Articles by Michelle Witte

The May 21-23 Astana Economic Forum will not only be a gathering of world economic experts, but a platform to note the anniversaries of significant international finance organisations and events. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) will mark their 50th anniversaries at the forum; the Monetary and…

Kazakh-American Timur Bekbosunov and his band, Timur and the Dime Museum, will be premiering their new collaborative production, “Collapse,” described as a sardonic, post-ecological requiem for the planet, at Los Angeles’ Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theatre (REDCAT), from March 27-29. The multimedia requiem was composed by Daniel Corral and produced by Beth Morrison Projects. The…

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) highlighted its work with Kazakhstan’s women entrepreneurs. On March 4, the EBRD announced that it had signed an agreement with BG Kazakhstan to continue the second phase of its support programme for women and young entrepreneurs in West Kazakhstan…

ASTANA – The Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan and the European Union project on modernising and reforming Kazakhstan’s civil service have collaborated to create distance-learning training programmes for the newly appointed Kazakhstan’s A Corps of civil servants and regional akims (mayors). The online distance learning course organised for the civil service…

Sir Suma Chakrabarti, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), in an exclusive interview with The Astana Times, spoke about the diverse portfolio of Europe’s major transnational lender, its work with the Kazakh government to pursue green economy projects, promote regional development and support small and medium-sized businesses. What EBRD projects did…

ASTANA – At a meeting at a school in Atyrau on Feb. 6, President Nursultan Nazarbayev suggested what has been in the air in Kazakhstan for years now – that the country drop the “stan” from its name. “The name of our country has the ending ‘stan,’ as do the other states of Central Asia,”…

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States Kairat Umarov will join a panel of experts for the panel discussion, “Kazakhstan and Central Asia: History, Culture, Politics and Economy,” at the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 2. According to a lecture brochure, the panel discussion will be the inaugural Jay Nathan, Ph.D. Visiting Scholar Lecture,…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Canada, two countries with harsh winters, small populations and lots of open space, are finding that their similarities are increasingly opening avenues for cooperation, particularly in agriculture. As Kazakhstan continues to invest in its agricultural sector, the country’s livestock trade is growing. But Kazakhstan needs animals suited to its climate. Canada,…

ASTANA – South Kazakhstan is attracting investment, implementing industrialisation and creating new jobs for its citizens thanks to a thoughtful, business-friendly oblast government—and a personal touch—says Deputy Akim (Governor) Saparbek Tuyakbayev. South Kazakhstan’s economy has doubled over the past five years, Tuyakbayev said in an exclusive interview, and the share of industry has grown from…

ASTANA – The Dara Foundation, which supports children from vulnerable groups, held a charity auction with partner Has Sanat Gallery on Dec. 12. The auction raised enough money to equip and train teachers for a Montessori room at the centre for disabled children the foundation helped open in Astana in September. “We hope to get…

ASTANA – The third Kazakh-British Business Forum held Dec. 12 in Atyrau attracted major players in Kazakhstan’s oil sector. The forum was dedicated to building partnerships within the oil industry and attracted 80 companies, including KazMunayGas, Shell Kazakhstan, Tengizchevroil and the North Caspian Production Operations Company (NCPOC), a partner in Kazakhstan’s giant Kashagan field. The…

ASTANA – Dynamo Almaty, Kazakhstan’s national women’s rugby team, took first place at the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens Invitational Tournament held from Nov. 28-30 in Dubai. Dymano Almaty, both Almaty’s club team and the country’s national women’s team, beat South Africa’s SA Select Women 36-12 in the final. Teams from South Africa, the U.A.E,…

ASTANA – Harry Potter will be the newest literary character to learn Kazakh, according to Marketing Director of Russia’s Azbuka-Attikus publishing house Dmitri Yaronov. Tengrinews reported that Azbuka-Attikus plans to begin translate J.K. Rowling’s entire seven-book series about young wizards into Kazakh in 2014. Azbuka-Attikus is the official publisher of the series in the Commonwealth…

ASTANA – The international art exhibition, “Bata – For Tomorrow Without Losing Your Roots,” showcasing the work of famous Kazakh and international artists as well as students, opened on Dec. 5 in the Palace of Independence. The exhibition, curated by Marzhan Abildina, displays a variety of painting, sculpture, pottery and weaving. The exhibition is an…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has sent Russia an $89 million bill via diplomatic channels for the cleanup of the crash of its Proton-M rocket earlier this year. Russia is disputing the amount. Shortly after taking off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in July 2013, the rocket exploded, spilling roughly 600 tons of heptyl, amyl and…

ASTANA – A new smart phone application developed by the UN Development Programme office in Kazakhstan to help the hearing impaired contact emergency services will be presented at the Dec. 12 session of the Coordination Council on Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities. The session will be attended by representatives from the Ministry of Emergency…

ASTANA, Dec. 1 – Kazakhstan remains willing to help Afghanistan through a variety of mechanisms, including training programmes that bring Afghan students to study in Kazakhstan, President Nursultan Nazarbayev told Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary General Jan Kubis in a meeting on Nov. 28 in Astana. Kubis, who is head of the U.N. mission…

ASTANA – Measures to protect domestic manufacturers and exporters during the process of Eurasian economic integration and ensure that all benefits from accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are received were among the recommendations resulting from a Nov. 15 parliamentary hearing. Eurasian economic integration has been one of Kazakhstan’s priorities over the past few…

ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is considering providing financing of up to US$72 million for Kazakhstan’s first major wind farm, EBRD First Vice President Philip Bennett confirmed on a trip to Almaty on Nov. 18. The loan would fund building, commissioning and operation of the project. The proposed 50 megawatt…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s sixth Civil Forum, held in Astana on Nov. 14 and 15, resulted in a number of recommendations for national and local government bodies, as well as for the country’s non-governmental organisations. The forum brought together major nongovernmental organisation leaders from around the country, as well as government and international organisation representatives to…

Gender equality and women’s representation in politics are a concern for Kazakhstan as it pushes to join the world’s 30 most developed nations. Gulshara Abdikalikova, Advisor to the President of Kazakhstan and Chair of the National Commission for Women’s Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy, spoke to The Astana Times about the country’s efforts and achievements…

ASTANA – The territory of the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Eastern Kazakhstan is best known for having been poisoned for decades, but some experts are now hoping the area can yield new life. Scientists from Kazakhstan’s Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology (IRSE) have been operating an experimental farm on the test site…

ASTANA – In the coalition, A Child Should Live in a Family, veteran activist Alina Khamatdinova and a team of nongovernmental organisations, lawyers, journalists and members of Kazakhstan’s Parliament are working to change Kazakhstan’s outdated orphanage system and show just how big an impact an NGO can have. “The main idea of the project is…

ASTANA – A small, informal and interactive conference for Kazakhstan nongovernmental organisations, known as a “Social Camp,” will be held in Astana in November. Organizers say these types of meetings represent a positive change in Kazakhstan’s NGO community. “In the last two years, civic engagement and civic activities have been really growing, making good progress.…

ASTANA – Rahim Oshakbayev, deputy chairman of the Kazakhstan National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, calls the new body “a big breakthrough and a big reform”. The new chamber will benefit two main groups, he said. “First, small and medium enterprises [in outlying areas], where we have a real lack of competence, a lack of awareness about…