Regional Ecological Summit 2026 kicks off in Kazakh capital

Heads of State and leaders of international organizations are expected to take part in its work.

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev first suggested the idea of holding such a large-scale ecological forum at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in 2023. Two years later, he returned to the topic, noting that 2024 was the hottest year in human history and warning that without urgent action, both Central Asia and the world could face water shortages and famine.

In 2025, the initiative gained momentum during the Astana International Forum and the opening of the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan.

The summit’s key feature is the participation of Heads of State, underscoring the importance of the environmental and climate agenda.

As written before, the Presidents of Tajikistan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan landed in Astana.

Delegations from 15 countries, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Afghanistan, Belarus, Italy, Germany, Georgia, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Croatia, and Japan, are expected to arrive in the Kazakh capital.

The summit starts its work with a plenary session involving Heads of State and leaders of international organizations.

The summit program features 58 events, including 17 high-level events, four Central Asian country sessions and 37 thematic sessions as roundtables, conferences and workshops.

51 documents, including 13 memoranda, 16 joint statements, agreements and declarations, 16 regional and country initiatives and six investment projects will be signed following the summit.

As written before, on April 22–24, Astana will host the Regional Ecological Summit (#RES2026). The new dialogue platform under the auspices of the UN is called to create a shared vision for sustainable development in Central Asia and develop joint solutions to climate and environmental challenges.

Heads of state and governments, and representatives of international organizations will participate in the summit.

During the summit, participants are expected to discuss key issues on the environmental agenda, including climate change, the rational use of natural resources, and the development of regional cooperation in environmental protection.