Unity in a fragmented world: Dialogue, trade and climate action at the Astana Forum

Titled “Connecting Minds, Shaping the Future,” the Astana International Forum (AIF) gathered over 160 international speakers and around 7,000 participants.

Global policymakers, international experts and business representatives came together at the Astana International Forum to discuss the way forward in a world full of uncertainties and conflicts.Titled “Connecting Minds, Shaping the Future,” the Astana International Forum (AIF) gathered over 160 international speakers and around 7,000 participants.The event kicked off with a plenary session, where heads of state and high-ranking officials expressed worry over the state the world is in today.President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, highlighted growing polarisation and increased confrontation between states. According to him, conflicts are brewing in 52 states, while their economic toll amounts to $19 trillion (€16 trillion), or 13.5% of global GDP.Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, underlined that global challenges are interconnected and require integrated solutions. Vulnerabilities only get worse when external alignment occurs without internal stability.Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, President of North Macedonia, spoke about the need for reforms in the United Nations. The organisation’s bylaws were written 80 years ago and did not envisage the technology and complexity of the world in 2025.Ban Ki-moon, serving as the President and Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute, noted that climate change and deterioration of the environment can only be solved collectively, while Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu highlighted that food is a basic human right and peace is a prerequisite for food security.The plenary session was followed by around 40 panels, side events and one-on-one sessions covering trade, transportation, green energy, carbon neutrality, climate action, economy, finance, development of AI and more.Trade: Positives and negativesFirst and foremost, the Astana International Forum is a platform for connections and networking, including for business. As part of the forum, companies from France and Italy met with Kazakh businessmen and signed several agreements.France signed 15 agreements with Kazakhstan, key among them being a €90 million (€78 million) project for the construction of a hydrogen production plant, which will help decrease carbon emissions.Italy and Kazakhstan signed 10 memorandums for a total of €180 million (€157 million). The projects cover logistics, mechanical engineering, agricultural processing, industrial digitalisation and green energy.Negative effects of trade were also discussed at one the of the panels, where speakers considered how trade is weaponised today to serve egotistic goals.If in the 2010s global powers were promoting free trade, the wind has changed in the last decade. Experts share that trade is an effective weapon, especially in short term, but what matters is the goal behind it.Transportation: Middle Corridor’s significanceCentral Asia’s role as a transit hub between China and Europe is undeniable today. The role of the Middle Corridor in this regard and its future development were also discussed during AIF.“The turnover grew by 62 percent in 2024 and reached 4.5 million tonnes of cargo. The aim is to reach 10 million tonnes in 2027. About $15 billion (€13 billion) have already been invested in the development of infrastructure and transportation time sharply reduced to almost 14-18 days,” noted Director of Kazakhstan’s Institute for Strategic Studies, Yerkin Tukumov.“The Middle Corridor will not solve all the problems because it is and will remain very expensive for certain goods to go over land. But it can be a medium-term solution, one of the alternatives,” countered Jurgen Rigterink, First Vice President of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).Kazakhstan also announced a new transport initiative called Kazakhstan at the Crossroads of the Continents. Considering that almost 80% of goods from Asia to Europe travel through Kazakhstan, the country is trying to ease the process by consolidating all transportation related services and companies in one platform.Climate change: Need for climate financingWhile the temperatures in the rest of the world are projected to grow by 3.7°C by the 2090s, temperatures in Central Asia will rise by 5.8°C, almost twice as much. This will jeopardise a variety of sectors, including water security, food security, economic stability, employment rates and migration.“Climate change is not a standalone problem. It rather multiplies the threats and the problems in many different sectors,” highlighted Zulfiya Suleimenova, Advisor to the President of Kazakhstan.“Climate change is a huge problem in Central Asia and we cannot really be speaking about sustainable economic development in our region without addressing climate related challenges.”For the region to effectively combat the problem it requires robust funding, but so far has only attracted less than 1% of global climate financing.One of the sessions at the forum directed attention to general accessibility and affordability of climate financing. The session was also able to bring together Central Asian ministries of economy and ecology to discuss acceleration of climate action.Renewable energy: Relevance of rare earthsIn the context of growing climate concerns, the importance of transition to green energy and diminishing of carbon emissions is underscored. Kazakhstan has set itself an ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060. So far, emissions reduced by only 6%.To help the matter, the UAE-based company Masdar has pledged $1 billion (€880 million) for the development of renewable energy in Kazakhstan.At one of the panels, speakers highlighted Kazakhstan’s potential in renewable energy, especially wind energy. The vast steppes can potentially generate 1 billion kW hours per year, which is eight times the need of the country, leaving the rest for export.Experts also noted that development of renewable energy infrastructure has driven the demand for rare earth elements, which have become the “new gold.” In that sense, Central Asia has an advantage of rare earths reserves. Kazakhstan alone has 19 out of 34 rare earth metals.Artificial intelligence: Regulation of ethical useNo discussion on Friday happened without mentioning the benefits and threats of artificial intelligence. The forum participants deliberated on AI regulation in terms of ethical and safe use.“Soon AI will know more about you than you know yourself. Are you ready for such information to be shared without your permission? Even with government agencies, let alone publicly. I think we need to prepare for a new era of AI, look at it positively, but prepare legislatively, organisationally, and personnel-wise,” noted Yerkin Tukumov, Director of Kazakhstan’s Institute for Strategic Studies.At the same time, Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev noted that Kazakhstan is already preparing a law that will regulate AI use to prevent its abuse.“The idea is not to overregulate, but to consider some of the ethical standards,” Madiyev said, noting that the law is under consideration by the parliament at the moment.Over two days, the Astana International Forum pulsed with dialogue, exchange, and collaboration. From parallel sessions to high-level networking, participants sought common ground and fresh solutions, leaving with a shared commitment to shaping a more stable, sustainable future.