Kazakhstan

Mr. Chairman,
Allow me to congratulate you on behalf of the Government of the
Republic of Kazakhstan on your election to the chairmanship of the 15th
session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development
and to express our confidence that your stewardship will allow the
Commission to achieve successful results.
Sustainable development in the world is the process that, by wellknown
definition, should satisfy demands of the current generation
without putting at risk opportunities open to the generations to come. And
since we all live on the planet that has limited resources, it is important
that each country should take practical actions on national, regional and
global levels to ensure environment protection and sustainable
development.
Transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan to sustainable
development is à vital necessity. It is important because high economic
growth in our country requires taking further steps in lowering irrational
energy consumption by the national economy, improving environment in
Central Asian region, and strengthening of Kazakhstan?s actions along
with international efforts to prevent climate change.
For that reason on the 14th of November 2006, the President our
country signed the Concept of Transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan
to Sustainable Development for the period of 2007-2024 and approved
the framework of state policy.
The Concept of Sustainable Development is an important
document since it addresses such issues as economy diversification,
social and demographic situation, including measures to increase life
expectancy, issues of ecology and environment protection, and gradual
increase in the use of renewable energy sources. It provides a clear
mechanism for institutional facilitation, economic stimulation, and
development of a legal framework.
The Concept defines the vision of principles, goals, tasks and basic
mechanisms for achieving sustainability in all sectors of the country?s
economy. That requires integration of economic, social, environmental
and political factors of development and consideration of these factors as
unified coherent process, aimed at improving quality of life of the people
of Kazakhstan.
Despite the fact that fossil fuel-based energy resources continue to
play predominant role in the energy supply of the country, Kazakhstan
has the great potential for renewable sources of energy, such as ? solar,
wind, biomass, geothermal and others. Such a potential of using
alternative resources will support all economy sectors development.
These are the most important aspects of national economy development
and a basis for the country?s long term energy safety.
Economic growth due to exploitation of natural resources could be
beneficial only at a certain stage of development. In modern conditions
for achieving growth and development, advanced models of energy
efficiency and environmentally clean breakthrough technologies are
vitally important.
For the first time, the Concept of Sustainable Development
provides targeted indicators till 2024. By that year no less than 5% of
national energy consumption will be provided by the alternative sources.
Kazakhstan is ready to establish regional centers for energy efficiency
and renewable resources.
In December 2006, the Ecological Code was adopted, the first one
in the Central Asian region. It encompasses all issues related to ecology
and environment protection and we view it as the key instrument for
implementation of the Concept of Sustainable Development. The Code
was prepared in accordance with environmental legislation and norms of
the world?s most competitive countries and has various novelties such as
incentives for using best available and clean technologies, basic
principles of sustainable development, and mechanisms for preventing
climate change.
Stability of water resources in the Central Asian region is vital as
the key factor of sustainable development. Nowadays, water challenges
show more and more inherent trans-boundary character. For that reason,
the most significant national document ? the President?s Address to the
Nation ?New Kazakhstan in the New World? touches upon the idea of
establishing trans-boundary zones of sustainable development by ecobasin
principle. We expect to create one of the eight such zones in the
Ilek River basin, which flows via China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and
forms an ecosystem basin with the population of more than 5 million
people. The example of our country could provide principally new
approach to the territorial sustainable development on ecosystem level.
The role of Kazakhstan in ensuring environmental stability on
Eurasian Continent is of great importance. Our country plays a
connecting role in development of landscapes and ecosystems on the
continent. Its territory, diversity of climate, and specific nature of
regional water balance result in significant dependence of environmental
situation in Eurasia upon environmental stability in Kazakhstan.
Our country is an active member of both processes of
?Environment for Europe? and ?Environment and Sustainable
Development in Asia?. We are of the view that closer coordination and
cooperation between these two processes could significantly contribute to
environmental and sustainable development in Eurasian continent and,
for that reason we propose to consider an idea of uniting them into one
Eurasian process. That could give a tremendous impact to sustainable
development on the continent. We would be honored if a decision is
made to hold the next World Summit on sustainable development at the
heart of Eurasia ? in the new capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.
In conclusion, I would like to state that sustainable development
process and all the related issues are thoroughly considered in Kazakhstan
at the highest level. Pursuing a significant national strategic task of
joining the club of 50 most competitive countries of the world,
Kazakhstan will do its very best to achieve visible results and share
important lessons learned and good practices with the world community.