Astana, December 19, 2025 – Yerzhan Ashikbayev, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, met with Katarzyna Wawiernia, the UNDP Permanent Representative in Kazakhstan.

The parties discussed the cooperation outcomes in 2025 and outlined the plans for further engagement between Kazakhstan and UNDP.

In particular, they highlighted the adoption of the UNDP Country Programme for Kazakhstan for 2026-2030, the successful presentation of Kazakhstan’s third Voluntary National Review on the implementation of the SDGs at the UN Headquarters in New York in July, as well as the results of cooperation in the fields of healthcare, gender equality, education and others.

The meeting also addressed prospects for expanding cooperation with UNDP through the newly established UN Regional SDG Centre for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty, as well as opportunities to scale up the UNDP Regional Development Programme to other regions of the country.

Issues related to climate change, ecology and water resource management, including challenges linked to the Aral Sea, also became an important topic of the discussions ahead of the Regional Environmental Summit scheduled for April. In this context, UNDP representatives announced plans to organize a High-Level Event on the margins of the Summit dedicated to the formation of a regional portfolio of climate and environmental investments for Central Asia.

In addition, the parties discussed UNDP’s participation in activities planned for 2026, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, which officially launched in December at the UN Headquarters in New York.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued joint efforts aimed at further strengthening the strategic partnership, advancing priority areas of cooperation, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa/press/news/details/1129341?lang=kk