Tokayev stresses biodiversity conservation and the need for international cooperation

Kazakhstan is ready to cooperate with Armenia’s COP17 presidency and international partners to turn environmental commitments into tangible results, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the COP17 Leaders’ Summit in Yerevan.

Tokayev said biodiversity sustains human well-being, economic resilience, and long-term security. Healthy ecosystems underpin food production, protect water resources, and support people’s livelihoods.

“However, desertification and water scarcity pose a serious threat to the delicate balance between nature and human beings. For millions of people, water shortages and degraded land have already become a daily reality. The most difficult consequence is that this process extends beyond borders, undermining sustainable development and threatening global stability,” Tokayev said.

He emphasized that environmental issues must take precedence over political differences and that decisions must lead to practical results. According to Tokayev, international cooperation must be friendly and unbiased and lead to tangible outcomes.

Addressing Kazakhstan’s environmental policy, the president said the country was making significant efforts to protect nature and preserve biodiversity. He described this as both a national duty and an international responsibility, noting that the commitment was also enshrined in the country’s Constitution.

“For the first time in our history, the Constitution explicitly enshrines the promotion of environmental culture as a fundamental principle of our statehood,” the Kazakh president added.

Tokayev stressed that preserving natural heritage must go hand in hand with economic progress. He also highlighted Kazakhstan’s nationwide Taza Kazakhstan, or Clean Kazakhstan, movement, saying it was becoming part of the country’s national ideology and influencing citizens’ everyday behavior.

Tokayev noted that Kazakhstan had launched an initiative to establish an International Fund for the Protection of Rare Species and Biodiversity, inviting partner countries to join the effort. He said the initiative would bring together scientific expertise, conservation partnerships, and financial support to achieve lasting results.

The president also said Kazakhstan’s National Biodiversity 10 Years Programme was designed to guide habitat restoration, species protection, and the expansion of protected areas. In addition, the country was launching a National Bank of Genetic Biodiversity.

“Protecting nature remains a responsibility we can successfully deliver only together, because the future of the planet is at stake. COP17 should take a decisive step from commitments to real results. Kazakhstan stands ready to work with the Armenian presidency and all partners to carry this momentum forward and leave a safer, more resilient, and sustainable world for future generations,” Tokayev added.