Today, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Stockholm+50 national dialogue was launched. It aims to engage communities in discussions about the environmental aspects of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“The Stockholm conference is considered to have placed environmental concerns at the forefront of the international agenda, and motivated countries around the world to start monitoring environmental conditions, and to create environment ministries and agencies”, said H.E. Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden, Mats Foyer, in his opening remarks at the event.

The goal of the Stockholm+50 national consultations is to stimulate a broad discussion on the proposed issues, taking into account the context of each country, and to advance cross-sectoral actions needed to recover from the pandemic and work toward a healthy planet.

“The Stockholm+50 meeting provides an opportunity for broad discussion and integration of the efforts of all stakeholders to accelerate the achievement of results in areas that are fundamental to a sustainable future. First of all, we are talking about mitigating the human impact on the planet, more efficient use and distribution of resources for green development. UNDP remains committed to continuing effective cooperation with the Government of Kazakhstan and all other partners to achieve sustainable development for all” - noted Yakup Beris, UNDP Kazakhstan Resident Representative.

The national consultations in Kazakhstan are taking place under the auspices of the SDGs on the platform of national discussions of the second Voluntary National Review (VNR), which is currently being developed.

The event was attended by representatives of local government, non-governmental organizations, youth initiatives, universities and other stakeholders. Participants made suggestions for actions needed to accelerate progress toward the "green" SDGs. These included recommendations for improving Kazakhstan's Nationally Determined Contributions, the national "Green Kazakhstan" project, and other national-level policies and actions to promote sustainable development. In particular, participants emphasized the need to further promote environmental culture in order to achieve the goals of a "green" economy.

The results of the discussions will be presented this June at the international meeting “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity” in Stockholm, Sweden. The results of the discussion will also be included in Kazakhstan’s Voluntary National Review.

The UN General Assembly has agreed to hold an international meeting “Stockholm+50” supported by the Swedish government to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs during the Decade of Action (2020-2030), including through a sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The high-level event will take place in Stockholm on 2-3 June 2022 ahead of the World Environment Day. The meeting will be devoted to the 50^th anniversary of the convening the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, the first global conference to make the environment its main topic.

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On 2 and 3 June 2022, a crucial international environmental meeting will be held in Stockholm, Sweden. Anchored in the Decade of Action, under the theme “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity,” this high-level meeting will follow months of consultations and discussions with individuals, communities, organizations and governments around the world. A one-day preparatory meeting will also be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 28 March 2022.

Stockholm+50 will commemorate 50 years since the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment, which made the environment a pressing global issue for the first time. Some 113 countries attended, and participants adopted a series of principles on the environment, including the Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan for the Human Environment. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was created as a result of the conference.