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Cable Car in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s National Development Strategy 2050 and Green Economy Concept serve as the country’s strategic vision on inclusive sustainable development.

Kazakhstan’s economic growth has historically depended largely on the exploitation of fossil fuels. With 42.1 percent of the population residing in rural areas, the country is also a supplier of grains and oilseeds and has an ambitious livestock development programme. However, climate change, environmental degradation and waste pollution present significant threats. Kazakhstan is one of the biggest emitters of CO2 in the world in terms of emissions per capita. It is also flood-prone, exposed to extreme temperatures and impacted by glacier melting droughts. A lack of integrated waste management systems sees 86 percent of solid municipal waste (MSW) ending up in uncontrolled landfills and waste disposal sites. 

The government has taken progressive steps to promote sustainable development with ambitious targets set out in its National Development Strategy Kazakhstan 2050 and its Green Economy Concept, which guide the country on inclusive sustainable development. Targets include sourcing up to 30 percent of energy from renewables by 2030, increasing to 50 percent by 2050. More generally, Kazakhstan seeks to promote greater economic diversification through greening its economy.

PAGE work in Kazakhstan is aiming to contribute to the following SDGs: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) – through a focus on waste management and related energy and emission related challenges and opportunities; SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Production and Consumption), and SDG 15 (Life on Land) – through a focus on BATs.

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, PAGE facilitated discussions with national counterparts on green recovery options within Kazakhstan. To support a green economic recovery in the country, PAGE will focus on informing the Government’s economic recovery plan and working with key line ministries in the Green Economy Council, aiding the planning and implementation of related policies. This includes the mobilization of national policy experts and think tanks to support the Government in assessing the economic, social and environmental impacts of different policy options for a green recovery, potentially covering fiscal policy and trade, industry and SMEs, green jobs creation, emissions reduction, resource efficiency, and investment flows.

Based on the findings of the assessment work, PAGE will make policy recommendations that best support a green economic recovery. Public awareness initiatives on a green economic recovery, such as a TV series and peer learning events, will facilitate an exchange of information and experiences on the importance of a green economic recovery. PAGE will also conduct workshops to build the capacity of key institutions in the use of modelling tools. 

  • 2018

    Kazakhstan joins PAGE

  • 2019

    Inception mission, including meetings with ministries, private sector and civil society

    Validation workshop held for green economy stocktaking report and framework

    Inaugural meeting of national steering committee

    First PAGE workplan finalized

  • 2020

    Stakeholder discussion held on policy vision for waste chapter in Low Carbon Development Concept

    Kick-off meeting held with Pavlodar region on utilizing emission payments to promote green SMEs

    Low Carbon Development Concept stakeholder consultations held for waste sector

    Kick-off meeting held with expert team and MEGNR Resources for development of National Programme of Waste Management

    Environmental Permissions working-level consultations held

    Introductory online workshop conducted on Sustainable Public Procurement

    Fiscal policy analysis stakeholder consultations held on energy and housing and public utilities (HPU)

    Consultations held on legal and regulatory mechanisms to support the implementation of the revised Environmental Code

  • Support for the Low Carbon Development Concept

    In collaboration with GIZ, PAGE is assisting Kazakhstan in developing a ‘National Low Carbon Development Concept 2050 (LCDC)’, […]

  • Policy advice: green economic recovery

    In 2020, PAGE supported the UN’s COVID Response Management Team (CRMT) in Kazakhstan with policy advice to integrate the […]

  • Green fiscal policy analysis for NDC implementation

    PAGE is assisting with the development of fiscal policy analysis for specific sectors, which will contribute to NDC implementation […]

  • Technical support to implement the new EcoCode

    The country’s Environmental Code from 2007 introduced significant changes in environmental regulation, and also outlined steps for […]

  • A vision for the waste sector

    PAGE contributed to the development of a policy vision for the waste sector, with a narrative report completed in March 2020. To include […]

  • Developing a National Waste Management Programme

    The development of a sustainable waste sector is a priority of the Green Economy Concept and new EcoCode, but each requires a general […]

  • Introducing Sustainable Public Procurement

    In 2020, PAGE launched an analysis of integrating Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) and sustainability criteria in Kazakhstan’s public […]

  • Promoting green SMEs

    MEGNR and PAGE initiated a pilot project focused on the use of an emissions payment fund for subsidizing green business in SMEs […]

  • Building individual and institutional capacity 

    PAGE developed a concept for a ‘Building Back Better training’ for civil servants in Kazakhstan in collaboration with GIZ, which […]

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