Today in the city of Astana, the Regional Environmental Summit began its work at the initiative of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The dialogue platform, organized together with the UN, leaders of neighboring regional countries, and other international organizations, is aimed at protecting ecosystems, water and land resources, and preserving the biodiversity of Central Asia. As part of the summit, the delegation of Abai University participated in the international exhibition “RES 2026 EXPO” and presented innovative environmental scientific projects of its researchers.

The plenary session of the Regional Environmental Summit was attended and addressed by the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, and Georgia. Representatives of the UN and leading international organizations (OSCE, ECO, OECD, OTS, SCO, EEC, ISESCO, CICA, etc.), as well as financial institutions (ADB, EBRD, World Bank, Islamic Development Bank), also took part in the large-scale summit.

During the plenary session, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that Central Asian countries are facing serious environmental challenges.

– Our countries live within a single ecosystem. Rivers and lakes, natural landscapes, and climate risks are shared by all of us. Most importantly, we share responsibility equally. Central Asia and neighboring regions face similar environmental challenges, including water scarcity and inefficient water resource management, desertification, glacier melting, air pollution, and the threat of biodiversity loss. I am deliberately outlining these key issues in detail because I am confident that by joining efforts we will achieve positive results, – said the President.

As part of the summit exhibition, Chairman of the Board – Rector of Abai University Bolat Tilep and Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation E. Sultan took part. The university’s scientific projects were presented to distinguished guests by Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Geography Kulash Kaimuldinova, Acting Associate Professor of the Department of Biology Makhabbat Amanbayeva, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry Yerbol Tileuberdi, and Head of the Laboratory of Innovations and Nanotechnologies Viktor Lysenko.

At the exhibition, 5 projects were presented under the theme “Abai University: Towards Sustainable Development.” These included an electric power station, a green university concept, an eco-club, and a mobile unit for extracting oil from sandy-soil formations. The “Alternative Power Station” project is aimed at creating environmentally friendly alternative energy sources of various capacities to supply electricity to remote facilities.

The “Green University” concept includes implementing significant environmental initiatives, improving energy efficiency, introducing environmental education programs, landscaping and improving the territory, and adopting green technologies. The “Biohumus” project focuses on producing biohumus from organic waste using California red worms.

In addition, the student eco-club “Ayala” was presented. This is a voluntary association of students aimed at developing environmental culture, fostering sustainable thinking, and addressing pressing environmental issues at both the university and societal levels. The scientific project “Mobile Unit” for extracting oil from formations while neutralizing oil sludge and contaminated soil also attracted great interest from visitors.

The Regional Environmental Summit will continue until April 24. It is expected that new initiatives related to the region’s ecosystem will be adopted following the international meeting.

Media Center “Abai University”