Germany is UNDP’s top funding partner and its contribution to core resources allows UNDP to invest into Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Promise achievement, as well as socio-economic response during COVID-19 crisis.

In Kazakhstan, Germany partners with UNDP to implement green initiatives, which helps the country to achieve its climate commitments. Given that Kazakhstan belongs to the top biggest emitters of greenhouse gases (ranked 11 in 2018 in terms of emissions per capita) and energy intensive economies in the world (ranked 5 in 2019 in terms of total energy consumption per unit of GDP), investing in low-carbon projects remains a high priority.

Governments around the globe are encouraged to recover greener as they are going through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. This requires serious policy measures focusing on energy efficiency and replacement of fossil fuels with renewables in all economic sectors.

The Government of Kazakhstan implements such policy measures through its Green Economy Concept, which is aimed at decarbonization of the economy, development of renewable energy sources, and adaption to climate change. Being a member of the Green Economy Council, UNDP supports the design of the New Environmental Code, which provides regulatory framework to proceed with «greener» development.

Within the Green Economy Concept, it is planned to design a National strategy for low carbon economic development until 2050 (LEDS). The strategy aims to reduce emissions in all relevant sectors: transport, industry, energy, construction, waste management and agriculture.

The German Development Agency (GIZ) supports the development of the LEDS. The UNDP within UN Partnership for Action on Green Economy (UN PAGE), which is funded by eight countries with Germany and the European Union being key donors, contributes to the LEDS development as well. Namely, UNDP supports the design of waste and fiscal policies that contribute to inclusive transition to a Green Economy.

UNDP’s initiative on biodiversity financing within the global Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) is another German-funded activity in Kazakhstan. BIOFIN offers innovative solutions that facilitate access to finance, leveraging both public and private resources, and effectively addresses the risk-related concerns of private investors. In Kazakhstan BIOFIN managed to attract private investments into environmental project. Thus, Bitfury Group, the biggest blockchain company in the world, invested in protection of forests to offset its carbon footprint. 

The Government of Kazakhstan is strengthening its green policies and open to promoting green financing. At the same time, it is preparing COVID-19 response policy focused on medium term socio-economic recovery. It is important to ensure that this response policy reflects long-term development priorities and looks beyond recovery, towards 2030.  Building back greener is one of the main priorities of UNDP’s COVID-19 recovery offer .