On December 20th, in Almaty, the results of the National Social Eco-Campaign “TURAQTY JOL” were summarized in the UN Plaza conference hall. As part of the closing event of the eco-project, a roundtable discussion on the topic “Implementation of ESG Components in Business: Sustainability, Development, and Prosperity” took place.

The event brought together representatives from the business communities, international organizations, non-governmental sectors, academic circles, as well as aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs. During specially organized discussion platforms, participants exchanged best practices in implementing ESG principles into corporate culture, and invited experts provided their assessment of current trends in this field.

In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Amir Pirich, Acting Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty noted: "Responsible behavior, global citizenship, solidarity and peace are at the heart of UNESCO's values. But they also make long-term sense for business, as they position the private sector and, in particular, the business community as key drivers of sustainable development. Sustainability must not remain just a slogan, it must become a concrete reality in our daily decisions and actions".

An undoubted advantage of this round table was the diverse range of participants, which allowed to consider the ESG agenda from absolutely different sides from teaching this topic in universities of Kazakhstan to implementation at the level of ecostartups and large industrial business, as well as the financial sector.

In addition, the event included an award ceremony for the winners of the creative part of the TURAQTY JOL project with the theme "Protection of Water Resources", which attracted more than 700 contestants aged 12 to 35. The participants presented their vision of water problems through artistic works, emphasizing the importance of respect for nature.

"I am very glad that I took part in this competition, which calls for drawing people's attention to the problem of water resources. This is not only a great opportunity to show my artistic talent, but also an important step towards active participation in solving environmental problems. We, the young generation, are responsible for the future of our planet, and I am proud that I can contribute to supporting sustainable use of water resources", - pointed out one of the winners, Zhamilya Zhamalieva.

"TURAQTY JOL" is an educational initiative aimed at fostering the younger generation's respect for their native land through the inculcation of cultural, moral and environmental values.

It is worth mentioning that during the implementation period of the “TURAQTY JOL” eco-campaign, about 3,000 participants were reached with significant events emphasizing environmental responsibility and sustainable development principles.

Thus, in April this year, a press briefing was held to announce the start of applications for the eco-festival and a tree planting event timed to coincide with International Earth Day.
In June, a global clean-up day was held with the participation of more than 200 people, resulting in the collection of about 2 tons of garbage.

In August, the final of the Festival of Environmental Ideas and Projects was held, where the selected and trained teams online, presented their eco-initiatives and startups. The winners were awarded with a prize fund of 10 million tenge and are now in the active phase of project implementation.

The eco-campaign was organized by the Kazakhstan National Federation of Clubs for UNESCO together with the Association of Business Women in Almaty with the support of the Almaty Akimat, the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty, the National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Platform “Tournaman”, “Saiko Group”, “Caspian Group “Kumkol Trans Service”. The general partner of the project is Bank CenterCredit.