Global policymakers, world professionals and industry representatives got here in combination on the Astana International Forum to talk about the way in which ahead in a global stuffed with uncertainties and conflicts.
Titled “Connecting Minds, Shaping the Future,” the Astana International Forum (AIF) accumulated over 160 world audio system and round 7,000 members.
The tournament kicked off with a plenary consultation, the place heads of state and high-ranking officers expressed concern over the state the sector is in as of late.
President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, highlighted rising polarisation and greater disagreement between states. According to him, conflicts are brewing in 52 states, whilst their financial toll quantities to $19 trillion (€16 trillion), or 13.5% of world GDP.
Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, underlined that world demanding situations are interconnected and require built-in answers. Vulnerabilities best worsen when exterior alignment happens with out inside steadiness.
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, President of North Macedonia, spoke concerning the want for reforms within the United Nations. The organisation’s bylaws had been written 80 years in the past and didn’t envisage the generation and complexity of the sector in 2025.
Ban Ki-moon, serving because the President and Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute, famous that local weather alternate and deterioration of our environment can best be solved jointly, whilst Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu highlighted that meals is a elementary human proper and peace is a prerequisite for meals safety.
The plenary consultation was once adopted through round 40 panels, aspect occasions and one-on-one periods masking business, transportation, inexperienced power, carbon neutrality, local weather motion, financial system, finance, building of AI and extra.
Trade: Positives and negatives
First and primary, the Astana International Forum is a platform for connections and networking, together with for industry. As a part of the discussion board, firms from France and Italy met with Kazakh businessmen and signed a number of agreements.
France signed 15 agreements with Kazakhstan, key amongst them being a €90 million (€78 million) challenge for the development of a hydrogen manufacturing plant, which can assist lower carbon emissions.
Italy and Kazakhstan signed 10 memorandums for a complete of €180 million (€157 million). The tasks duvet logistics, mechanical engineering, agricultural processing, commercial digitalisation and inexperienced power.
Negative results of business had been additionally mentioned at one the of the panels, the place audio system regarded as how business is weaponised as of late to serve egotistic targets.
If within the 2010s world powers had been selling unfastened business, the wind has modified within the final decade. Experts proportion that business is a good weapon, particularly briefly time period, however what issues is the objective at the back of it.
Transportation: Middle Corridor’s importance
Central Asia’s position as a transit hub between China and Europe is simple as of late. The position of the Middle Corridor on this regard and its long run building had been additionally mentioned all over AIF.
“The turnover grew by 62 percent in 2024 and reached 4.5 million tonnes of cargo. The aim is to reach 10 million tonnes in 2027. About $15 billion (€13 billion) have already been invested in the development of infrastructure and transportation time sharply reduced to almost 14-18 days,” famous Director of Kazakhstan’s Institute for Strategic Studies, Yerkin Tukumov.
“The Middle Corridor will not solve all the problems because it is and will remain very expensive for certain goods to go over land. But it can be a medium-term solution, one of the alternatives,” countered Jurgen Rigterink, First Vice President of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Kazakhstan additionally introduced a brand new shipping initiative referred to as Kazakhstan on the Crossroads of the Continents. Considering that virtually 80% of products from Asia to Europe trip thru Kazakhstan, the rustic is making an attempt to ease the method through consolidating all transportation similar products and services and firms in a single platform.
Climate alternate: Need for local weather financing
While the temperatures in the remainder of the sector are projected to develop through 3.7°C through the 2090s, temperatures in Central Asia will upward push through 5.8°C, virtually two times as a lot. This will jeopardise a lot of sectors, together with water safety, meals safety, financial steadiness, employment charges and migration.
“Climate change is not a standalone problem. It rather multiplies the threats and the problems in many different sectors,” highlighted Zulfiya Suleimenova, Advisor to the President of Kazakhstan.
“Climate change is a huge problem in Central Asia and we cannot really be speaking about sustainable economic development in our region without addressing climate related challenges.”
For the area to successfully battle the issue it calls for powerful investment, however to this point has best attracted not up to 1% of world local weather financing.
One of the periods on the discussion board directed consideration to common accessibility and affordability of local weather financing. The consultation was once additionally ready to carry in combination Central Asian ministries of financial system and ecology to talk about acceleration of local weather motion.
Renewable power: Relevance of uncommon earths
In the context of rising local weather considerations, the significance of transition to inexperienced power and diminishing of carbon emissions is underscored. Kazakhstan has set itself an formidable objective of attaining carbon neutrality through 2060. So a long way, emissions decreased through best 6%.
To assist the topic, the UAE-based corporate Masdar has pledged $1 billion (€880 million) for the advance of renewable power in Kazakhstan.
At one of the crucial panels, audio system highlighted Kazakhstan’s attainable in renewable power, particularly wind power. The huge steppes can probably generate 1 billion kW hours in keeping with yr, which is 8 occasions the will of the rustic, leaving the remaining for export.
Experts additionally famous that building of renewable power infrastructure has pushed the call for for uncommon earth components, that have change into the “new gold.” In that sense, Central Asia has an good thing about uncommon earths reserves. Kazakhstan by myself has 19 out of 34 uncommon earth metals.
Artificial intelligence: Regulation of moral use
No dialogue on Friday came about with out citing the advantages and threats of synthetic intelligence. The discussion board members deliberated on AI legislation with regards to moral and secure use.
“Soon AI will know more about you than you know yourself. Are you ready for such information to be shared without your permission? Even with government agencies, let alone publicly. I think we need to prepare for a new era of AI, look at it positively, but prepare legislatively, organisationally, and personnel-wise,” famous Yerkin Tukumov, Director of Kazakhstan’s Institute for Strategic Studies.
At the similar time, Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev famous that Kazakhstan is already getting ready a regulation that may control AI use to forestall its abuse.
“The idea is not to overregulate, but to consider some of the ethical standards,” Madiyev stated, noting that the regulation is into account through the parliament nowadays.
Over two days, the Astana International Forum pulsed with discussion, trade, and collaboration. From parallel periods to high-level networking, members sought commonplace floor and recent answers, leaving with a shared dedication to shaping a extra strong, sustainable long run.
