ASTANA – The World Bank has prepared a $2 million grant to support the Kazakhstan Resilient Landscapes Restoration Project, said World Bank Country Manager for Kazakhstan Andrei Mikhnev. International experts addressed ways to support Kazakhstan’s efforts to increase resilience to the impacts of climate change during a June 13 workshop, reported the World Bank’s press service on June 14.
Kazakhstan is taking steps towards a greener development by adopting the Strategy on Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2060 and the updated Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience. The country is also updating its long-term vision for the transition to a green economy. Together, these policy documents provide a solid basis for addressing climate change in the short and long term towards a more sustainable growth model driven largely by investment in new sectors and the adoption of climate-smart technologies, according to the bank.
“Today, there are opportunities to build climate resilience and mitigate some of the worst impacts through sustainable water management planning, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable land management practices,” said Mikhnev.
The workshop participants reviewed the current challenges faced by industries in the decarbonization and adaptation to climate change. They also addressed the national adaptation plan and studied the experience and practices of climate change adaptation in Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Experts from the government and other stakeholders such as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and Tirana (Albania) mayor’s office exchanged views on climate change adaptation policy and investment priorities for Kazakhstan.
Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Ministry of National Economy, the World Bank and ECOJER have launched a series of policy dialogues, Achieving Carbon Neutrality and Building Resilience in Kazakhstan. The policy dialogues aim to support Kazakhstan in implementing its critical climate and environmental strategies, including the low-carbon transition, air quality management, and resilience to climate change, by convening and providing a space for public discussion of Kazakhstan’s progress towards achieving climate change commitments and accelerating the decarbonization transition.