Nairobi — A Kazakh delegation led by Zulfiya Suleimenova, Adviser to the President of Kazakhstan and Special Representative of the President for International Environmental Cooperation, is participating in the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly.
The event is attended by approximately 5,000 delegates from 193 UN member states, including 60 delegations represented at the level of Ministers of Ecology and Environmental Protection. The forum is also attended by heads of international and regional organizations, NGOs, business circles, research centers, and international experts.
The Environment Assembly is the primary international forum for making global decisions on environmental issues. The sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly is being held under the theme: “Effective, Inclusive and Sustainable Multilateral Actions to Tackle Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, and Pollution.”
In line with the “Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Year of Ecology” announced by the Head of State, Kazakhstan, in cooperation with the SCO and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) secretariats, organized an SCO-UNEP side event titled “One Planet, One Future: Joining Forces for Environmental Sustainability” on the sidelines of the Assembly. The side event aimed to discuss the prospects for expanding cooperation with UNEP in the field of environmental protection and was attended by delegations from all SCO member states, as well as SCO and UNEP secretariats.
In her speech, Zulfiya Suleimenova, representing the SCO Chairman’s country, highlighted the need to pay special attention to the environmental challenges of the SCO member states. She expressed her view that “climate change is one of the main challenges to humanity, and the fight against its consequences is the responsibility of the entire world community.”
SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming emphasized that the SCO prioritizes cooperation with UNEP in the areas of environmental protection, environmental safety, and climate change. He expressed high regard for the proposal by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to declare 2024 as the “Year of Ecology in the SCO,” as part of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the organization and the establishment of an SCO partnership with UNEP.
To formalize this cooperation, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO Secretariat and UNEP. This document outlines the development of cooperation between the two organizations in areas such as the conservation of biological diversity, disaster management, adaptation to climate change, scientific and technical cooperation, reduction of environmental pollution, promotion of sustainable development, and enhancement of eco-tourism.
Additionally, Zulfiya Suleimenova held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the UN Assembly in Nairobi. These included discussions with leaders from UNEP, UN-Habitat, the UN Global Compact, and delegations from France and China. During these meetings, the parties agreed to develop cooperation on various aspects of the regional and global environmental agenda, including in the context of international initiatives proposed by Kazakhstan.
In particular, Inger Andersen supported the initiative of the President Tokayev to hold a Regional Climate Summit in 2026 and expressed her readiness to provide all possible assistance to its substantive content. The Head of UNEP noted the great potential in implementing joint projects with Kazakhstan and also called for strengthening the representation of the United Nations Environment Programme in our region.
The Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Population Programme (UN-Habitat), Michal Mlynár, advocated for the intensification of cooperation with Kazakhstan and highlighted a number of projects related to urban development. In particular, he invited the Kazakh side to consider participating in the ministerial meeting, as well as in the work of the Local Climate Action Summit (LCAS) during the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP-29) in Baku this year.
At a meeting with Sanda Ojiambo, the Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, the parties discussed the importance of involving business in the formation and promotion of the concept of sustainable development at the national level, taking into account the UN Sustainable Development Goals until 2030.
The delegation of Kazakhstan continues to participate in the work of the Assembly in Nairobi.
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