Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) joined other international donor organizations active in Kazakhstan at a roundtable event hosted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Murat Zhurebekov, First Vice Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Aliya Shalabekova, Vice Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Odile Renaud-Basso, EBRD President, and Peter Young, USAID Acting Regional Mission Director, were among the participants in the roundtable. The event was conducted in a mixed online and in-person format.
During the event, Peter Young stated, “The United States has a long history of cooperation with Kazakhstan. We are celebrating 30-years of diplomatic relations with the countries of Central Asia this year. I am confident that our continued joint efforts will bring opportunities for further cooperation, which will translate into enormous benefits to Kazakhstan.”
Kazakhstan has set ambitious targets to develop clean energy and a green economy by 2050. To help the government realize these priorities, USAID is providing technical assistance to key energy sector stakeholders, including the Ministry of Energy, local and international investors, universities and energy companies. Since 2013, USAID-funded energy sector activities have provided technical specialists and policymakers with training and global best practice tools to strategically develop the energy sector and promote increased deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives.
Through USAID’s support and technical assistance, Kazakhstan has conducted successful first-in-country and regional renewable energy auctions since 2018. In addition, USAID collaborated with the Ministry of Energy to develop a least-cost generation master plan to account for the next 20 years of energy sector development, which was adopted as government policy. By partnering with the government and international donor organizations, USAID is committed to help Kazakhstan achieve its decarbonization targets set within the framework of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
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USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. For more information, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/central-asia-regional and USAID’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/USAIDCentralAsia.
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