ESG Club is a leading platform for sustainable development
Under the chairmanship of Aidar Kazybayev, Chairman of the National ESG Club, the fourth meeting of the Club was held, which was attended by representatives of all 40 companies that are current members of the ESG Club, as well as representatives of 18 new companies that have applied to join the Club.
During the meeting, the Chairman reported on the results of the ESG Club’s activities for 2022, as well as on the plans of the ESG Club for 2023.
The ESG Club has outlined ambitious plans to advance the sustainable development agenda next year. In particular, at the beginning of 2023, Club members will hold strategic sessions on the development of the Club’s activities, as well as training webinars on the Environmental Code. Important projects for the coming year include the preparation of the National ESG Report and ESG Guide, holding of the Annual Meeting of the ESG Club Members, as well as the ESG Investment Forum and the ESG Awards.
During the meeting, the members of the ESG Club supported the initiatives to create two Committees of the ESG Club, including the Committee on “Circular Economy” initiated by the Kazakhstan Waste Management Association “KazWaste”, as well as the Committee on “Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance” initiated by the RSE “Kazakhstan Institute of Standardization and Metrology”.
Director of the GPI Lab, Co-founder of the ESG Club Yulia Yakupbaeva reported on the accomplished work and the upcoming plans of the Committee on Urbanism, which is headed by her.
CEO of Green Technology Hub Ltd Batyrbek Aubakirov told the Club members about the process and opportunities of green scouting.
One of the key points of the meeting was the acceptance of 18 (eighteen) new participants as members of the ESG club, including Samruk-Energo JSC, Ecojer, Business School of KAZGUU named after M.S.Narikbaev, Association of Environmental Organizations of Kazakhstan, “Kazakh Export”
Export Insurance Company, IDOCSKZ LLP, ArcelorMittal Temirtau JSC, TechnoWomen Non-Profit Corporation, ESG KZ LLP, Eco Product Company LLP, Kazakhstan Electric Grid Management Company “KEGOC” JSC, Private company “BI Group” Ltd., LLP “MFO Onlinekazfinance”, LLP “Samruk-Kazyna Invest”, JSC “BCC Invest”, Center of “Promotion of Sustainable Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, JSC “Jusan Bank”, JSC “NC “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy”.
As a result, today the ESG Club unites 58 leading companies representing the financial and real sectors of the economy, universities and consulting companies actively promoting the principles of sustainable development in Kazakhstan.
The next meeting of the Club is scheduled for January 2023.
Reference:
National ESG Club was created as part of Astana Finance Days 2022 on July 28, 2022 and united 19 companies that are leaders in ESG transformation in their industries. Today the Club includes 30 companies.
Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) is an independent jurisdiction that started operations in 2018. In accordance with the Development Strategy until 2025, the key focus of the AIFC is to consolidate as a universal platform connecting the countries of the EAEU, Central Asia and the Caucasus.
AIFC Green Finance Centre is a subsidiary organisation of the AIFC Authority and the Eurasian Development Bank, aimed at introduction and development of sustainable finance instruments and attracting of investments in environmental and social projects in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
The AIFC Green Finance Centre supported the very first issuance of green bonds and first verified green loan in Kazakhstan. Also, the Centre introduced definitions of green finance and green taxonomy (a classifier of economic activities and projects that meet technical selection criteria) in the national environmental legislation. The new legislation provides incentives for entrepreneurs who use green finance instruments.
