AmCham Decarbonization Committee at the RES Expo in Astana

AmCham Kazakhstan members and representatives of the Decarbonization Committee participated in the RES 2026 EXPO | Regional Ecological Summit EXPO in Astana, an important platform for dialogue and regional cooperation on sustainable development.

As part of the session “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺,” speakers discussed how Kazakhstan can continue strengthening its Emissions Trading System (ETS) through practical reforms that support transparency, predictability, market efficiency, and business decarbonization goals.

The session was moderated by Michael McNicholas, General Counsel of VISOR Kazakhstan and Chair of the 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲 of AmCham Kazakhstan.

Panelists included:

🔹 Victor Kovalenko, EY, on practical steps to help the Kazakhstan ETS evolve into a true cap-and-trade market mechanism.

🔹 Akbota Askanbay, FCCA, PwC Kazakhstan, on ETS considerations for corporate reporting.

🔹 Zhuldyz Saulebekova, Almaty Air Initiative / Taza Initiative, on innovative approaches to improving air quality and environmental management.

🔹 Kuanysh Baltabayev, ECOJER Association, on transforming the ETS into a mechanism for attracting investment.

The summit brought together representatives of business, government, academia, media, and civil society to discuss practical approaches to sustainability and environmental policy.

We appreciate opportunities to contribute private-sector expertise to these discussions and supports continued cooperation aimed at Kazakhstan’s environmental and economic modernization.