Qyzylorda has become a platform of international scale. Today, for the first time in history, it is the host city for the National Urban Forum of Qazaqstan 2025 – a key event for everybody designing the future of cities, DKnews.kz reports.
The event was organized by the Akimat of the Qyzylorda Region with the support of UN-Habitat and a number of other partners.
“This is not just an occasion, but a beginning to a new tradition. Qazaqstan has joined the global movement under the auspices of UN-Habitat, where every word is a step towards real change. We’re discussing the urban future and building it here and now,” the organizers emphasized.
Nurlybek Nalibayev, the Akim of the Qyzylorda Region, gave a welcoming speech that underlined the importance of holding such events. According to him, National Urban Forum is Qazaqstan’s official platform for building and maintaining constant dialogue between the regions, the experts, and the government.
The mission of the forum is not to simply deliberate about urban planning, but to construct a new system of solutions. It spans three levels: global, via the participation in World Urban Forums organized by UN-Habitat; regional, via the exchange of expertise with other countries; and national, via the dialogue between cities and communities within the country itself.
Within the framework of the main topic – “Complex City Transformation Starts in the Regions: Forming Balanced, Inclusive, and Climate-Resilient Cities in Qazaqstan” – the participants discuss the promotion of inclusive and balanced urban development in accordance with the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, the connection between urban and rural areas, climate adaptation, youth participation, and digital approaches to government. Particular attention was paid to the role that such non-large cities as Qyzylorda play in national development via the formation of urban identity and territorially oriented approaches.
“The New Urban Agenda provides a basis for forming a national urban trajectory for the development of Qazaqstan. It includes the coordination mechanism between the regions, the experts, and the authorities; the support of the realization of national urban policy. Moreover, it opens the platform for the participation of anybody that influences urban development – from activists to akims,” the representatives of UN-Habitat pointed out.
The forum became a point of attraction for representatives of government and business, as well as for the expert and civil society.
Among the guests of honor are the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nysanbayev, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Akan Rakhmetullin, Chairman of the Committee for Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Ministry of Industry and Construction Bakhytzhan Zhunisbekov, as well as Acting Deputy Executive Director of UN-Habitat Rafael Tuts and UN Resident Coordinator in Qazaqstan Sarango Radnaragca.
The panel sessions feature international experts: Harry Dobbs (Harry Dobbs Design), Riccardo Marini (Marini Urbanismo), Yuri Milevsky (NOVAYA Labs), Maria Skryabina (Baza 14) and others.
“Urbanization is not just about architecture, it’s about people. We build cities that we want to live in. And Qyzylorda has shown that it can be a leading force behind these changes,” the forum participants have concluded.
Of note, the Qazaqstani forum has become part of the UN-Habitat international format that takes place all over the world, including Poland, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
