Kazakhstan Participates in OECD’s Science and Technology Policy Ministerial

Paris, April 25, 2024 – Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Darkhan Ahmed-Zaki took part in the Science and Technology Policy Ministerial of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), to which its member states and partners were invited.

In his interventions, Dr Ahmed-Zaki briefed the high-level audience about the ongoing reforms in the organization of scientific research activities in our country, strengthening the relationship between universities, research organizations and companies in the industrial sector to encourage scientific innovations and their implementation in practice.

The conference also discussed issues of effective communication to the general public of the importance of relevant scientific research, ensuring free and fair access of scientists and the public to scientific data within the Open Science concept, the impact of the artificial intelligence technologies and the ongoing digital and green transformations on the development of contemporary science, the issues of integration of science, education, industrial and post-industrial economy.

The conference witnessed statement by OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann, more than 40 ministers and vice-ministers of OECD member states and partner countries, representatives of the United Nations, UNESCO, the European Union, the Council of Europe, ASEAN, and the African Union.

On the sidelines of the conference, Dr Ahmed-Zaki held a number of meetings with colleagues from other countries and representatives of OECD and other international organizations, at which a number of topical issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of science and higher education were discussed.

With UNESCO Assistant Director General for Natural Sciences Lidia Brito, the issues of extending the agreement on the Central Asian Regional Glaciological Center as the category two institute under the auspices of UNESCO, the participation of Kazakh scientists in the work of Intergovernmental Hydrological Programs and a few other aspects of cooperation were discussed.

The visit was organized with the support of the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Kazakhstan to UNESCO and other international organizations in Paris.

Kazakhstan has been a participant of the OECD Committee on Science and Technology Policy since 2017. The main task of the Committee, established in 1972, is to promote cooperation between OECD members and its partners in public policies in the field of science, technology and innovation to achieve significant economic, social and scientific goals, including economic growth and job creation, sustainable development, and improving the welfare of citizens. Special attention in the work of the Committee is paid to the integration of scientific, technical and innovation policy with other aspects of public policy in the context of the development of a global knowledge-based economy.