Entry Points for Vertical Integration of Climate Action in Kazakhstan

The report examines how Kazakhstan can integrate climate adaptation into its governance structure, focusing on two primary entry points: high-level national strategic documents and sub-national development programs. It highlights a gap in methodological knowledge for conducting Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (RVAs) and suggests a model where national scientific bodies conduct RVAs while provincial departments prioritize and implement measures. The document recommends leveraging the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) process and the Green Economy Concept to mainstream climate resilience, while proposing specific adjustments to the Ministry of National Economy's Territorial Development Program to ensure investments are climate-proofed.

• Sub-national executive bodies in Kazakhstan face three primary obstacles to adaptation planning: the collection of climate trend and scenario data, a lack of capacity to conduct comprehensive Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (RVAs) and prioritize measures, and difficulty accessing budgets for implementation.
• While Kazakhstan has strong capacities for providing past and present climate information through Kazhydromet, there is a systemic lack of institutional capacity to conduct RVAs. Methodological knowledge for these assessments is currently missing within national institutions, often requiring the hire of international experts.
• The report proposes integrating climate adaptation into high-level strategic documents as a first entry point, specifically through the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the update of the Green Economy Concept planned for 2020.
• The Territorial Development Program, coordinated by the Ministry of National Economy, is identified as a key sub-national entry point. Currently, it does not consider climate risks, which may lead to investments being undermined by climate impacts.
• To integrate adaptation into sub-national planning, the study suggests two options: requiring climate threats to be included in the SWOT analysis for priority sectors (agriculture, forestry, water, disaster risk reduction, and health), or adding a quantified indicator for climate opportunities and risks to the program guidelines.
• The report recommends a vertical division of labor for the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process: national scientific bodies should conduct RVAs and elaborate adaptation options, while provincial departments should be responsible for selecting and prioritizing those options.

APA

Bierkandt, R., Medebayeva, A., Yermolyonok, D., & Oshakbayev, D. (2019). Entry Points for Vertical Integration of Climate Action in Kazakhstan. NAP Global Network. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/napgn-en-2019-entry-points-for-vertical-integration-of-climate-action-in-kazakhstan-1.pdf

Chicago

Bierkandt, Robert, Aliya Medebayeva, Dana Yermolyonok, and Dauren Oshakbayev. Entry Points for Vertical Integration of Climate Action in Kazakhstan. NAP Global Network, 2019. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/napgn-en-2019-entry-points-for-vertical-integration-of-climate-action-in-kazakhstan-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bierkandt |first1=Robert |last2=Medebayeva |first2=Aliya |last3=Yermolyonok |first3=Dana |last4=Oshakbayev |first4=Dauren |title=Entry Points for Vertical Integration of Climate Action in Kazakhstan |publisher=NAP Global Network |date=May 2019 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/napgn-en-2019-entry-points-for-vertical-integration-of-climate-action-in-kazakhstan-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bierkandt2019entry, author = {Bierkandt, Robert and Medebayeva, Aliya and Yermolyonok, Dana and Oshakbayev, Dauren}, title = {{Entry Points for Vertical Integration of Climate Action in Kazakhstan}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2019}, month = may, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/napgn-en-2019-entry-points-for-vertical-integration-of-climate-action-in-kazakhstan-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }