World Environment Day: the open dialogue

Al-Farabi KazNU hold a round table event dedicated to the World Environment Day. The event was organized by the Ban Ki-moon Institute for Sustainable Development of the University with the support of the UN Information Office in Kazakhstan. Well-known public figures, ecologists, scientists, experts in the field of environmental protection, representatives of state bodies and non-governmental organizations took part in the open dialogue.

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, being the UN Academic Impact Global Hub for Sustainability, actively engages the international academic community in the implementation and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations, one of which is the environmental protection. The following topics were under consideration at the event: «The impact of the environment on the well-being and health of children», «Restoration of the ecosystem of Kazakhstan», «The impact of environmental changes on the habitat and living conditions of domestic and wild animals».

The Chairman of the Board-Rector of Al-Farabi KazNU Dr. Zhanseit Tuymebayev sent his greetings to the event participants. He pointed out in his message that one of the global problems of the mankind is constantly deteriorating state of the environment. The increasingly active interaction between a man and nature has led to ecosystem disruptions, many of them are irreversible. Therefore, the World Environment Day, established by the UN in 1972, is one of the ways to attract the attention of the world community to the problems of nature.

«This year our country is celebrating the 30^th anniversary of its independence. As a member of the United Nations, Kazakhstan has put forward a number of initiatives in different years, some of them became part of the Sustainable Development Goals. One of the Global initiatives is the «Green Bridge», put forward by the First President - Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2010. Supporting and promoting this idea, our university is implementing the international project «Green Bridge through Generations», which was presented at the World Summit «RIO + 20» in 2012 in Brazil and received the support of the academic community», was noted in the message.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, following the initiative of Elbasy, called for a new subject - environmental education - to be included in the curriculum of children in Kazakhstani schools. Most recently, the Head of State expressed the intention of Kazakhstan to participate in the 10^th anniversary of the UN to restore ecosystems and promotion the «green agenda».

At the meeting, Commissioner for the Rights of the Child Mrs. Aruzhan Sain emphasized the importance of environmental protection to preserve the health of the nation. She noted that negative environmental consequences negatively affect, first of all, children and expectant mothers, who are the most vulnerable and at risk. Solving environmental problems should be a priority for our society and the state.

According to the Head of the UN Environment Program Regional Office in Central Asia Mrs. Ayday Kurmanova, the symbiosis of science, education, and youth is very important. The initiatives put forward by the academic community play an important role in sustainable development, including in the field of environmental protection and ecosystem preservation. It is necessary to unite efforts in this direction, to change the consciousness of citizens, the public and business, to form ecological thinking and respect for nature.

The representative of the UN Department of Global Communications in Kazakhstan Mr. Vlastimil Samek also emphasized the active role of youth and students in eco-movement and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Head of the Department for Entrepreneurship and Investment of Almaty city Adminisration, Mr. Erkebulan Orazalin, described the measures taken to improve the environmental situation in the city, preserving the «green» fund, implementation of the «Good City» project and interaction with the public community of the metropolis. In addition, scholars and PhD students of KazNU presented their outputs on various research topics on environmental journalism, biodiversity and environmental protection.

Department of International Cooperation of KazNU