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RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000270 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, OES, OES/S 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PGOV SENV SOCI TSPL KPAO KZ
SUBJECT:  KAZAKHSTAN:  SECOND PREPARATION MEETING FOR THE 2010 
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 
 
REF: 09 Astana 02139 
 
ASTANA 00000270  001.3 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  Astana hosted the Second Advisory Council Meeting in 
Preparation for the Ministerial Conference on Environment and 
Development (MCED) to be held in Astana in 2010.  This year's MCED 
will focus on "green growth."  The meeting presented the MCED's 
projected schedule, which will include senior official meetings, 
ministerial meetings, side events and exhibitions.  The organizers 
want to include business and NGOs as partners and participants.  The 
MCED will have a dedicated website for interested parties to 
register online after April 15.  END SUMMARY. 
 
SECOND ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING 
 
¶2.  The Kazakhstan Ministry of Environment, along with the United 
Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific 
(ESCAP) and the Central Asian Regional Environmental Center (CAREC), 
hosted the Second Advisory Council Meeting on Preparation for the 
Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development (MCED) to be 
held in Astana in 2010.  This meeting follows the First Advisory 
Council Meeting, which took place in Astana on November 24, 2009 
(see reftel).  Ministry of Environmental Protection Department of 
Legal Policy and International Cooperation Director Alexander Bragin 
opened the Council meeting by saying that the Central Asia region is 
in a uniquely geopolitical position to further advance the process 
of European and Asian Pacific integration.  Kazakhstan, as 
Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation 
in Europe (OSCE) in 2010, has particular responsibility to promote 
sustainable economic development.  He said the MCED coincides with 
Kazakhstan's own plans to achieve sustainable development. 
Kazakhstan has already prepared allocated funds for the MCED and 
several parallel activities, and is fully committed to ensuring that 
the MCED will be a success.  Bragin said Kazakhstan's business 
community has also made a sizeable commitment, with the top 40 
enterprises collectively investing $1.2 billion toward sustainable 
development last year. 
 
MCED SCHEDULE OUTLINE 
 
¶3.  ESCAP Environment and Development Division Director Li Shaoyi 
reminded attendees that the MCED has met every five years since 
¶1985.  The MCED serves as a forum for all 62 member countries to 
review the status and trends of each member state's environment and 
economic development, assess progress, opportunities, and challenges 
in implementing their prior commitments, identify additional 
priorities, and formulate future agendas. 
 
¶4.  Li said this year's MCED objectives are to secure a commitment 
to sustainable development, assess progress to date, reduce existing 
gaps in implementing commitments, define the priorities and areas 
for cooperation, and focus on promoting "green growth."  He said 
sustainable development is the primary development strategy for the 
Asia and Pacific region, along with the sustainable use of 
resources, low carbon development, and a sustainable urban 
development strategy.  He stressed the latter, noting that many 
Asian cities have strained and overcrowded urban environments and 
uncontrolled growth. 
 
¶5.  Li outlined the MCED September 27-October 2 draft schedule, with 
the first three days for the Senior Official Segment, the last two 
days for the Ministerial Segment, and a day off in between.  The 
Senior Segment will deliberate policy and review and approve 
documents, and the Ministerial Segment will have ministerial 
statements and reports and the adoption of Senior Officials' 
reports.  In addition, there will be side events and a roundtable on 
environmental protection and economic development. 
 
MCED INVOLVES GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS, AND CIVIL SOCIETY 
 
¶6.  Central Asian Regional Environmental Center (CAREC) Executive 
Director Talaybek Makaev said the MCED will include an inter-sector 
dialogue on green growth between government, business, and civil 
society.  It will have exhibitions and expositions as side events 
 
ASTANA 00000270  002.3 OF 002 
 
 
running concurrently.  Themes will include "green and competitive," 
global and local (GloCal) green growth, sustainable ecological 
systems, green infrastructure, green decision-making, and civil 
society and green growth.  The MCED will also include a day of 
excursions and an evening reception for all representatives.  There 
will be a sustained media campaign to highlight the event and 
broadcast it to the public. 
 
¶7.  CAREC's Program Manager Gulzhamal Issayeva presented MCED's new 
website, located at http://www.mced6.org, which will become active 
on March 15 in English and Russian.  Interested parties can register 
online for the MCED after April 15.  It will contain MCED 
publications from the conference and other relevant information. 
 
¶8.  COMMENT:  It is important that Astana will host the next MCED in 
2010, not only because it is the first time for a Central Asian 
country, but also because it highlights UN, OSCE, and European 
thoughts on Kazakhstan's rising status and leading role in Central 
Asia.  Coinciding with Kazakhstan's 2010 Chairmanship of the OSCE, 
it enhances its image as a country actively promoting sustainable 
development.  The United States is a member of MCED and will most 
likely send a delegation to Astana for the event.  END COMMENT. 
 
HOAGLAND