Almaty, Kazakhstan – Young entrepreneurs participating in the “Eco-Talk” International Green Business School (School), representatives of the Kazakh-German University (DKU) and experts from the European Union (EU) gathered online for the final round of the competition and the Award Ceremony.

Since its establishment at DKU in 2018, the School annually holds a 3-month intensive training and a competition among the youth of Central Asia to boost entrepreneurial culture among them with focus on sustainability and innovation. The EU-funded project “European Union – Central Asia: Water, Environment and Climate Change Cooperation” (WECOOP) has been supporting the School for 3 consecutive years sharing the EU experience and providing expertise in green business and start-up development.

Under the Green Deal, a European growth strategy and roadmap to become climate-neutral by 2050, the EU is working on achieving circular economy, eliminating pollution, protecting biodiversity and increasing the share of renewable energy, and is committed to support partner countries in this regard, including in Central Asia. The EU recognizes the role of youth participation in leading and implementing green transition and actively promotes social and environmental entrepreneurship among the young people, thus, also supporting their economic independence and resilience. 

This year, 81 individual entrepreneurs and teams from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan applied to the School, of them 28 proposing most promising projects have been admitted to participate in the training. Following successful completion of the training, 12 individual entrepreneurs and teams came together to present their projects before the School jury. These projects have been developed in the fields of sustainable food production, eco-fashion, eco-cosmetics, waste recycling and application of digital technologies in water saving and sustainable urban development

The jury, comprising of representatives of DKU, the WECOOP Project and ECO Network Company, selected winners:

I prize – Milana Tsoy, Kazakhstan, production of protein animal feed and organic fertilizers;

II prize – Saniya Arinova, Kazakhstan, production of multiple use eco-pads for women;

III prize – Adilet Alchikeyev, Kyrgyzstan, development of the iMurab mobile app for irrigation.

The winners will participate in a week-long study tour to Latvia, that will be organized by the WECOOP Project and will take place preliminarily in September 2022, to learn about European best practices in green business and start-up development. 

Background: The EU-funded project “European Union – Central Asia Water, Environment and Climate Change Cooperation” (WECOOP) (third phase from October 2019 to April 2023) 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, Senior Communication Expert, WECOOP, e-mail: media@wecoop.eu, mobile/WhatsApp +77019814020, Ms Nurgul Smagulova, Event and Communication Officer, WECOOP, e-mail: nurgul.smagulova@wecoop.eu, mobile/WhatsApp: +77012066760, or EU Delegation to Kazakhstan: delegation-kazakhstan-pic@eeas.europa.eu.