Kazakhstan’s initiatives in environment protection discussed in Geneva

February 7, 2024, Geneva – Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN Office in Geneva Yerlan Alimbayev met with the Director of the European Office of UNEP Arnold Kreilhuber.

The parties exchanged views about areas of joint work on the climate agenda and environment protection. In particular, Kazakhstan’s initiatives such as hosting of the “One Water” Summit together with France in New York in 2024, the High-Level Conference on Environmental Problems in CICA countries and the meeting of heads of ministries and agencies of SCO member states responsible for environmental protection in Astana, as well as the Regional Climate Summit of Central Asia under the auspices of the UN in 2026 were discussed.

The UNEP representative noted Kazakhstan's active international position in the field of environment protection and climate and its commitment to the obligations under international agreements. Astana was one of the first countries in the region to ratify the Paris Agreement and to adopt a Carbon Neutral Strategy until 2060.  One of the latest steps was our country's accession, within the framework of COP-28, to the Global Commitment to Reduce Methane Emissions, the G7 Climate Club and other initiatives to protect the environment.

The issues of holding the Regional Climate Summit of Central Asia under the auspices of the UN in 2026 and the reorganization of the UN Office in Almaty into the UN Regional Hub for Sustainable Development for the countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan were also discussed.