25th September 2019

Foundation of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Nur-Sultan

Honorable Executive Director of the Foundation of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Asset Issekeshev

Distinguished Minister of energy, Mr. Kanat Bozumbayev

Distinguished Mayor of Nur-Sultan city, Mr.Altai Kulginov

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am glad to be here at the III International Renewable Energy Summit in Kazakhstan.

Climate change presents one of the biggest threats to development, and, if not tackled, to human existence. It is very symbolic that we gather today here at the Renewable Energy Summit right after the Climate Action Summit in New-York.

The role of sustainable energy in mitigating climate change is evident. Energy lies at the heart of all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030.

With Goal 7 on Energy and the Paris Agreement, governments committed to developing affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all, while keeping average global temperature increases to "well below" 2° Celsius. To meet this goal, we need a revolutionary approach in energy provision. This means seeking massive and rapid improvements in energy productivity, widening of access, and increasing share of renewables.

It is an historic opportunity to create a decent energy future, in which no one is left behind.

I am happy to note that much is already happening to transform the role of energy in economy globally. We now witness that renewables are becoming mainstream in the power generation sector. They provide an estimated 26% of global electricity generation, and employ 11 million people worldwide.

Kazakhstan follows the same path. The government committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement, with ambitious targets of covering 30% of its energy needs from renewables and alternative energy sources by 2030.

By placing sustainable energy on the forefront of the national development agenda, the country demonstrated significant progress in renewables uptake, with doubling electricity production from renewables this year.

UNDP is proud to support these national efforts.

Currently, we are working with the Ministry of Energy on the amendments to the relevant legislation to facilitate the deployment of renewable energy systems. It includes heating and cooling sector which account for around half of the total energy demand. 

We also work on climate finance together with our partners as climate finance is key to ensure that transformative actions in the real economy are as impactful as possible. This starts with facilitating private investments in the renewables through stronger mechanisms, easing their access to information and finance. We have seen through our work globally that viable climate finance solutions can mobilize investments to drive decarbonization of priority sectors and advance resilience to climate change.

In that regard, we are working with our partners to introduce innovative solutions that facilitate access to finance, leveraging public and private investments, and effectively address risk concerns of private sector.

For example, we have assisted the introduction of an alternative auction mechanism in renewable energy subsector, equipping investors with basic project information, and partly de-risking investments in renewable energy production.

Kazakhstan joined 48 countries worldwide where feed-in tariff policies were replaced with renewable auctions in 2018.

We have also assisted our partners in introducing a financial mechanism for low-carbon projects, which is being piloted with DAMU Fund. This mechanism has already attracted more than 46 mln. US dollars of private investments in 2018 alone. Seeing the benefits, we will be extending this mechanism to cover renewable energy projects as well, focusing on distributed renewable energy systems.

We consider Kazakhstan Energy Week and International Renewable Energy Summit a significant platform to exchange crucial experiences, expertise and ideas between governmental agencies, international organizations, and businesses. These key players can influence and catalyze progress on access to clean and affordable energy for all.

We call on governmental agencies, international organizations, and businesses to actively engage in addressing renewable energy with ambition and urgency. The shift to renewable sources needs to happen faster, not only in power generation but across various sectors and industries. It is a core element in cutting carbon emissions, checking the rise in global temperatures and helping to mitigate climate change. That is our responsibility in front of the generations to come. 

I wish you success in your deliberations, and thank you for attention.