Kazakhstan Participates in the 80th Session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Representatives of Asia-Pacific member states, heads of international organizations and other high-ranking officials attended the event.

Kazakhstan delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu took part in the 80th session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The main theme of the session ongoing in the Thai capital is “Leveraging Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific”.

Representatives of Asia-Pacific member states, heads of international organizations and other high-ranking officials attended the event.

Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu noted in his speech that the countries of Asia and the Pacific are becoming a new center of growth of the world economy and a driving force of technological progress. In this context, he stated that in the new economic policy of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the development of innovation and digital technologies are a priority.

Kazakhstan is invariably among the world leaders in the development of fintech sphere, a successful example of which is the Astana International Financial Centre. Our country ranks 28th in the world in the provision of e-government services and 8th in the quality of online services.

Murat Nurtleu invited ESCAP member states to mutually beneficial cooperation with Astana Hub – the largest IT startup park in Central Asia. Currently, more than 900 companies, including Google, Microsoft, Huawei and many others, are successfully operating in Kazakhstan.

Considering that digital solutions play an important role in the development of transport interconnectivity, the Kazakh diplomat called for strengthening coordination between the countries of the region and adoption of the new ESCAP Convention on uniform rules and standards in the transit sector.

Within the framework of participation in the session, Foreign Minister Nurtleu held talks with Armida Alisjahbana, the UN Under Secretary General – Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

Parties discussed joint initiatives on holding under the auspices of the UN Ministerial Conference on Digital Technologies in Astana in September 2024 and establishment of the Center for Digital Solutions in Almaty. Kazakhstan is initially ready to share more than 20 specific digital solutions with other member states of the Commission.

On the sidelines of the session, Kazakh Foreign Minister also held talks with Fatima Rabab, UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. The two sides discussed preparations for the third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.

In addition, the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan also organized a side event on the theme “Digital Expansion: Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals”.