The Council for Sustainable Development and ESG Sums Up Its 2025 Work

The Council for Sustainable Development and ESG under the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Atameken” held a meeting at which it summarized the Council’s work for 2025, held the awards ceremony for participants of the Smart Plastic Zone project, and reviewed the draft Roadmap for implementing the IFRS S1 and S2 standards in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Opening the meeting, Yuliya Yakupbayeva, Chairwoman of the Council for Sustainable Development and ESG of the NCE “Atameken,” summed up the Council’s work for the year, noting the strong engagement of Council members, the wide range of issues discussed at the Council during 2025, and the growing importance of the sustainability and climate agenda worldwide.

“2025 was a very telling year for the Council. We discussed an enormous range of issues — from the draft Roadmap for the Low-Carbon Development Strategy to specific sectoral matters: sustainable construction, carbon-unit trading, climate reporting and more. Council members took part in forums and seminars, and thanks to our shared expertise and involvement, a significant number of regulatory acts are now being drafted. International cooperation developed actively, especially on attracting green financing. We plan to continue this work in 2026. It is a very necessary and important topic in terms of Kazakhstan’s export potential,” said Yuliya Yakupbayeva.

A separate part of the meeting was devoted to reviewing the draft Roadmap for implementing the IFRS S1 and S2 standards in the Republic of Kazakhstan, prepared with the support of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the United Nations Development Programme, and E&Y.

Viktor Kovalenko, Partner and Head of the Sustainability Practice at E&Y, presented the key provisions of the draft, focusing on the shift in the approach to corporate reporting.

“With the introduction of the IFRS S1 and S2 standards, information about sustainability-related risks and opportunities is no longer something separate — it has become part of financial reporting. Companies are now required to show how these risks and opportunities affect their assets, liabilities, equity, income, expenses and cash flows, which is why a phased transition to implementing the standards is proposed, starting with voluntary application,” noted Viktor Kovalenko.

The meeting also summed up the results of the Smart Plastic Zone project, aimed at reducing plastic pollution, promoting responsible plastic management, and engaging businesses in sustainable practices. It was noted that the project has brought together more than 75 organizations, with the total area of participants’ facilities exceeding 5.6 million square meters across nine regions of Kazakhstan. The Smart Plastic Zone project took first place in the environmental category of the Eurobak Awards 2025, marking international recognition of sustainable practices by Kazakhstani business.

Perizat Omarova, Director of the Strategy and Corporate Development Department at Baiterek National Managing Holding JSC, presented practical examples of implementing ESG approaches, noting the systematic nature of the Holding’s work in sustainable development.

“Implementing sustainable development means putting a unified ESG policy into practice not only at the level of the central office, but across all subsidiaries as well. Although these initiatives are very labor-intensive and new, the most important thing is that we are moving in the same direction together with all of our subsidiaries,” said Perizat Omarova.

In 2026, the Council for Sustainable Development and ESG has planned a broad range of activities: an online conference on best practices in the agro-industrial sector (together with the Representation of German Industry and Commerce in Kazakhstan); an online forum on sustainable practices for Council members and interested Kazakhstani companies (together with the Ministry of National Economy and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources); a seminar on climate risks (together with the EBRD); a presentation of Mongolia’s experience in preparing projects under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement; and other activities.

Council members will also take an active part in the RES 2026 EXPO exhibition as part of the 2026 Regional Environmental Summit.

The Council for Sustainable Development and ESG under the NCE “Atameken” is open to attracting new participants and welcomes proposals for shaping its 2026 activity plan.