ALMATY – Kazakhstan and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) agreed to expand cooperation in healthcare, demographic policy and women’s empowerment during a series of high-level meetings held in Astana on May 12, including the announcement of a new Central Asian demographic resilience hub in Almaty.
From L to R: UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita and Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev. Photo credit: MFA.
The announcement was made during talks between Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev and UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita, who arrived in Kazakhstan on her first official visit, reported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The hub is expected to serve as a regional center for collecting, analyzing and researching demographic development trends across Central Asia.
The initiative comes amid growing regional attention to healthcare systems, demographic sustainability and youth policy.
During the meeting, Kosherbayev also emphasized that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attaches particular importance to comprehensive cooperation with the United Nations (UN).
“Kazakhstan remains a committed supporter of the UN as a universal platform for addressing global issues,” the minister said, highlighting the country’s active participation in the UN80 initiative aimed at reforming multilateral dialogue.
The sides discussed cooperation on reducing maternal and infant mortality, developing youth health centers and conducting demographic research. Kosherbayev also called for greater use of the future UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty as a platform for expanding UNFPA’s regional activities.
In response, Keita praised Kazakhstan’s reforms in gender equality, women’s empowerment and healthcare. She noted that Kazakhstan has achieved “impressive results” in maternal and child healthcare, youth and family policy, as well as in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates.
Healthcare cooperation expands
Separately, Kazakhstan’s Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova met with Keita to discuss reproductive health, maternal and child healthcare, primary healthcare development and new public health initiatives.
From L to R: UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita and Kazakhstan’s Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova. Photo credit: Ministry of Healthcare.
Alnazarova said strengthening maternal and child health remains one of Kazakhstan’s key national priorities.
“Thanks to systematic reforms implemented over the past five years, maternal mortality in Kazakhstan has declined by 35%, while infant mortality has fallen by 25%,” she said.
The sides also discussed the impact of climate and environmental factors on women’s and youth health in Central Asia following the Regional Ecological Summit held in Astana in April.
Keita described Asia as one of UNFPA’s priority regions and noted Kazakhstan’s growing role in the development of global primary healthcare systems.
Earlier, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov also met with Keita to discuss cooperation in healthcare, reproductive health, maternal and child protection and youth support.
Keita, in turn, praised Kazakhstan’s social development achievements and reaffirmed UNFPA’s readiness to continue supporting the country’s strategic initiatives.
