A discussion session on "Prospects of the ESG agenda and greenwashing issues: how to ensure an effective business strategy in sustainable development" was held in Almaty as part of the V anniversary cycle of the National social eco-campaign TURAQTY JOL.
The opening ceremony was attended by Bolat Akchulakov, President of the World and Kazakhstan Federations of UNESCO Clubs; Madina Abylkassymova, Chairperson of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market; Amir Pirich, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty; Arnur Ibraev, Head of the Sustainable Development (ESG) Department of Bank CenterCredit; and Zhanar Koshpanova, Public Relations Advisor at Chevron.
As part of the event, several panel sessions were held. Almaty SEC participated in the discussion on the topic "Principles of Women's Empowerment in Business in the Context of ESG and Greenwashing Prevention." Zoya Kasenova, Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Almaty SEC, spoke about promoting ESG principles in the context of gender equality, emphasizing the importance of women's role and opportunities in business for achieving sustainable development goals.
Participants in the discussion of this ESG agenda included: Dauren Akshalov, Chairman of the National Council of the Association of Compliance and Business Ethics and Advisor to the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Dina Urastayeva, Independent Director and member of the QID Advisory Council, Senior Advisor at ESGQ; Asem Bolatzhan, Head of Women in Tech Kazakhstan and Independent Director at Solva; and Yulia Lim, Director of Sustainable Development at Air Astana.
This session focused on the implementation of the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), which promote gender equality within the ESG framework, as well as the empowerment of women in the workplace, in consumer markets, and in the community through social projects and collaboration with the civil sector.
The meeting was organized by the Kazakhstan National Federation of UNESCO Clubs in collaboration with the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty and the ESGQ rating agency. The initiative for the expert discussion was supported by the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ISESCO Affairs, as well as the city akimat.