Projects of OSCE-backed Green Bridge Partnership Programme discussed in Astana

Greening the economy and sustainable development in Kazakhstan were the focus of a two-day roundtable meeting that was held in Astana on 22 and 23 February 2012.

Some 100 government officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and members of the diplomatic corps discussed a range of projects developed in the framework of the Green Bridge Partnership Programme (GBPP). The discussion focused on such issues as low-carbon development, energy efficiency, sustainable urban development, waste minimization and green technologies. Kazakhstan’s Global Energy and Environment Strategy, which will be presented to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20 in Brazil in June 2012, was also discussed.

Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, addressing the participants, expressed her conviction that the environmental projects run under the Green Bridge Initiative would “significantly contribute to a greener, cleaner and safer world”.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

The Green Bridge Initiative was developed by the Government of Kazakhstan with the backing of the OSCE Centre in Astana in 2010-11. It aims to build global partnerships for promoting greener economies and green growth. The GBPP is currently supported by the United Nations Development Programme, as well as the governments of Germany, the Republic of Korea and Brazil.