New York, 13 July 2026 - The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Ambassador Kairat Umarov took part in the Trade Over Aid Forum, organized by the Permanent Mission of the United States to the United Nations on the margins of the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

The event brought together representatives of UN Member States, the United Nations system, international organizations, and the business community to discuss modern approaches to sustainable economic development through the expansion of trade, investment, and entrepreneurship.

Participants exchanged views on ways to foster a favorable investment climate, advance market-oriented reforms, strengthen public-private partnerships, and promote direct engagement between governments and the private sector.

Speaking at the regional session Ambassador Umarov highlighted Kazakhstan’s ongoing political and economic reforms aimed at strengthening the rule of law, improving the investment climate and creating favorable conditions for doing business.

He noted that more than 600 American companies currently operate successfully in Kazakhstan, reflecting the strong confidence of the international business community in the country as a stable, reliable and predictable partner.

Ambassador Umarov also underscored the important role of the C5+1 format in advancing cooperation between the Central Asian countries and the United States in such areas as trade, investment, transport connectivity, digital transformation and energy.

In this context, he referred to the historic meeting of the leaders of Central Asia and the United States held in Washington, D.C., in November 2025, which gave fresh impetus to the development of strategic partnership and practical economic cooperation.

Particular attention was given to the establishment in Almaty of the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Ambassador Umarov noted that the Centre could serve as a practical platform bringing together the Governments of the region, the United Nations system, international financial institutions and the private sector.

He reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to an open economy, mutually beneficial cooperation and stronger regional connectivity, and expressed the country’s readiness to work with international partners to translate existing opportunities into concrete projects and tangible results.

Background: The Trade Over Aid initiative was launched by the United States to promote an international development model based on expanded trade, foreign direct investment, joint ventures and other forms of mutually beneficial economic cooperation.

The initiative is based on the understanding that long-term economic growth and sustainable self-reliance are best achieved through an enabling environment for entrepreneurship, market-oriented reforms and active private-sector participation. At the same time, it recognizes the continued importance of international assistance in addressing humanitarian needs and supporting development.

The initiative provides for the organization of periodic forums involving governments, international organizations and the private sector, as well as the establishment of a digital repository of proposals on capacity-building and economic reforms in developing countries.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-kazakhstanun/press/news/details/1265000?lang=ru