X Civil Forum "30 years of partnership in the interests of sustainable development of the society and state"

Part II. Speech by Deputy Yeldos Abakanov on the prospects and challenges of a green economy in Kazakhstan.

Yeldos Abakanov, a member of the Committee on Ecology and Nature Management of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, was a speaker at the X Civil Forum "30 years of partnership in the interests of sustainable development of the society and state".

At the UNDP panel session "UN Sustainable Development Goals - Image of Kazakhstan's Future", the Deputy spoke about the benefits, prospects and challenges in Kazakhstan's green economy and about legislative norms aimed at supporting and regulating environmental relations.

The speaker talked about where the principles of sustainable development come from.

The theme of sustainable development encompasses three main pillars: economic development, social development, and environmental issues.

"A landmark event: in 1991, the first Declaration on Sustainable Development was adopted in Rio de Janeiro. After that, the entire world community defined important development priorities for itself," said Yeldos Abakanov.

It is important for our country to transit over time to a "green" economy, taking into account our regional and climatic characteristics, including the structure of the economy. The main prerequisites for this were made in the 1990s. First, the first strategy of ecological and economic development of the Republic of Kazakhstan was adopted. In 2013, the Concept for Kazakhstan's transition to a "green economy" was approved.

In recent years, the Head of State has paid special attention to ensuring environmental protection. The goal of achieving a 10% share of renewable energy in the country by 2030 was voiced. Today, this figure is about 3%.

"Majilis deputies are constantly monitoring, discussing and thinking about how to develop the legislative framework. One of our recent initiatives is a draft law related to the development of infrastructure for electric cars. Some issues related to the development of "green" government procurement are also considered. Last week, in the second reading we adopted the Law "On Industrial Policy," which has a separate article on achieving carbon neutrality - "Measures to achieve carbon neutrality," the speaker added.

In response to a question about what initiatives he puts forward as a member of the Committee on Ecology and Nature Management in the Majilis, the Deputy noted that the Majilis is currently considering more than 50 draft laws and dwelled on two: draft law "On the flora of Kazakhstan" and draft law "On Semipalatinsk Nuclear Safety Zone".

Part I of material on the course of discussions at the X Civil Forum can be found here