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Workshop 2, April 25, 2023

The second of the workshop series, What is Needed for an Efficient Air Quality Management in Kazakhstan, held on April 25, 2023, was focused on Kazakhstan efforts to reduce air pollution in support of the country's climate and development goals. The workshop series is organized by the World Bank jointly with Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (MENR) of the Republic of Kazakhstan to provide a robust platform for multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral engagement on Kazakhstan's critical climate and environmental strategies, including the low-carbon transition, air quality management, and resilience to climate change.  

The Kazakhstan's Environmental Code, amended in 2021, provides a solid regulatory framework for improving the country's air quality and includes critical provisions for strengthening the country's air quality management. Still more can be done to address air pollution originating from residential heating and transport. According to , a global air-quality monitoring platform, concentrations of particulate matter pollution 2.5 microns or less in size (PM2.5)  in Almaty and Astana regularly exceed the WHO ambient air quality guidelines by as much as 17 times in winter months.

The workshop participants discussed current air quality management activities and future plans of Kazakhstan's MENR. They also heard perspectives from a range of government and other stakeholders and learned about effective AQM practices and experience in tackling pollution from residential heating and transport in other countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mongolia, Sweden, and the U.K. Other experiences shared included inter-agency coordination in air quality monitoring and enforcement, and a building insulation program to reduce emissions from residential heating.

The workshop provided important insights for improving air quality management in Kazakhstan. ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº underscored its readiness to support MENR with analytical studies and/or to strengthen legislation where necessary, to support MENR's Action Plan to improve air quality management.

Agenda

Opening remarks:
Dosbol Bekmagambetov, Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Andrei Mikhnev, Country Manager for Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, World Bank

Introductory Remarks: Elena Golub, Senior Environmental Economist, World Bank

Presentation: Effective AQM and GHG reduction in Kazakhstan. Vasil Zlatev, Senior AQM Consultant, World Bank

Introductory Remarks: Weijen Leow, Team Leader and Senior Environmental Finance Specialist, World Bank

Presentations: International experience in improving AQM and air quality in cities

• The UK AQM system: Design, institutional arrangements and key takeaways&²Ô²ú²õ±è;¨C&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Alison Davies, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
• The Sweden AQM system: What Sweden has done regarding regulatory and institutional aspects to improve air quality ¨C focus on environmental taxes - Kristian Silver, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Mongolia¡¯s experience of AQM in the residential sector ¨C presentation of the World Bank program in the country, Tsendsuren Dorjgotov, Ulaanbaatar Clean Air Project
• Managing transport emissions: Experience from Bosnia and Herzegovina&²Ô²ú²õ±è;¨C&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Wenyu Jia, World Bank

Moderated by Rustem Kabzhanov, General Director, Association of Regional Environmental Initiatives "ECOJER"

Presentation: Actions taken to improve air quality and what are the next steps - Akzan Shiranov, Director, Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development Department, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources

Interactive discussion: Strengthening AQM in Kazakhstan and key measures to improve AQ: a moderated panel discussion of critical gaps and next national and city-level steps. Moderated by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources

Wrap-up and Closing Remarks: Akzan Shiranov, Director, Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development Department, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources

Workshop 2 Materials:

Recording: External 

Presentations: External 

Interview with Akzan Shiranov, Director, Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development Department, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources: 

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