OSCE Centre supports international forum on future energy
ASTANA, 23 October 2014 – The International Forum "Future Energy: Reducing CO2 Emissions" held in preparation for the International Specialized Exhibition EXPO-2017 started today in Astana.
The two-day forum co-organized by the national company “Astana EXPO-2017” with support from the OSCE Centre in Astana brought together some 500 participants representing governments and parliaments, business and academia as well as non-governmental and international organizations.
Experts from Belgium, France, Poland, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Ukraine as well as representatives of the International Exhibitions Bureau, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Global Green Growth Institute, International Energy Agency and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis will analyse different aspects of future energy.
The event aims to provide a platform for sharing international expertise on the topics of energy efficiency and energy security, renewable energy sources, climate change, energy-related technological solutions for accelerating economic growth and enhancing environmental security and the role of science and innovations in promoting sustainable development worldwide.
“It is expected that as a result of this Forum, a resolution will be accepted and serve as the foundation for a future action plan for the initiative of the transferring green technologies and ideas, which is important not only for Kazakhstan, but for the Eurasian region as a whole”, said Energy Minister Vladimir Shkolnik.
Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, said: “The Forum dedicated to future energy confirms the consistency of Kazakhstan’s efforts aimed at promoting sustainable development and strengthening environmental security. The OSCE welcomes Kazakhstan’s decision to voluntarily reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its transition to the principles of green growth and stands ready to assist the country in this process”.
The event is a follow-up to the Centre’s earlier efforts aimed at promoting the green growth principles and sustainable development in line with the principles and goals of the OSCE Maastricht Strategy.