ASTANA INTERNATIONAL FORUM Opening Session Opening Remarks

His Excellency the President of Kazakhstan,

Dear Friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am so pleased to join you at the opening of the 2025 Astana International Forum, which is an important platform to inspire bold ideas, foster fruitful dialogue, and strengthen cooperation at a time when global collaboration is critical.

Guided by the theme “Connecting Minds, Shaping the Future,” this Forum brings together leaders, thinkers, and partners committed to finding shared solutions - from food and water security to energy resilience and climate actions.

I always say we need to work together, think together and learn together and contribute together, especially to collaborate together more efficiently, more effectively and more coherently.

This year, on 16 October, we will celebrate the 80th anniversary of FAO –established in the aftermath of World War II.

We celebrate eight decades of collective action toward peace, development, and food security.

Peace is a prerequisite for food security, and the right to food is a basic human right.

The celebration of our 80 years is a reminder of how far we have come, and a call to strengthen our shared mission going forward.

We need to continue walking the talk with even more passion and more effective energy!

Twenty years ago, Astana just started and now it is one of the most modern cities in the world, in harmony with nature, with green land, blue sky and clean water. It is action oriented, impact oriented, and results oriented! We cannot build beautiful buildings just by talking, or just remaining in the designing or debating.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Central Asia stands at a vital crossroads geographically, economically, and climatically.

This region is not only home to extraordinary cultural and ecological diversity, but also faces growing challenges, from land degradation and water scarcity to climate vulnerability and demographic pressures.

Let us remember Chinese wisdom that teaches us that these challenges also provide great opportunities!

With its vast land resources, rich agrobiodiversity, and strategic location, Central Asia has enormous potential to transform its agrifood systems into drivers of sustainability, resilience, and a better life.

This transformation is critical not only for the region, but also for the broader Eurasian continent and beyond.

Nearly 64 million people in the Europe and Central Asian region still cannot afford a healthy diet, with Central Asia recording the highest rate of unaffordability at 16.3 percent.

When we talk about food security, we all talk about basic food, healthy food, but based on my experience of the culture in East Asia, we have four levels: basic, nutritious, healthy, and functional foods. So, we still we have two levels to aim for, not only to have enough bread or rice or noodles or beef, but we also need nutritious and functional foods.

Water security is a pillar of agrifood systems, yet is under increasing threat due to scarcity, pollution, and weak infrastructure.

FAO urges action on water conservation, transboundary cooperation, and sustainable agricultural practices to secure the region’s future.

To seize the potential and address these challenges, increased investments in innovation, water infrastructure, and inclusive development are urgently needed.

We must bring together governments, the private sector, civil society, and all partners from across the international community to catalyze change because the cost of inaction far exceeds the cost of action.

Kazakhstan, as the largest country by territory in the Central Asian region, is playing a leading role in shaping this future.

Under the vision of His Excellency the President, of Kazakhstan serving as a food hub for Eurasia, the country has demonstrated strong commitment to regional and global food security, environmental sustainability, and regional and global cooperation.

I am proud of the FAO-Kazakhstan Partnership Programme that will further support, strengthen and accelerate the transformation of the country’s agrifood system to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.

The Programme spans 10 years and includes a number of breakthrough initiatives to be implemented – this means we now have a programme which spans 20 years in total. So when we will celebrate 100 years of FAO, we will have worked 20 years together!

Our vision must extend beyond policies and technologies, and must also focus on people, especially women and the youth.

The future we are shaping today will be lived by the youth of tomorrow. Their health, well-being, and livelihoods depend on the tools we equip them with today.

We must empower young people with knowledge, tools, and opportunities to become agents of change – as future scientists, farmers, policymakers, and leaders, and of course as businesspeople.

At FAO, we see youth as powerful drivers of transformation. We are the first UN agency to have set up a Youth Committee and to establish an Office of Youth and Women.

In Kazakhstan, young people make up nearly one-third of the population - over 5.7 million - and more than two million live in rural areas.

Their energy, creativity, and commitment are essential to building sustainable and inclusive societies – this is the true meaning of today’s theme Connecting Minds – connecting young innovative minds to find innovative solutions and approaches - Shaping the Future – a better future for all!

Dear Friends,

I wish to conclude by commending Kazakhstan as a regional leader, championing sustainable policy, driving innovation in agrifood and water systems, and shaping a more secure and resilient future for Central Asia and the world.

Let us continue to work together for the Four Betters, in the region and beyond, to ensure better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – leaving no one behind.

Thank you.