On August 18, the official opening Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) installations took place on the territory of the capital's Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport. The exhibition was prepared by Kazakh eco designer Aigerim Akenova for the First Regional Summit on SDGs, held in Almaty in 2019.

Each of the art objects represents one of the global goals, revealing its relevance and offering possible solutions. To produce the exhibition items, the author used natural and innovative synthetic fabrics that cause the least damage to the environment. Responsible consumption and production are two important elements of sustainability for the designer.

All installations are accompanied with a description in three languages. Many art objects are interactive: for example, the installation for SDG 11 "Sustainable cities and communities" has a notebook with drawings of children about the cities of their dreams, which can be scrolled through and notes to be left.

The installation for SDG 1 "Poverty Eradication" demonstrates that thanks to digital technologies, all people are interconnected in the modern world, and gradual elimination of poverty is possible only through joint efforts. The image of a child was also not chosen by chance. Children symbolize a bridge to the future, and, at the same time, they are the most vulnerable category of the population.

The installation "Affordable and clean energy" (SDG 7) in the image of a golden-colored man with a ball-shaped head and a perforation on the top of his head symbolizes the growth of electricity consumption and demonstrates that his every action is connected to energy. This resource should become accessible to everyone and be eco-friendly.

The installation "Decent Work and Economic Growth" in the image of a woman with disabilities shows that there is a need to promote inclusive economic growth and provide decent work for everyone, following the key principle of the SDGs "leaving no one behind".

The installation "Climate Action" demonstrates the consequences of a climate change. The figure of a man made of a metal frame, squatting, demonstrates his helplessness in the face of climate change. There are ice cubes on the top of the mannequin, which melt and flow down the stones, destroying everything on their path. A niche is provided for collecting water, in which the word "consequences") floats.

The event was held within the framework of cooperation between "Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport" JSC and "Economic Research Institute" JSC with the support of the United Nations Development Programme in Kazakhstan.

"Sustainable development is possible with the balance of three main components: economic growth, social responsibility and environmental balance," said Deputy Chairman of the Board of "Economic Research Institute" Bauyrzhan Mukan, opening the exhibition.

According to him, environmental problems, global climate change, social and gender inequality are only part of the systemic crises and global challenges that countries, corporations and people are currently facing. According to the speaker, this clash led to an awareness of the importance of sustainable development. "Sustainable economic growth in modern conditions, in addition to rapid and well-coordinated steps, requires wider involvement of the population. Therefore, the presented installations can serve as a signal to people about the need to take care of the limited resources of our planet," the head of the Institute stressed.

Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Kazakhstan Vitalie Vremis, in turn, expressed the readiness of UNDP to continue supporting national efforts to implement the SDGs in the country.

"Today's pandemic and the consequences of climate change, which we have fully felt this year, have highlighted the links between the environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable development, while significantly slowing the achievement of the SDGs in all countries of the world. In this regard, the coordinated partnership work of the government, the private sector, civil society and citizens is more important today than ever to make sure that we will leave a better planet for future generations," Vitalie Vremis said.

The SDGs are 17 interrelated goals developed in 2015 by the UN General Assembly as a global strategy combining social, economic and environmental issues.

On September 25, 2015, at the UN headquarters in New York, world leaders, including heads of state and Government, adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals aimed at eliminating poverty, combating inequality and injustice, as well as solving problems related to climate change.

In August 2018, the Coordination Council for Sustainable Development Goals was established in Kazakhstan under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The coordinating body of the Council's work is the Ministry of National Economy. “Economic Research Institute" JSC has been officially approved as the Secretariat for the SDGs, which provides expert and analytical support for the implementation and nationalization of the SDGs in the country.