Collection of Best ESG Practices in Central Asia Published

On July 15 in Astana, the Collection of Best ESG Practices in Central Asia was presented. The event was initiated by the Xinhua News Agency’s China Economic Information Service and the Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition, with organizational support from the General Association of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan and assistance from KPMG Kazakhstan.

The collection was preceded by an independent selection process: five experts evaluated 59 applications from five countries against four criteria (innovation, effectiveness, replicability in other contexts, and sectoral significance). As a result, 13 practices were selected across four categories:

Clean Energy and Low-Carbon Transition — SPIC Kazakhstan Energy Investment Company, PetroChina International, PowerChina Huadong Engineering Corporation, and China Energy Engineering Overseas Investment.

Green Finance and ESG Governance — Bank CenterCredit, SUS Environment, and NFC Kazakhstan.

Eco-Agriculture and Green Infrastructure — China–Uzbekistan Natural Gas Pipeline Company, the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China Road and Bridge Corporation.

Social Responsibility and People-to-People Ties — Eurasian Resources Group, national company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, and Huawei Technologies Kazakhstan.

Su Yu, Minister-Counselor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Kazakhstan, noted: “The best practices presented in the collection demonstrate that ESG has already become a shared development concept, contributing to the further deepening of cooperation between China and Kazakhstan.”

The speaker also emphasized that more than ten thousand enterprises with Chinese capital are registered in Kazakhstan.

Yuliya Yakupbayeva, Chair of the Sustainable Development and ESG Council under the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs “Atameken” and Partner at GPI, highlighted the importance of dialogue among business, government, and international cooperation in advancing the ESG agenda:

“We are convinced that achieving sustainability goals should contribute not only to improving the environment, but also to renewing the economy and expanding opportunities for our companies to participate in the supply chains of global players. To understand the practical nature of the agenda, media channels and practical case studies are important, allowing companies to replicate ESG principles in their day-to-day operations.”

The speaker also presented the Council’s areas of work and practical examples of projects by the Green Urban Association — Smart Plastic Zone and Smart Water Zone, aimed at reducing plastic and water footprints, respectively — and invited representatives of Chinese business to join these initiatives.

Participants noted the high level of the event’s organization and the importance of bringing together representatives of the public sector, business, international organizations, and think tanks from China and all five Central Asian countries around practical issues of “sustainable” transformation.

Electronic version: “Collection of Best ESG Practices in Central Asia”

Background:
The event also featured speeches by representatives of the leadership of the International Center for Green Technologies and Investment Projects, AIFC, the Xinhua China Economic Information Service, Khabar Agency, CNPC, KPMG, ERG, RG-Gold, as well as business representatives and experts.