Our Work on the Sustainable Development Goals in Kazakhstan

In September 2015, world leaders from 193 countries, including the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York to adopt the new global United Nations development agenda for the post-2015 period. Within this framework, the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2016–2030 were endorsed, comprising 17 Goals and 169 targets. The SDGs aim to eradicate extreme poverty, promote equality and opportunities for all, and protect the planet through strong partnerships among countries. The United Nations Country Team in Kazakhstan works closely with government institutions, civil society, and the private sector to adapt the SDGs to the national context, as well as to promote and implement the SDG agenda in Kazakhstan. In November 2016, Kazakhstan hosted a United Nations expert mission under the MAPS initiative (Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support), which became the first such mission in the region. One of its outcomes was the adoption by the Senate of Kazakhstan of a Parliamentary Statement on the SDGs. In August 2018, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, based on UN recommendations, signed a decree establishing the national SDG coordination architecture under national leadership and ownership. This includes the SDG Coordination Council, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister. Under the Council, five intersectoral working groups were established across the five SDG clusters—People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership—led by relevant government ministries.