Articles by Saniya Sakenova

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has positioned itself as Central Asia’s frontrunner in sustainable finance, according to a June 16 report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Responsible Business Conduct for Sustainable Infrastructure in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan. The report highlights Kazakhstan’s comprehensive, cross-sector approach to implementing responsible business conduct principles in its…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government discussed how to step up efforts to implement the digital tenge as a tool to improve control over public spending at a meeting on July 11, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. To date, 257.5 billion digital tenge (US$496 million) have been put into circulation. A full-scale launch of the…

ASTANA – Fifteen startups from Central Eurasia have become finalists of the sixth cohort of the Silkway Accelerator, an international joint program of Astana Hub and Google for Startups, the hub’s press service reported on July 8. The finalists include Tryverse (Azerbaijan) platform for generating 3D and AR content for e-commerce, Booster (the Kyrgyz Republic)…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s ambition to address water security as a priority in the nation’s development, as he spoke at a July 9 ceremony, marking the Day of Water Sector Workers. Kazakhstan established the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in 2023, adopted a new Water Code, and initiated major reforms and…

ASTANA – In just the first five months of 2025, over 300 billion tenge (US$576.9 million) has been invested in Kazakhstan’s tourism sector, Kazinform reported on July 9, citing the Kazakh Tourism national company. Amid global disruptions, including strikes in Europe, Middle East conflicts, fires in Türkiye, and Russia’s air transport crisis, Kazakhstan sees a…

ASTANA – As of 2025, Kazakhstan has ensured inclusive education in 70% of preschool institutions, 90% of general secondary schools, and 81% of technical and vocational institutions, Deputy Chairperson of the Committee for Higher and Postgraduate Education Gulzhan Zharassova reported during a July 4 regular meeting of the Dialogue Platform on the Human Dimension, a…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Association of Regional Environmental Initiatives ECOJER has been granted special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the ECOJER press service reported on June 29. This new status allows ECOJER representatives to participate in UN sessions and conferences in New York, Geneva, and Vienna. They can now submit written…

ASTANA – Azerenergy, Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC), and National Electric Networks of Uzbekistan have jointly established a new venture, the Green Corridor Union, which will be headquartered in Baku, according to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy. This initiative is part of the implementation of the Azerbaijan-Central Asia Green Energy Corridor project. The project…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s flagship carrier Air Astana will begin operating direct flights from Astana to Bodrum (Türkiye) on July 19, the airline’s press service announced. Flights will operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, using modern long-haul Airbus A321LR aircraft. This new route from the Kazakh capital will complement Air Astana’s existing five weekly…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is currently implementing 45 large industrial projects with a total investment of over 2.3 trillion tenge (approximately US$4.4 billion) and creating up to 20,000 job opportunities, said Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov during a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on July 3. According to Akorda’s press service, Bektenov informed President Tokayev about ongoing…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of National Economy has identified the country’s regions with the highest and lowest levels of comfort for living, based on the System of Regional Standards, Kazinform reported on July 3. The system covers education, healthcare, social security, culture and sports, recreation, transport, roads, engineering infrastructure, safety and environmental protection, infocommunications,…

ASTANA – In the first quarter of 2025, the gross inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Kazakhstan reached $6.6 billion, up 6.2% compared to the same period last year ($6.2 billion), the Economic Research Institute reported on July 1. Despite this moderate overall growth, the structure of investment distribution has undergone significant changes. Investments…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative took part in London Climate Action Week from June 23 to 27, joining global leaders and changemakers to advance climate and nature solutions. According to the initiative’s Instagram post, its representatives engaged in discussions at venues including the London School of Economics, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Guildhall Art Gallery, and…

ASTANA – China Eastern Airlines will launch the Shanghai-Almaty flight on July 4, the Almaty city administration’s press service reported. This marks the airline’s first destination in Central Asia and follows agreements reached in February between the Almaty administration and China Eastern Airlines. Representatives of the airline, Chinese media, and bloggers are expected to arrive…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law on June 30 that will allow the scaling of the pilot Invataxi project for people with disabilities in Kazakhstan, reported Akorda. This law introduces amendments and additions to certain legislative acts of Kazakhstan regarding shared participation in housing construction, highways, and the provision of transportation services for…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government will allocate 5.9 billion tenge (US$11.3 million) from illegally withdrawn assets returned to the country to complete the construction of 51 medical facilities in the Karagandy Region by the end of this year, the Prime Minister’s press service reported on July 1. The funds, drawn from the Special State Fund,…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is hosting the World Boxing Cup: Kazakhstan – Astana 2025 from June 30 to July 6, bringing together more than 400 boxers from 31 countries, according to the World Boxing’s press service. The tournament is taking place at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Art Palace. Among the competitors are several Olympians and previous…

ASTANA – International experts have commended Kazakhstan’s efforts in human rights following the country’s presentation of its third periodic report on implementing its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), delivered by Vice Minister of Justice Botagoz Zhaxelekova at the 144th session of the UN Human Rights Committee on June 25…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev participated in the meetings of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on June 27 in Minsk, Belarus, reported Akorda. The expanded meeting focused on enhancing trade and economic cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and with external partners, with an emphasis on industry, transportation, logistics, agriculture, digitization, and artificial intelligence…

ASTANA – Abdelmadjid Belmekki, an IT specialist from Algeria, has become Kazakhstan’s first recipient of the Digital Nomad Visa, the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry announced on June 26. Belmekki chose Kazakhstan for remote work over countries such as Uzbekistan, Singapore, and Malaysia. He explained his decision by the program’s affordability, costing…

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu met with Mongolian Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg during his official visit to Ulaanbaatar on June 26, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service. The two counterparts noted the high level of strategic partnership between the countries, emphasizing the steady development of high-level political dialogue…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to build a new international cargo and passenger airport in the Zhetisu Region near the Khorgos International Center for Cross-Border Cooperation. The project was discussed by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Christine Grötzbach, the board member and co-founder of the Kazakh-German company Skyhansa, during a June 26 meeting in Astana. According…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s economy is projected to quicken by 5.5% this year, up from 4.8% in 2024, according to the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Macroeconomic Outlook, released on June 24. The acceleration will be driven by large-scale support for investment projects equivalent to 6% of GDP, which will counter offset external pressures. Growth drivers include…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to create six new nature conservation institutions to preserve biodiversity, Kazinform reported on June 23, citing the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. The initiative aims to increase the share of specially protected natural territories to 12.5% of the country’s total area. This expansion will support the protection and restoration of…

ASTANA – As of early 2024, the average age of Kazakhstan’s population stood at 32.3 years, the Bureau of National Statistics reported on June 24. This marks an increase from 31.9 years recorded five years ago. The average age of men in the country is 30.7 years, while that of women is 33.9 years. By…