ASTANA — This year, Kazakhstan witnessed a lot of events ranging from political and social to sporting success, all of which had an impact on everyone. These include the biggest floods in decades, Olympic triumphs in Paris, the ongoing battle against domestic abuse, and much more. The Astana Times presents a roundup of top-viewed stories on our website.
Astana. Photo credit: Dmitry Naumov/Shutterstock.
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The seasonal flooding in 2024 became the most extensive in Kazakhstan for the last decades. It lasted almost two months affecting more than 120,000 people.
The floods have significantly damaged infrastructure, homes, and farmland. Thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate as their homes are submerged under water. Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The state provided all the necessary assistance to the victims – evacuation points were organized for those left without housing, more than 34,000 families received a one-time payment of 100 monthly calculation index (MCI), equivalent to 3,692 tenge (US$7), for a total of 12.6 billion tenge (US$24 million). In addition, the victims’ material loss was paid with 150 MCI for 21,880 households, totaling over 10 billion tenge (US$19.1 million). According to Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, more than 10.2 billion tenge (US$19.5 million) was paid for 615 approved applications to compensate for property losses caused by the floods to small and medium-sized businesses.
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This year, Kazakhstan adopted life-changing laws amending penalties for violence against women and children.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed to tighten responsibility for violence against women and children in his address to the people of Kazakhstan twice, first in March 2022 and then in September 2023.
In addition to criminalizing domestic violence, the law introduces administrative liability for bullying and cyberbullying of minors. It obliges educational institutions to report crimes involving children to law enforcement agencies.
The law envisions life imprisonment for individuals convicted of pedophilia and/or the murder of children. Additionally, the amendments to the law establish criminal liability for causing suicide or aiding in suicide. It also introduces a new provision for encouraging suicide.
The law establishes new principles of marriage and family legislation to fortify these institutions, creates a legal framework for a contact center addressing family issues, and regulates the establishment and operation of family support centers that provide assistance to victims of domestic violence.
Also, it is prohibited to remove children under 16 years of age from public transport if they cannot pay the fare.
In July, Tokayev also signed legislative amendments to tighten the country’s gambling and
lottery regulations.
The law introduced restrictive and stimulating norms aimed at decreasing gambling addiction among the population. The list of those who cannot gamble or bet has been expanded. Restrictions have been established on advertising of bookmakers and sweepstakes. The law updated mechanisms for regulating lottery activities to protect the health of the younger generation from the consequences of consuming energy drinks, selling these beverages to anyone under the age of 21 is prohibited.
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At the beginning of the year, Kaspi.kz, one of the region’s leading banking and fintech companies, announced the pricing of the U.S. initial public offering (IPO) of 11.3 million American depositary shares (ADSs) for $92 per ADS.
The ADSs began trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on Jan. 19 under the symbol KSPI. Following the offering, the ADSs are traded on the Nasdaq, the London Stock Exchange, the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, and the Astana International Exchange.
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At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kazakhstan’s Olympic team took 43rd place in the medal standings, winning one gold, three silver and three bronze medals.
Yeldos Smetov thanked all Kazakh people for their support and said this is “a historic moment” for the country. Photo credit: Olympic.kz.
Kazakh judoka Yeldos Smetov became the first Olympic champion in judo in the history of Kazakhstan, winning gold in the men’s final in the weight category up to 60 kilograms.
Nariman Kurbanov won a silver medal in the men’s pommel horse final. This is the first-ever medal for Kazakhstan in any artistic gymnastics event. In an interview with The Astana Times, he shared the joy and tears behind his inspiring Olympic journey.
David Degtyarev won the gold medal in the men’s powerlifting in the 54-kilogram weight category and Akmaral Nauatbek claimed a gold medal in para judo at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
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At the beginning of fall, the Kazakh capital became the venue for Great Steppe gathering as the World Nomad Games attracted over 2,500 athletes worldwide.
Closing ceremony of the fifth World Nomad Games. Photo credit: WNG press service.
The games featured 97 medal sets across 21 sports, with 581 medals up for grabs. The total prize fund of the fifth World Nomad Games was 250 million tenge ($478,076).
Kazakhstan secured the top spot on the medal table, claiming a total of 112 medals, including 43 gold, 32 silver, and 37 bronze.
The Kyrgyz Republic secured second place with 65 medals, while Uzbekistan finished third in the standing with 49 medals.
At the closing ceremony, World Ethnosport Confederation President Bilal Erdoğan expressed his gratitude to Kazakhstan for hosting the event, highlighting it as a powerful display of the brotherhood among Turkic nations.
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This year, the first Kazakh woman reached Mount Everest. In May, Kazakh skyrunner athlete Anar Burasheva and legendary Kazakh climber Maksut Zhumayev, climbed the highest mountain peak in the world at the height of 8,848 meters above sea level – Mount Everest.
Anel Sytdykova, first Kazakh woman to swim in Antarctica’s icy waters. Photo credit: Kazinform.
Anel Sytdykova, a trailblazing athlete from Kazakhstan, became the first Kazakh woman to swim in Antarctica’s icy waters on Nov. 12, completing the 750-meter swim at minus 1.4 degrees Celsius in less than 19 minutes.
Karagandy chess player Alimzhan Ayapov secured first place at the 23rd World Individual Chess Championship hosted by the International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA) on July 19-28 in Gyumri, Armenia.
Kazakh chess player Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the top spot in three International Chess Federation (FIDE) world rankings, excelling in the under-20 category, blitz, and rapid formats.
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Kazakhstan’s Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative earned the 2024 Earthshot Prize in the Protect and Restore Nature category, as was announced at a star-studded award ceremony on Nov. 6 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Vera Voronova, CEO of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan, accepting the Earthshot Prize for Protect and Restore Nature. Photo credit: The Earthshot Prize
According to the Earthshot Prize’s press office, the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative achieved unprecedented success in protecting the critically endangered saiga antelope, growing into one of the world’s largest conservation projects. The initiative focuses on reviving Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe, one of the globe’s least protected natural ecosystems.
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In the fall, two Amur tigers were brought from the Netherlands to the Ile-Balkhash Reserve for enclosure breeding. In 2025, three or four tigers are expected to be brought from the wild in Russia.
In Kazakhstan, the tigers once dwelled along the sides of Balkhash Lake and the coast of the Amu Darya River. Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times.
Work continues on the reintroduction of the Przewalski’s horse; previously, the horse’s historical habitat in Kazakhstan included the territory of the country’s nine regions. Przewalski’s horse disappeared from the world’s wild nature by the end of the 1960s.
Owing to the cooperation of the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources with international organizations, the first seven Przewalski’s horses were brought from the Prague Zoo to the Altyn Dala Reserve in the Kostanai Region in June. It is planned to bring 40 horses by 2029.
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Kazakhstan took over the chairmanship of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) this year and in September IFAS approved the work plan for the period of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in 2024-2026.
The plan, which consists of ten areas and over 40 activities, calls for carrying out the instructions of the Presidents of the founding states and the President of IFAS, enhancing the fund’s organizational structure and legal framework, fostering and expanding international cooperation, coordinating the work of the structural divisions of the IFAS executive committee, and providing information, analysis and educational work on the protection of natural resources. The document also includes organizing, holding and participating in regional and international events.
The plan also focuses on implementing two large-scale projects: the Action Program to assist the countries of the Aral Sea basin and the Regional Program for Environmental Protection for Sustainable Development in Central Asia. Also, the fund intends to facilitate the work of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination, which includes Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and the IFAS Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development.
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As the chair of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Kazakhstan hosted the 24th summit of the Council of Heads of State, an important organization representing more than 40% of the world’s population and contributing over $23 trillion to the global GDP. The event witnessed the adoption of the Astana Declaration and the signing of 25 strategic documents across various domains, including energy, security, trade, finance, and information security. A noteworthy development was the formal admission of Belarus as a full member, expanding the SCO’s membership to ten nations. Kazakhstan’s chairmanship was marked by significant achievements and strategic advancements. The chairmanship has now passed to China for the 2024-2025 term.
Photo credit: Akorda.
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In December, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined key measures to tackle water security challenges and announced plans to hold a regional climate conference in 2026 at the One Water Summit in Riyadh.
Addressing the summit participants, Tokayev noted that water security is a cornerstone of sustainable development, economic progress and environmental preservation. He said that more than 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water, and more than 4 billion experience severe water scarcity.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined key measures to tackle water security challenges and announced plans to hold a regional climate conference in 2026 at the One Water Summit in Riyadh on Dec.3. Photo credit: Akorda.
Tokayev called for joint measures aimed at strengthening water security, including universal access, resource protection, disaster resilience and international cooperation.
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This year witnessed an increase in the number of Chinese visitors visiting Kazakhstan. From January to October, the figure reached 550,000, exceeding the figure for 2023 with 367,000 visitors.
Mountain Lake in Kazakhstan. Photo credit: Pikoso.kz/Shutterstock.
During the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China, over 30 major events were held in Chinese cities and over 200 agreements were signed. Business and cultural missions helped to promote tourism and cultural interaction between the two countries, as well as enhance Kazakhstan’s status as an appealing tourist destination.
Next year has been declared the Year of Chinese Tourism in Kazakhstan.
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Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) concluded on Dec. 17 at the seventh meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, marking the end of a transformative four-year tenure. Azerbaijan will assume the chairmanship for the 2024-2026 term.
A key milestone under Kazakhstan’s leadership was the adoption of the Astana Statement on CICA Transformation at the sixth CICA Summit on Oct. 13, 2022. This landmark decision initiated CICA’s transformation into a full-fledged regional international organization, strengthening its ability to address Asia’s security and development challenges through structured, inclusive, and consensus-driven negotiations.
Environmental sustainability became a central theme during Kazakhstan’s tenure. This August, the first-ever CICA Ministerial Conference on Environmental Issues took place in Astana, resulting in commitments to stronger regional cooperation on climate action and water management.
