Unlocking energy-efficiency in Kazakhstan

Public schools and apartment buildings are retrofitted for energy efficiency thanks to a UNDP/Global Environment Facility programme

A student at Public School Number 9 in Astana, 14-year-old Arman said that a few years ago, the gymnasium in his 63-year-old school was so cold in winter that he and his classmates could see their breath.

"We hated going to gym class," he said.

The chill hurt students’ health as well as morale. Colds and flu were rampant in winter, when Astana’s temperature can plunge to minus 50 degrees Celsius.

Kazakhstan does a good job of getting heat from municipal boilers to buildings. The problem at Public School Number 9 was getting the heat to individual rooms once it arrived.

Kazakhstan: A champion for people living with disabilities

Kazakhstan signed the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol in 2008

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – 30 January, 2013 – Since the age of five, when Ali Amanbayev was diagnosed with a serious spinal injury, life has been a constant struggle.

"As a schoolboy, I began using crutches and had to do my homework lying on my back," he recalls. "As the years passed, I realized that life would only become more difficult. It is not easy being disabled in a society with limited social support systems."

But attitudes and mindsets are slowly changing in Kazakhstan. Today, at 65, Amanbayev leads the Kazakhstani Union for the Organization of People with Disabilities. 

Drought, grain, and foodstuffs prices in Russia and Central Asia: Consequences for vulnerable households

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – 15 December 2012 – Severe drought hit different parts of the world in 2012, resulting in low harvests in key grain exporting countries. This includes Russia and Kazakhstan – which are among world’s top grain producers and exporters. Drought conditions have the potential to affect not only the farmers and consumers in these two countries, but also millions of people living in grain importing countries of Central Asia, due to higher prices for grain and subsequently flour and foodstuffs.

Kazakhstan: Save the wetlands, protect the economy

Bringing back traditional feltwork, Korgalzhyn wetlands, Kazakhstan

Valentina Zhakupbekova’s family depended on the exploitation of Kazakhstan’s vast wetlands - thousands of square kilometres of rich soil and abundant lakes, with caviar-bearing fish, unique birds and aquatic flora.

Her husband was an illegal poacher, supporting their four children with the fish he caught. After he died, With no employment and a family to feed, Ms. Zhakupbekova had no job and a family to feed, so, supported by UNDP, she learned how to create felt products made from wool, a commodity in abundant supply.

She opened a local retail shop and now sells her popular handmade slippers, boots and jewellery - and trained seven other women.

Tajikistan: Putting environmental resources in local hands

Land degradation led to the collapse of this road. Photo: UNDP in Tajikistan

"Protecting the forests is a noble cause that should always be supported," says Bekmurodov Kurbonmahmad, a member of the Community Forestry Management Committee.

In 2007, UNDP, in partnership with the Global Environment Facility, reached out to local officials and farmers in Tajikistan’s Vakhsh River valley to identify and address environmental threats, and encourage local management of natural resources.

Saving unique fish in Issyk Kul

ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan – 19 June, 2012 – "I used to be a fisherman – like 10 to 15 percent of the people living in my district," said Ulan Abdyldaev, a fishermen from the Kuturga village located north of Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan.

"We used to go out into the lake, put up our nets and catch a lot of fish, mainly chebak and chebachok, with no hassle. It was getting less and less, but we did not pay much attention,” says Ulan, “And now, for the last five years, some chebak and chebachok have disappeared."

Like many villagers in Issyk Kul, Ulan made a living catching and selling fish. Uncontrolled fishing led to the disappearance of some unique species and also drove the fishermen out of business. Now Ulan is helping to restore some of the endemic fish species in Issyk Kul Lake: chebak, chebachok, marinka and naked osman.

Natural Disaster Risks in Central Asia

Background

Bratislava, SLOVAKIA - 24 April 2012 -Central Asia is highly exposed and vulnerable to natural hazards including earthquakes, landslides, floods, mudslides and droughts. Both exposure to natural hazards and the vulnerability of populations, infrastructure, and economies has risen in the last few decades. Over the last ten years, Central Asian governments and the international community have undertaken an increasing number of disaster reduction initiatives to address the risks posed by these factors. However, many of these efforts are based upon a limited understanding of disaster risks.

The study “Natural Disaster Risks in Central Asia: A Synthesis” prepared for the 2011 Central Asian Regional Risk Assessment (CARRA) conference by UNDP, clarifies and outlines the natural disaster risks facing Central Asia.  The study offers a baseline analysis for identifying disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate risk management (CRM) interventions in the region. Outlining five distinct issues - exposure, climate change, vulnerability, risk assessments and policy making – it reaches the conclusion that there is substantial work to be done to reduce vulnerability in the region in terms of understanding the risks, as well as addressing them.  Many risks are transboundary in nature and can be best analyzed and addressed at regional level.

A village in Uzbekistan adapts to climate change, and raises incomes

KYZYL RAVAT, Uzbekistan – 5 December 2011 – Climate change has taken its toll on rural Uzbekistan, degrading pastureland and depleting livestock. However, one remote village has demonstrated that it can adapt to the effects of climate change – and even increase people’s income at the same time. 

Uzbekistan: New opportunities for people with disabilities

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – 1 July, 2011- So far, 421 young people with disabilities have found new jobs in Uzbekistan, thanks to an initiative that is helping to employ people with disabilities, raise awareness about their rights, and confront the prejudice and discrimination they face. See: Photos from the project Watch: public service announcement promoting wheel chair friendly buildings

Uzbekistan: In carbon heavy region, World Environment Day puts clean energy in spotlight

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – 6 June, 2011 – A week of activities organized around World Environment Day is helping to draw attention to the environment in carbon heavy Uzbekistan.The State Committee for Nature Protection of Uzbekistan, together with UNDP and United Nations agencies organized an exhibition, a symposium, fun for kids and an eco-tour. Read: Helen Clark's statement on World Environment Day Read: United Nations Secretary-General's message on World Environment Day

Head of UNDP Helen Clark visits Central Asia

25 May, 2011 – UNDP Administrator Helen Clark visited Central Asia this month, travelling to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, where she met with Presidents, Prime Ministers, Parliaments, development partners, NGOs, civil society and United Nations Country Teams. She also visited several UNDP projects, and spoke with people from local communities to see  how development initiatives have made a difference in their lives. Watch: videos from Helen Clark's visit to Tajikistan, and UNDP iniatives in Uzbekistan See: Photos from Helen Clark's visit to Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, as well as a photo essay on Wetlands in Kazakhstan

Winds of change for Kazakhstan’s carbon heavy market?

ASTANA, Kazakhstan - 9 May, 2011 – Kazakhstan is starting to pay attention to energy efficiency and environmental protection: the country is party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2009. This came with a commitment to reduce the impact of climate change, including decreasing green house gas emissions (GHGs) by up to 15 percent by 2020, and 25 percent by 2050 (using 1992 as a baseline).

Head of UNDP focuses on Turkmenistan’s role in the region

Ashgabat, 2 May 2011—United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark concluded a two-day official visit to Turkmenistan today which focused on that country’s leadership role in the region.

Kazakhstan: Adapting to climate change in Altai-Sayan

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – 14 February, 2011 – Studies have shown that climate change will cause a shift of climatic zones in the ecosystems of Altai-Sayan, resulting in the migration of animals and plants. In response, a buffer zone of about 600,000 hectares of protected forests has been created between the Western and Eastern part of the region to protect the migration routes of globally threatened species, such as the snow leopard, lynx, European red deer, elk, argali, and more. See: photos from Altai Sayan

Kyrgyzstan: Community development helping to provide local services during harsh winter

NARYN, Kyrgyzstan – 17 January 2011 – Communities helped improve local health and education services in the villages of Kuybishev, Uchkun and Kazybek in Naryn Province. See: Photos from new kindergarten, heated health centre, power station, and the work it took to build them

Uzbekistan: Health workers embracing human development

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – 28 December 2010 - "Very often we forget about human values and people around us, but rather prefer to talk about [surrounding] things," said Igor Vikhrov to colleagues at the Tashkent Pediatric Medical Institute. "The human development concept brings new opportunities for people and directs human achievements, allowing people to serve themselves."

Kazakhstan: Honouring the public's right to know

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – 5 October 2010 – In a recent survey, over 70 percent of respondents said that it is impossible to access information from the state on certain issues. The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan is responding with a new law on access to public information.

Widening women’s political representation in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – 13 August,  2010 – When Jogorku Kenesh, the Kyrgyz parliament, convened in 2005, it had no female members. Only one member of the cabinet of ministers was a woman. The paucity of women in decision-making positions contributed to difficulties in achieving gender equality in the conservative Kyrgyz tradition.

Turkmenistan: Energy efficiency takes hold for future of country’s energy sector

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan – 9 August 2010 – Representatives of Turkmenistan’s energy sector are exploring how to best introduce energy efficient practices and alternative sources of energy. View: nature photos in Turkmenistan

Kazakhstan: Energy efficient municipalities making a difference

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – 2 August 2010 – Energy saving practices introduced in residential buildings in some of Kazakhstan’s most polluted cities, including Almaty and Karaganda, have resulted in a 45 percent reduction in energy consumption for heating water in the buildings, as well as savings of up to 20 percent for heating costs. View: photos of energy efficient apartment buildings in Kazakhstan