Sustainable urban development and urbanization policy is one of the main state priorities of the country.
Modern.az reports that these thoughts were voiced by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Oljas Bektenov at the official opening ceremony of the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku.
He noted that currently more than 63% of the population of Kazakhstan lives in cities, and ensuring comfortable living conditions, safety, accessibility, ecological sustainability and decent employment are among the main directions of state policy.
“In January of this year, a new Construction Code was adopted in Kazakhstan, which defines unified standards for architectural design, urban quality and integrated urban planning. In addition, urban planning centers have been established in all regions of the country.”
He also emphasized that sustainable urban development requires responding to challenges such as technologies, artificial intelligence, water security, climate change and resilience:
“The “Alatau City” project created in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan is a modern urban cluster aimed at attracting international investments, innovative solutions and advanced management technologies.”
According to the Prime Minister, last year a law was adopted in Kazakhstan regulating the safe, transparent and human-centered use of artificial intelligence:
“Currently, more than 1200 public services are provided through the digital e-government system in the country.”
In his speech, he also touched upon issues of water security and ecology:
“In the new Constitution of Kazakhstan, environmental protection is enshrined as a fundamental state value. In the context of climate change and water scarcity, sustainable water management has become an integral part of urban development.”
The Prime Minister added that Kazakhstan actively cooperates with the UN-Habitat Program and participates in international initiatives in the field of sustainable urban development.
Finally, the representative of Kazakhstan thanked Azerbaijan for the high-level organization of the World Urban Forum held in Baku.
