Kazakhstan's Green Economy: Beyond Oil and Gas

It's no surprise that in recent years, Kazakhstan has become Central Asia's leading economy thanks to our expertise and investments in natural resources. However, the next decade will be more nuanced than simply mining.

We are a country rich in natural resources, especially oil and gas, but we have also proven to be one of the leading markets when it comes to adapting new, greener approaches to the extraction of natural resources for everybody's benefit.

Many projects we carry out show our footprint in this sector.

For example, Kazakhstan's "Green Bridge" International Partnership Program is an initiative to support Central Asian countries in transitioning to a green economy through partnerships with businesses, governments, and international organizations.

Most recently, the government of Kazakhstan and the professional community have been pushing forward the "Kazakhstan-2050" development initiative and adopting the "Green Economy Transition" national strategy.

We want to build "the country into one of the world's safest, most stable, ecologically sustained states with a dynamically developing economy."

I completely support this and think that we in the private sector should do so, too.

In 2015, the International Green Technologies and Investment Projects Center was created to assist in finding investors for implementing "green" projects. Kazakhstan was also chosen to host EXPO-2017 focused on "Energy of the Future" to tackle global environmental challenges.

I envision a job market for my country where the green economy can provide new opportunities for all and where investors and entrepreneurs back environmental initiatives that strengthen our country's environmental conditions.

In Astana, for example, the capital of Kazakhstan, out of 248,830 employees, over 4,000 have green jobs, which is already 1.9% of the workforce.

As an investor, I support everything that reinforces building a green economy. As many of you know, time ago, Aselle Tasmagambetova and I founded the Central Asian Institute for Environmental Research (CAIER) in Almaty. From there, a world-class team is helping primary sector institutions develop new, more sustainable approaches to doing business.

Today, we've grown into a leading research institute for environmental improvement that plays a big role in the global fight against the ecological crisis. We're dedicated to projects that promote the green economy. As a member of the UN Global Compact, CAIER has created innovative technologies and projects to help companies in Kazakhstan and Central Asia meet their environmental commitments.

Protecting the environment is crucial for our society. People and planet, and then profits. I am sure you all agree.