Kazakhstan is an upper middle-income country whose economic growth has largely depended on exploitation of fossil fuels since independence. However, climate change, environmental degradation and waste pollution present significant threats. Kazakhstan is one of the biggest emitters of CO2 in the world in terms of emissions per capita, while it is also flood-prone, exposed to extreme temperatures and impacted by glacier melting droughts. 

The Government has taken progressive steps to promote sustainable development with ambitious targets set in the National Development Strategy Kazakhstan 2050 and Green Economy Concept. The country is also in the process of revising its Environmental Code to set the frame for sustainable use of natural resources. 

Kazakhstan joined PAGE in 2018 to support implementation of its National Development Strategy and development of a legal regulatory framework to implement the updated Environmental Code. On a sectoral level, waste management is considered a focus area, together with green industry, sustainable public procurement, fiscal policy and legal environmental tools.