ALMATY – Young entrepreneurs of Central Asia (CA), representatives of the Delegations of European Union (EU) in CA, and Kazakh-German University (DKU) gathered for an on-line Award Ceremony to recognise the participants and announce the winners of the “Eco-Talk” International Green Business School (School).

At our current rate of consumption, the humanity will need the resources of two Earths by 2030. Already today, the rate of resources we consume globally in one year requires 1.5 years time for the Earth to regenerate the renewable resources used and absorb the CO₂ produced. 

In March 2020, the EU adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan as one of the main blocks of the European Green Deal for cleaner and more competitive Europe. The EU set the goal to accelerate the transition towards a regenerative growth model that gives back to the planet more than it takes. In this regard, Mr Johannes Stenbaek Madsen, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, said: “Studies in the EU show that youth initiatives address social and environmental challenges in a powerful way, have a strong local impact, and are also highly scalable and transferable. The EU is committed to using its expertise and financial resources to develop social and environmental entrepreneurships among the youth in the EU and our partner countries, as an effective way to achieve not only young people’s employment and economic independence, but also the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.”

The Green Business School was established at DKU to provide expert and financial support for the development of environmentally sustainable business projects and to stimulate the generation of innovative ideas for green business among young entpreneurs. This year the School was organised with the support of the EU project “European Union – Central Asia: Water, Environment and Climate Change Cooperation” (WECOOP), Central Asian Youth for Water Network (CAY4W), International Secretariat for Water Canada (ISW), and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

During the 3-month intensive studies at the School, the students received the online training from the European and regional experts on the basics of the project cycle, market analysis, budgeting, target audience, soft business skills and specifics of doing green business in the region. The experts also provided consultations on water quality and water savings, renewable energy and energy efficiency, environmental management, and eco-innovation in sustainable consumption and production. 

The training and expert advice provided to the participants helped them develop their green business ideas into project proposals. The Evaluation Committee comprising of the School’s experts and sponsors identified 4 winners who received the grants in the total amount of USD 6,000 awarded by SDC. Among them are: 1) Mr Vladislav Golyarko with the project “Eco Cashback”; 2) Ms Alua Zholgazy with the project “Refillme”; 3) Ms Aliya Kydyrbekova with the project “Waternovation”; 4) Ms Ekaterina Oborina with the project “Waste – the territory of creativity”. The winners will be able to use these grants to develop their own business. 

Overall, 37 young entrepreneurs took part in the Green Business School this year and presented 16 business projects.

Background: The EU-funded project “European Union – Central Asia Water, Environment and Climate Change Cooperation” (WECOOP) (third phase from October 2019 to October 2022) aims to enhance environment, climate change and water policies at national levels in Central Asia through approximation to EU standards and to promote investments in relevant sectors with the aim of contributing to measurable reductions in man-made pollution, including CO2 emission. The project activities include support to the EU–CA Platform for Environment and Water Cooperation and its Working Group on Environment and Climate Change, as well as implementation of the EU Green Deal’s international dimension in Central Asia to advance climate action.

For additional information, please contact:

Mrs Yelena Serebrennikova
WECOOP Senior Communication Expert
email: media@wecoop.eu
mobile/WhatsApp +77019814020

Ms Nurgul Smagulova
WECOOP Event and Communication Officer
email: nurgul.smagulova@wecoop.eu
mobile/WhatsApp +77012066760

Ms Yerkezhan Amriyeva
Political, Press and Information Section
EU Delegation to Kazakhstan
email: yerkezhan.amriyeva@eeas.europa.eu