Kazakhstan Participates in International Energy Agency’s High-Level Event on Beyond COP 28 Measures

Kazakhstan Participates in International Energy Agency’s High-Level Event on Beyond COP 28 Measures

Paris, 21 February 2024 – Advisor to the President – Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on International Environmental Cooperation Zulfiya Suleimenova participated in the High-level event to discuss further actions beyond COP 28, organized by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The event discussed topical issues of interaction between the states parties to the Paris Agreement to achieve the key goals set at the 28th session of the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai last December. In particular, a key agreement on energy and climate – the UAE Consensus, which defined new global goals for the period up to 2030 to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels, triple the capacity of renewable energy sources, double progress in energy efficiency and significantly reduce methane emissions.

Ms Suleimenova in her speech informed the participants about the measures taken by our country to implement the Paris Agreement, particularly in the field of decarbonisation, emission reduction, development of renewable energy sources and others, including those implemented within the framework of the Carbon Neutrality Strategy of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2060.

During the event, the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan met with IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, the parties discussed promising areas for the development of mutually beneficial partnership. Ms Suleimenova informed about Kazakhstan’s national contribution to the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the concept of convening a Regional Climate Summit in Central Asia in 2026. In turn, the interlocutor thanked her for informative speech at the event and supported Kazakhstan’s current initiatives in this area. Following the meeting, the parties agreed to expand the areas of interaction between Kazakhstan and IEA and maintain contacts on a regular basis.

On the event margins, Ms Suleimenova also met with the US Special Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry, European Commission Director-General for Energy Ditte Juul Jørgensen and other participants of the round table, among whom were COP-28 President Sultan Al Jaber, COP21 President and former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, Denmark’s Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy Dan Jørgensen, special representatives on the climate issues of a number of countries from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin and North America, as well as heads of international organizations and companies in the energy industry.

With assistance from the Permanent Delegation of Kazakhstan to International Organizations in Paris, Ms Suleimenova had a bilateral meeting with the Head of the OECD Environment Directorate, Joe Tyndall. The parties noted the good experience of cooperation in the field of environmental policy, exchanged views on a number of initiatives of the Organisation in which Kazakhstan participates, such as IFCMA, GATF, SIPA and others, as well as the concept of Regional Climate Summit in Central Asia. The interlocutors agreed to continue cooperation on current projects and consider the possibility of Astana joining various OECD projects in the field of water resources, climate change, soil and other relevant areas.

Ms Suleimenova also took part in a session of the OECD Working Group on the Integration of Environmental and Economic Policies, at which issues of climate-economy modelling, green transport, the experience of OECD countries in combating air pollution and others were discussed in detail.

In addition, at the UNESCO headquarters the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for International Environmental Cooperation had a meeting with UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences Lidia Brito, during which an engaging discussion took place on the prospects of cooperation between Kazakhstan and UNESCO on glacier conservation and support for young scientists, as well as water issues in the context of preparations to the One Water Summit to be held on the margins of the UN General Assembly in September 2024.