On March 15, a meeting was held between representatives of the Green Finance Center of the IFCA and the leaders of the United Nations Development Programme for economic cooperation development in the UN office in Kazakhstan.
The CEO of the Green Finance Center, Mr. Aidar Kazybayev, presented the initiatives of the Green Finance Center in attracting investments in green projects and developing the National ESG Club, which includes the largest companies in Kazakhstan.
The National ESG Club is a non-governmental development institution aimed at promoting the accelerated energy transition of Kazakhstan by implementing ESG principles. The mission of the National ESG Club is to contribute to achieving sustainable development goals and an effective energy transition in the Republic of Kazakhstan by implementing ESG principles.
The objectives of the National ESG Club include monitoring social projects implemented by entities in the Republic of Kazakhstan, developing best practices, promoting the accelerated transition to digitization, improving working conditions and respecting human rights, developing appropriate incentives, disseminating ESG risk management practices, and minimizing the impact on the environment.
Initially, the National ESG Club had 19 member organizations, but today it has already brought together 40 companies that actively promote the principles of sustainable development and ESG, and the number of participants is constantly increasing.
The Green Finance Center is also developing cooperation within the Green Technology Hub, which provides technological and expert support for green projects, the development of startups, and the initiation of projects that promote low-carbon development. During a business discussion with representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, the CEO of the Green Technology Hub, Mr. Batyrbek Dautbayev, discussed opportunities for joint implementation of projects in the agro-industrial sector and in projects for creating forest-climate systems.
Ms. Mikaela Friberg-Story, the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, informed about the opportunities of various UN development programs, including the programs of the ESCAP network on sustainable entrepreneurship and the “Green Deal” for business.
Ms. Chiara Amato, an economist at the Macroeconomic Policy and Financing for Development Division of ESCAP, also presented the opportunities of the ESCAP Sustainable Banking Academy.
After exchanging information, several directions for cooperation in the field of sustainable development and green finance were outlined.
Green Technology Hub is strengthening international ties with UNDP to implement projects and promote successful business development.