11/11/2026
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On 4 November 2026, a meeting of the Public Council was held at the premises of Baiterek National Investment Holding JSC in Astana.
As part of the instructions given by the Head of State in his Address to the People of Kazakhstan on 28 October 2026, the meeting reviewed the results of business participation in the Smart Water Zone and Smart Plastic Zone projects, which aim to reduce water and plastic footprints. World Bank consultants also held a workshop on mobilising climate finance for projects in Kazakhstan.
At the invitation of the Public Council, the meeting was also attended by representatives of the Council for Sustainable Development and ESG under the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the banking sector, industry associations and businesses.
Opening the meeting, Yulia Yakupbayeva, Chair of the ESG and Investment Commission of the Public Council of Baiterek National Investment Holding JSC and Chair of the Green Urban Association, highlighted the importance of the issues under discussion: “In his Address to the People of Kazakhstan, the Head of State gave a number of instructions on the rational use of natural resources, particularly water. In this context, our Smart Water Zone project, with Baiterek National Investment Holding JSC as its information partner, is becoming particularly relevant. Furthermore, in the context of the Head of State’s instruction to establish a one-stop shop for attracting investment at Baiterek National Investment Holding, mobilising finance from alternative sources is becoming one of the priorities of government policy,” Yulia Yakupbayeva noted.
The meeting continued with a presentation of the interim results of Smart Water Zone, launched in May 2026 with the support of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan and with Baiterek Holding as its information partner. The project has already brought together around 25 organisations from various sectors, with participating facilities covering a total area of 1.3 billion m². According to the data presented, participants’ total water consumption fell by 9.6%, from 200.6 million m³ in 2024 to 181.4 million m³ in 2025, while wastewater volumes decreased by 3.2%.
The Public Council was also presented with a review of companies’ practices to reduce their plastic footprint. Smart Plastic Zone, which has been developing since 2025, has so far brought together 88 organisations from 11 regions of Kazakhstan that are implementing practices to reduce single-use plastics, separate waste collection and use reusable alternatives.
The programme also featured a presentation by Mariya Yeleubay, Senior Environmental Engineer at Embamunaigas JSC, who travelled from Atyrau to share water conservation experience in the oil and gas industry. According to the Smart Water Zone assessment, the company reduced water consumption by 11.4% while increasing the volume of treated water reused from 9,359 to 11,980 m³. Local wastewater treatment facilities are used at production sites, treated water is used for irrigation and dust suppression, and automated water resource metering is being developed.
During the awards ceremony, Kazatomprom, Embamunaigas, QazExpoCongress, Satbayev University, NCOC, KEGOC, Coventry University Kazakhstan, Unicorn Crops Limited, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University and Jasylmeken received Smart Water Zone and Smart Plastic Zone distinctions.
The meeting concluded with a practical World Bank seminar on preparing industrial decarbonisation projects to attract concessional finance under the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) programme. Participants were introduced to approaches to preparing applications in line with the requirements of international climate funds.
The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources serves as the project’s responsible coordinator on behalf of the Government of Kazakhstan. A draft form for completion was sent to meeting participants and associations, together with recommendations to submit information to the World Bank consultants’ office by 15 November 2026.
