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Source: BaigeNews.kz

President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, arrived today at the Dubai Expo City exhibition center, where he participated in the opening ceremony of the World Climate Summit under the auspices of the UN Climate Change Conference. During the event, he presented several initiatives, as reported by BaigeNews.kz.

The head of Kazakhstan emphasized in his speech that today half of the world's population lives in regions highly dependent on climate change.

Source: BaigeNews.kz

"The most vulnerable are small island developing states, landlocked developing countries, and the least developed countries. Constant geopolitical instability and lack of energy security also complicate the task of maintaining attention to the climate agenda," he said.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev supported the UN's call for concrete actions to preserve the environment for future generations and highlighted that Kazakhstan became the first country in the region to ratify the Paris Agreement and adopt a Carbon Neutrality Strategy by 2060.

According to him, the Environmental Code adopted in Kazakhstan will contribute to the comprehensive adoption of green technologies in practically every sector of the national economy.

According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in the coming decades, essential minerals, including rare earth elements, will become indispensable with the world's decarbonization. In this regard, the president stated Kazakhstan's readiness to become a leading supplier of such transitional minerals.

He also highlighted that our country actively supports private 'green' initiatives, citing the domestic Packaging Association working on projects to eliminate plastic waste as a contribution to environmental protection.

The head of state emphasized that reducing methane emissions is the fastest way to slow global warming. In line with this, he announced Kazakhstan's decision to join the Global Methane Pledge, aiming to reduce methane emissions.

"Our country has immense potential for the development of wind and solar energy, as well as for the production of 'green' hydrogen. We will continue close collaboration with our partners to unleash this potential. Being the leading exporter of uranium, providing 43 percent of global supplies, we play a crucial role in carbon-free electricity production on a global scale," noted the head of state.

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Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called on the international community to allocate more funds to support the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.

"The broader hope is for the international community to expand its commitments to increase funding for climate programs. However, financing is just the first hurdle. Even if we successfully limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees by 2050, Central Asian countries will still face a temperature rise of 2.5 degrees. This will lead to water scarcity, intense heat, desertification, and extreme hydrological phenomena," stated the head of state.

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Additionally, the president informed about Kazakhstan's aspiration to address the significant coal-related issue in our regional countries through the implementation of the Partnership for a Just Energy Transition in our country. He called upon friends and partners to support Kazakhstan in this endeavor.

"Kazakhstan will assume the chairmanship of the Fund next year and hopes to engage all partners in addressing this issue. Additionally, we are pleased to co-chair with France the inaugural thematic Summit 'Unified Water' on the sidelines of the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly. Building on the successful outcomes of COP 28 held this week, I invite participating states to the International Forum in Astana in June 2024. The Forum can serve as a platform for dialogue to continue targeted cooperation on pressing climate issues until COP 29. To propel climate protection actions in Central Asia, we have also decided to convene a Regional Climate Summit in Kazakhstan in 2026 under the auspices of the UN," emphasized the President of Kazakhstan.

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In summarizing his address, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that the extraordinary climate situation is a global crisis requiring a global response. He emphasized that collective actions and cooperation are essential to resolve the climate crisis.

Leaders from over 40 countries and heads of international and regional organizations also delivered speeches at the summit.