Al-Farabi KazNU presented global projects of the Ban Ki-moon Institute of Sustainable Development

August 16, 2018.  During the celebration of the International Youth Day of Al-Farabi KazNU presented global projects of the Institute of Sustainable Development named after Ban Ki-moon.

al-Farabi KazNU, being a global hub for the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) on sustainability, plans to present these projects at a major international forum in Alpbach, Austria in late August this year.

As part of the celebration of the International Youth Day, the first vice-rector of KazNU Professor Mukhambetkali Burkitbayev presented the academic and research programs of the Institute of Sustainable Development to the international academic community, teachers and students of KazNU.  He noted that it was the initiatives of the former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that led to the establishment of the United Nations global projects such as the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), the program of global citizenship, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

In May 2018, the KazNU has opened the Ban Ki-moon Institute for Sustainable Development, becoming the world’s third global hub of the Ban Ki-moon international centers. This allows the university to become a global think tank and contribute to sustainable development at many international venues, including platforms of international economic forums such as the Astana Economic Forum (AEF), the Eastern Economic Forum (WEF), and others.

“We greatly appreciate the cooperation with the UN Office in Kazakhstan, and especially the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNIC) in Kazakhstan, and the Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Almaty, which is actively working to turn Almaty into a regional hub of the UN, “- said vice-rector M. Burkitbayev.

“It is a great honor for me to work together with such a university as al-Farabi KazNU” – said the UN representative, the acting director of the UNIC Mr. Abdurahim Mukhidov – “Its innovative approach in studying and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highly valued in the UN system, in the country and in the region.”

“KazNU is a recognized leader in promoting the UN initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges of sustainable development. The opening of the Ban Ki-moon Institute for Sustainable Development is a great honor and great responsibility” said Director of the Ban Ki-moon Institute for Sustainable Development Professor Rafis Abazov at the meeting. He also stressed that the Institute can contribute to better policy coordination and policy making on the SDGs not only in Kazakhstan but also in the Central Asian region, especially in developing new approaches to managing “smart” sustainable cities and “smart” universities.

He presented the Institute’s innovative programs in three main areas:

– Smart sustainable cities and urbanization;

– Stable (green) energy management and the future of energy balance;

– Sustainable ecosystems, ecotourism and the sustainable future of the planet.

“We are pleased that the country’s leading university KazNU has launched the Institute for Sustainable Development. Our cooperation with the UN agencies and all other interested parties would reach a qualitatively new high level, in discussing the use of new technologies and new managerial approaches in solving world’s problems and challenges, “said the Director of the Institute R. Abazov.

The head of the Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Almaty, Mr. Ruslan Bultrikov, spoke about the contribution of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the work of the UN in promoting the concept of “sustainable development” among the international community. He stressed the importance of the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the academic community of KazNU in discussing the challenges of the 21st century at the Rio+20 international forum (2012) and the subsequent contribution of Kazakhstan in the preparation and adoption of the global concept of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) in 2015.

The representative of the United Nations Department of Public Information in Kazakhstan, Mr. Vlastimil Samek – currently the acting interim director of DPI UN in Islamabad – appealed to all those present through the video message from Pakistan. He stressed the importance of the International Youth Day in recognizing the role of young people in the world in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals and addressing the challenges of global climate change.

Kazakh National University

Student’s Press Club