Launch of the Regional SDG Platform for Central Asia

On November 22, the official launch of the Regional Knowledge Exchange Platform on the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asian countries in a hybrid format took place at the UN Office in Almaty. The Secretariat for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Economic Research Institute JSC (ERI) participated in the event.

In parallel, the event was broadcast live in Brussels to raise awareness among stakeholders about the launch of the new initiative European Union - UNDP.

The launch was attended by representatives of Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan), non-governmenta.organizations, civil society and other stakeholders.

Central Asia Knowledge Exchange Platform on SDG will meet once every three years with representatives from countries in the region.

"For the first time, sustainable regional cooperation is viewed through the lens of the SDGs and supported by the valuable experience gained through European Union-supported activities and programmatic agenda in the region", say the projec.organizers.

Photo (from left to right): Nurgul Zhannazarova, Director of the Department of Social Policy and Development of State Agencies, MNE RK; EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan - Kęstutis Jankauskas; Vitaly Vremis - UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Kazakhstan; moderator of the press briefing

Vice-Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov opened the event with a welcoming speech. He noted the importance and timeliness of the SDG Platform as an effective platform for the exchange of knowledge at the interregional level on the principles of partnership.

EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan Kęstutis Jankauskas also stressed the importance of creating such an open and partner environment for representatives of government agencies, NGOs, and the civil sector in order to jointly achieve the 2030 Agenda. He also emphasized that each country should have specific plans for financing the SDGs, with a mechanism for monitoring and evaluating their progress.  

Photo: EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan Kęstutis Jankauskas

Manager of the UNDP Bureau Regional Hub for Europe and the CIS, Gerd Trogermann, said that one of the main points for achieving the SDGs is the constant learning of tools to involve not only stakeholders, but also the whole society, every person according to the principle "leave no one behind".   

UNDP Regional Hub Program Officer for Green Economy and Employment, Mikhail Pelyakh, presented the project components, including examples from Central Asia.

"We believe that the SDG Platform for Central Asia will promote mutual dialogue between all stakeholders and strengthen regional cooperation by facilitating the exchange of experience and knowledge to develop sustainable solutions and achieve the SDGs", said Vitaly Vremis, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Kazakhstan.

Photo: UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Kazakhstan Vitaly Vremish

Draft SDG Regional Platform for Central Asia includes the following areas:

• Helping to achieve the SDGs by modeling the effectiveness of socio-economic policies and their contribution to the achievement of the SDGs in CA countries
• Assistance in coordinating efforts to assess national financing gaps using the CNFF (Comprehensive National Financing Facility) and FDA (Financing for Development Assessment) methodologies, and encourage regional exchange of best practices
• Creation of tools that can support evidence-based policymaking and track progress toward the SDGs and the contribution of EU regional programs to the SDGs
• Promoting the use of innovative practices to visualize key progress toward the SDGs, showing possible trends and challenges in the region.

During the event, each country presented reports on achieving the 2030 Agenda and integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into national plans.  

Bakytgul Khambar, Director of the Sustainable Development Goals Secretariat at  Economic Research Institute, presented Kazakhstan's progress in implementing the SDGs. In her presentation, she voiced Kazakhstan's experience in achieving the 2030 Agenda, which can be shared with other countries. The speaker's speech also noted expectations from the launch of the SDG Platform.

Photo: Bakytgul Khambar, Director of the SDC Secretariat of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Representatives of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan also made presentations on the countries' approaches to achieving national SDG priorities, challenges, successes, and expectations in implementing the SDGs.

To further facilitate knowledge sharing, a Roundtable wa.organized during the event to discuss the most pressing issues and challenges in the project, as well as those that countries may encounter during project

implementation. The following project components were discussed more fully and in detail:

- Macrosystem modeling and scenario analysis

- A comprehensive national funding mechanism

- Evidence-based policy development

- Using innovative practices to visualize progress on the SDGs.

"In addition, the project will foster new partnerships among experts to support project implementation in the future, as all five countries share a common history, participate in regional supply chains, and face similar environmental and cross-border challenges", th.organizers note.

Reference:

In July 2021, UNDP Kazakhstan and the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan signed an agreement to launch a project to create a Regional Knowledge Exchange Platform on the SDGs for Central Asia.