Qadırlı hanymdar men myrzalar!

First, I would like to thank the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan for hosting this event. 

On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme, I am honored to welcome you all to Astana, Kazakhstan, and to command joint efforts of UN agencies, UNFCCC, FAO, UNEP and UNDP, together with COP29 Presidency, on this extremely important topic. 

In recent years, we have increasingly witnessed the negative consequences of climate change. According to the official report of the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service May 2024 was the hottest May in recorded history. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that “Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere” and that “we must secure the safest possible future for people and planet.”

According to the World Economic Forum's 2024 Global Risks Report, the most significant global risk expected over the next ten years is the risk of “extreme weather events.”

The past seven years have been the hottest on record. We are rapidly approaching distressing tipping points for human health and well-being, ecosystems, and development in general. 

With 80 percent of climate change impacts being water-related, global ecosystems are under threat from floods, droughts, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels. Kazakhstan has also faced severe seasonal flooding this year, signaling an urgent need for coordinated action from government, local authorities, and citizens.

These challenges demand immediate action from everyone and strengthening countries' resilience is becoming a matter of sustainable economic development and the social well-being of nations and local communities. 

2024 marks a pivotal year for all nations in strengthening their Enhanced Transparency Framework under the Paris Agreement.

By the end of this year, Parties to the UNFCCC, including Kazakhstan, are planning to submit their first Biennial Transparency Reports detailing the policies and measures taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change, and secure the necessary financial resources for achieving carbon neutrality.

UNDP is proud to be one the key partners for countries in achieving their reporting obligations to the Climate Convention for many years; first with the National Communications, then with Biennial Update Reports, and now with their first Biennial Transparency Reports. BTRs will play a critical role in the design and delivery of ambitious and high-quality NDCs. 

BTRs development is extremely important and timely, as the stakes could not be higher. The next two years stand as the best chance we have as an international community to ensure warming stays under 1.5°. The next NDC cycle offers a powerful opportunity for countries to review and strengthen their climate targets aligned with 1.5^oC, make these NDCs inclusive and investable, and respond to the Global Stocktake decision. BTRs present powerful tools for the data-based design of the next, more ambitious NDCs. 

The UN System has a critical role to play in this. With its broad-reaching expertise across critical issue areas, its trusted relationship as a neutral partner, and its ongoing engagement on the broader 2030 Agenda, the UN System can help ensure countries have access to what they need to deliver on BTRs, as well as more ambitious NDCs. Like other countries, Kazakhstan is actively working to increase its resilience to climate change. Since submitting its first National Communication in 1998, Kazakhstan has steadily advanced toward carbon neutrality by strengthening legislation across all sectors.

UNDP has been a proud partner of Kazakhstan and has supported the country's development progress since the early years of independence (1993) having implemented more than 200 projects worth over US$200 million in a wide array of thematic areas.

UNDP is honored to be part of this initiative, together with other UN agencies and the COP29 Presidency, dedicated to the empowerment of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Eastern Europe toward fast-tracking Biennial Transparency Reporting.

I wish everyone impactful discussions and fruitful work.

Kop rakhmet!