Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Labor, Social Welfare, and Migration has announced the launch of a new social project aimed at providing assistance to women and girls who suffer from domestic violence, as well as to victims of human trafficking. A 24-hour hotline has been launched to provide prompt and high-quality assistance to victims of domestic violence
From March 20 to 25, 2026, the international tourist train Jibek Joly will connect Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan as part of a single cultural and educational route. For the first time in the project’s history, the route has been extended to Dushanbe, according to Kazakhstan’s national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ). The journey will
An event was held on January 28 at Riga International Airport to mark the launch of cargo flights by the Uzbek airline Flykhiva on the Tashkent–Riga route, Dunyo information agency reported. As part of the event, a ceremonial reception was held for the airline’s first cargo plane arriving in the Latvian capital. The event was
An investment project for deep chrome processing will be implemented in Kazakhstan’s Aktobe region. The project is aimed at developing a chemical and metallurgical cluster and forming new production facilities with high added value, according to Kazakh Invest national company. The project, implemented by Sichuan YinHe Chemical Co. Ltd., one of the world’s largest players in
The European Union and UN Women officially launched the Zero Violence Against Women and Girls (Zero VAWG) initiative at an inception and signing event held on 23 January in Bishkek. The event brought together senior representatives of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, development partners, and UN agencies to reaffirm their shared commitment to preventing
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed the Article IV Consultation for Kazakhstan. According to the IMF, Kazakhstan’s economy continued to grow at a rapid pace in 2025, boosted by rising oil output and robust activity in non-oil sectors. Strong domestic demand, underpinned by an expansionary public sector stance, has contributed
Uzbekistan has launched the second phase of the “Islands of Integrity” anti-corruption methodology, expanding a local governance approach that has already shown practical results in several regions of the country, the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan reported. The launch took place in Turtkul District and brought together national and international partners, including the
A meeting was held at the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan on January 27 with a delegation from Hyundai Heavy Industries Power Systems, Korea District Heating Corporation, and the Korea Institute for Climate Change. The meeting discussed a project to construct a combined heat and power (CHP) plant utilizing agricultural waste as
On January 27, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yermek Kosherbayev held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Gideon Sa’ar, who arrived in Astana on an official visit. The sides discussed the current state and prospects for the development of political dialogue, trade, economic and investment ties, cooperation in the field of tourism,
On the eve of Nowruz, the British Library will receive copies of the new Voices of Friends Poetry & Art Almanac 2026, published by Hertfordshire Press. This edition is dedicated to the 180th anniversary of Kazakh thinker Abai Qunanbaiuly and the 110th anniversary of artist and collector Igor Savitsky (Uzbekistan). On that day, Burabay,
Uzbekistan participated in one of the largest international tourism exhibitions of the United States — Travel & Adventure Show 2026, which took place on January 24-25 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee reported. The exhibition brought together representatives of leading US travel agencies, airlines, investment structures, and mass
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved the Regional Electricity Market Interconnectivity and Trade (REMIT) Program, which will be implemented over a 10-year period across three phases to boost energy connectivity in Central Asia. The multi-phase program will establish Central Asia’s first-ever regional electricity market, increase electricity trade, expand transmission capacity, and lay the groundwork for large-scale renewable energy integration. According to the World
Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia Khasuuriyin Gankhuyag on January 24. Zhumangarin noted that Mongolia is an important partner of Kazakhstan in the Asian region, and that bilateral cooperation has been consistently developing in the spirit of mutual respect and
Uzbekistan is introducing a GIS-based innovative system aimed at enhancing the real-time monitoring, forecasting, and emergency response. The new system automates the collection and analysis of data on territorial conditions and emerging hazards and enables scenario modelling through a unified digital mapping and information resource, UNDP Uzbekistan reports. High-performance ICT equipment and system’s software, developed
Air Products and the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan announced the opening of the American Makerspace in Qarshi, a state-of-the-art collaborative workspace designed to empower youth and foster innovation. This initiative reflects a shared commitment to advancing education, creativity, and technical skills, aligned with the U.S. dedication to excellence in science and technology. Providing its educational
The 3rd meeting of the Steering Committee of the project “EU for a Green Turkmenistan: Policy Dialogue and Climate Action 2024–2028,” co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by GIZ was held in Ashgabat on January 22, the Delegation of the European Union to Turkmenistan reported. The co-financed European Union project “EU for a green
Kazakhstan is making progress with the restoration of the North Aral Sea, an ambitious project initiated in response to the catastrophic shrinkage of the Aral Sea. During the next 4-5 years, the water volume in the North Aral is to be increased to 34 cubic kilometers and its area expanded to 3,913 square kilometers, Minister
On January 22 in the Swiss city of Davos, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the Charter of the Board of Peace, initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump. The charter was also signed by heads of state, prime ministers, and foreign ministers from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Argentina, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan,
A new report shows that despite the ongoing efforts to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in all spheres of life, Central Asian countries still lag significantly behind the world leaders in AI adoption. Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s leader in AI use, ranking 72nd among 147 countries, with 13.7% of the working age population
In 2026, KazMunayGas-Aero LLP, an aviation fuel supply subdivision of national oil and gas company KazMunayGas, has begun “into plane” aircraft refueling at airports in Almaty and Astana. The Ministry of Transport has provided KazMunayGas-Aero with direct access to the infrastructure of Kazakhstan’s airports, including regional ones. The company plans to increase the scope of direct
