country in reaching its goals, including through recently launched cooperation with the Astana International Financial Centre,” the Assistant Administrator said.
As UNDP celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2016, it stands ready to support Kazakhstan’s national development strategies such as Kazakhstan-2050 vision, the five institutional reforms and the “100 Concrete Steps”. UNDP’s joint work with the Government over these past 23 years of partnership contributed to empowering women, men and youth, creating economic opportunities for vulnerable people, developing modern public institutions, and diversifying the economic base.
“The 100 Concrete Steps reform of President Nazarbayev calls for ‘national champions’ – for example, the leaders of small and medium-sized businesses in non-extractive sectors of the economy. UNDP is contributing to this agenda by working with crafts women and men across regions of Kazakhstan, and helping them improve their products and value chains. The hope is that they will be able to sell their products on international platforms such as EXPO 2017. In the medium to long-term run, such initiatives enable ordinary people to take fuller ownership of their lives, create better livelihoods for themselves and expand their economic opportunities,” Cihan Sultanoglu said.
