GPI Group Partner Appointed Chair of the Sustainable Development and ESG Council of the “Atameken” National Chamber of Entrepreneurs

A Sustainable Development and ESG Council has been established at the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs. This was announced by Raimbek Batalov, Chairman of the Presidium of the “Atameken” National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, during a meeting.

“We made a deliberate decision to create the Sustainable Development and ESG Council at the National Chamber, since these issues have increasingly become part of everyday economic activity, as well as the agenda of regulators and state policy in our country,” said Raimbek Batalov.

The Council was created to develop unified approaches to implementing the measures of the Strategy for Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2060, to gather the positions of the market and regulators regarding the introduction of sustainable development and ESG principles across sectors and regions, and other related tasks.

Yuliya Konstantinovna Yakupbayeva was invited to lead this major effort as Chair of the Council. She currently serves as a member of the Presidium of the “Atameken” National Chamber of Entrepreneurs and is an active expert in sustainable development and ESG, co-founder of the National ESG Club, and Chair of the Green Urban community.

“We are pleased that representatives of the regulators — the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM), the Ministry of Ecology, and the Ministry of Trade — have confirmed their participation in the Council. We also expect representatives of the Ministry of National Economy and the Ministry of Industry to join. With this composition, we will be able to comprehensively discuss and work through pressing issues of the practical implementation of the sustainable development and ESG agenda. I am confident that like-minded members will continue to join our ranks. A great deal of multifaceted work lies ahead of us,” noted Yuliya Yakupbayeva.

In addition, representatives of the private and quasi-public sectors, national holdings and development institutions, industrial enterprises, associations, international companies, expert bodies and consulting firms, the financial sector, and members of parliament have joined the Sustainable Development and ESG Council. Business proposals for inclusion in the Roadmap have already begun to be submitted to the Council.

“KazMunayGas National Company JSC already adopted a low-carbon development program back in 2021. Implementation plans have been drawn up and communicated to subsidiary organizations. However, difficulties have arisen during implementation. In this regard, we propose stepping up work on the issue of an emissions trading system,” noted Aisha Turebayeva, Director of the Investment Portfolio Strategy and Management Department at KazMunayGas National Company JSC.

At present, market participants show very different levels of maturity: some have already done substantial work to obtain an ESG rating, while others are only beginning their path in sustainable development.

“The Council will have subcommittees, and active work with government bodies is planned to discuss existing norms and changes to sector-specific legislation in the field of sustainable development. We also plan to disseminate best practices and cultivate Champions in the field of ESG and the sustainability agenda,” summarized the Chair of the Council.