LocationsSecond Voluntary National Review of Kazakhstan presented at the UN High Level Political Forum
July 15, 2022
July 14, 2022, New York - Kazakhstan today presented its Second Voluntary National Review (VNR) on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN High-Level Political Forum in New York.
The delegation of Kazakhstan was headed by the Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov. Among other delegates were representatives of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, cross-government working groups and the Institute for Economic Research JSC. UN agencies from Kazakhstan were represented by Yakup Beris UNDP Resident Representative and Mikaela Friberg-Storey UN Resident Coordinator.
"Participation in the Forum is another confirmation of Kazakhstan's high level of commitment and responsibility in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda"Alibek Kuantyrov, the Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The country has been working towards sustainable development step by step since the first days of its independence. In 2019, Kazakhstan submitted its first VNR and reaffirmed its commitment to the SDGs. After three years, Kazakhstan is submitting a second review to assess progress and demonstrate the country's implementation of the goals set out in the previous edition of the VNR.
"The second Voluntary National Review reflects the progress on SDGs that Kazakhstan has made since 2020. The negative consequences of COVID -19 are a difficult time for the economies of all countries, as well as for other spheres of life across the planet. Such analysis allows countries to pause and, taking into account government programs and strategies, make the necessary decisions and take certain steps to build a more sustainable future. Kazakhstan adheres to the main principle of the SDGs "leaving no one behind" and UNDP remains committed to continue fruitful cooperation with the Government of Kazakhstan and all other partners to achieve sustainable development for all"Yakup Beris, UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan
The VNR also presents the country's work to harmonize budgeting with the SDGs. Kazakhstan has initiated the development of the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF). Today, the INFF is helping the country strengthen its planning processes and overcome existing barriers to financing sustainable development and achieving the SDGs at the country level. In Kazakhstan, activities in this area were launched in 2020 as part of the UN Joint Programme on aligning policy and financing with SDGs with financial support from the UN Joint SDG Fund. The study into the feasibility of implementing the INFF began with the Development Finance Assessment (DFA). The assessment helped identify some constraints and opportunities that affect progress toward achieving the SDGs.
Kazakhstan also conducted a Rapid Integrated Assessment (RIA) of budget programs of the Unified Budget Classification of the country. The RIA showed the correlation of budget expenditures with the objectives of sustainable development and the level of budget funds allocated to them.
Coverage of the national SDGs by the unified budget classification of the Republic of Kazakhstan
During the preparation of the VNR, national consultations were held in 17 regions of the country with more than 2,500 representatives of government agencies, civil society, business, media, youth and women's organizations. During the consultations, people selected the following five priority SDGs for Kazakhstan: SDG 1 - "Eradication of poverty" (48.8 per cent); SDG 3 - "Good health and well-being" (65.4 per cent); SDG 4 - "Quality education" (59.7 per cent); SDG 6 - "Clean water and sanitation" (41.4 per cent); SDG 8 - "Decent work and economic growth" (47 per cent).
Top 5 priority SDGs of Kazakhstan according to the results of online voting
The VNR also identified key directions to accelerate the country's progress toward achieving the SDGs. These include fully integrating nationalized SDG indicators into state planning system documents; continuing to improve the effectiveness of local and regional institutional mechanisms that promote and facilitate SDG implementation; continuing dialog among the state, civil society, business, international organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure their qualitative participation with the goal of maximizing SDG outcomes; and maintaining effective regional cooperation with Central Asian countries and other international partners.
"There is not much time left to complete the 2030 Agenda. Despite the influence of external and internal factors related to COVID -19 and the geopolitical situation in the world, the main goal of ensuring sustainable development for Kazakhstan remains unchanged. Therefore, the country's government sets itself the task of relaunching the package of systemic reforms, the transformation of all components of the current model of life of the state, the population, and the economy," said Alibek Kuantyrov to conclude his speech.
The text of the Second Voluntary National Review can be found here.
