United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Celebrates 60 Years with Tree Planting Event
Hitting the Pines:
Kickstarting a green initiative, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan planted an alley of Siberian pine seedlings in Astana's Botanical Garden, marking UNDP's 60th birthday celebrations on April 30 as per UNDP's press service.
The tree-planting ceremony was held as part of the Taza Kazakhstan nationwide campaign, in collaboration with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. The event was backed by Yessil District administration.
UNDP's footprint in Kazakhstan, spanning over 30 years, comprises over 200 projects surpassing a staggering $210 million. These projects have been instrumental in various sectors like environmental restoration, healthcare, poverty eradication, and social development.
Some of UNDP’s standout achievements include environmental restoration in the Aral Sea and Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, creating ten protected natural areas, establishing Kazakhstan's first ecological corridors, covering a massive 2.9 million hectares, and supporting biodiversity and renewable energy projects.
UNDP's contributions extend beyond environmental conservation, playing a crucial role in molding strategic national documents. These include Kazakhstan's transition to a green economy, reforms in public administration, social protection, and environmental legislation. UNDP continues to support Kazakhstan in meeting international human rights, gender equality, disability rights, biodiversity, and climate commitments.
Moreover, UNDP has fostered innovations such as the development of a carbon market and forest conservation. Interestingly, it has established the first and only genetic bank of seeds of especially valuable tree species in Kazakhstan, securing long-term storage of seeds of 18 tree species.
Today, UNDP stands as the largest UN agency in Kazakhstan. Its 2026-2030 Country Programme revolves around strengthening human capital, social protection of vulnerable groups, spurring economic development, ensuring environmental sustainability, promoting the human rights agenda, upholding the rule of law, and fostering regional and local development for balanced growth across the country [1][3][4].
- The UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, celebrating its 60th birthday, marked the occasion by planting Siberian pine seedlings as part of their sustainability efforts in Astana's Botanical Garden, aligning with the Taza Kazakhstan campaign and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.
- In the home-and-garden sector, UNDP established the first and only genetic bank of seeds of especially valuable tree species in Kazakhstan, ensuring the long-term storage of seeds of 18 tree species for future climate-change mitigation efforts.
- As a significant player in Kazakhstan, UNDP's 2026-2030 Country Programme emphasizes environmental sustainability, aiming to foster balanced growth across the country, while also focusing on strengthening human capital, social protection, economic development, and upholding the rule of law.
- UNDP's contributions to Kazakhstan's environmental science have been substantial, ranging from environmental restoration projects like the Aral Sea and Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, to creating ten protected natural areas, establishing Kazakhstan's first ecological corridors, and supporting biodiversity and renewable energy projects.
- The science-driven lifestyle of UNDP is evident in its efforts to combat climate-change by fostering innovations such as the development of a carbon market and forest conservation, which aim to not only protect the environment but also promote a greener economy for the future.
