Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Kazakhstan views the UN as an indispensable organization and supports the current reform Agenda initiated by Secretary-General Guterres.
We believe that the multilateral system must become more coherent, transparent and result-oriented.
In this sense, we highly value our partnership with the UN system, including those based in Geneva, in promoting regional digital Initiatives.
In April this year, UN ESCAP adopted by consensus a resolution establishing the Asian and Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development in Almaty.
Building on this, Kazakhstan would welcome interested Member States to consider, in coordination with the Centre, seconding national experts to the Digital Solutions Center.
We believe the Centre will become a practical sandbox for testing and scaling emerging digital solutions across the region.
Together with the UN Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty, these platforms will strengthen regional cooperation and support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
For Kazakhstan, today's theme has direct practical relevance.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has set a clear objective: to build a fully digital nation within the next 3 years.
This year in Kazakhstan has been announced the Year of Al and Digitalization.
Kazakhstan has built world-class govtech infrastructure.
Our country ranks 24th in the UN e-government development index.
92% of public services are available online.
90% of transactions are cashless.
All personal documents are digitized and legally equivalent to paper originals.
Going forward our approach is built around 3 key areas: strengthening institutions, developing digital infrastructure and capacity building on the path toward a technological nation.
First, institutions.
Kazakhstan has established the legal and institutional foundations for its digital future.
A new Constitution guarantees citizens' digital rights, including the right to personal data protection.
We have adopted the Digital Code,
the Law on Artificial Intelligence
and the Law on Cybersecurity.
We have established the Ministry of Al and the Al Development Council under the President of Kazakhstan that consists of world wide known experts and turing award laureates.
The Head of State approved the national strategy Digital Qazaqstan 2029.
The strategy marks Kazakhstan's transition from advanced e-government to an Al-native nation, where technology serves citizens, strengthens institutions and drives sustainable economic growth.
Second, infrastructure.
Kazakhstan is developing a full national Al stack: connectivity, computing capacity, data, platforms and applied solutions. We are expanding high-speed connectivity through fibre-optic, mobile and satellite technologies.
By the end of next year more than 90% of villages in Kazakhstan will have access to high speed broadband internet connectivity.
The Trans-Caspian fiber-optic corridor will be completed this year, establishing a new digital bridge between Europe and Asia.
Last year two largest supercomputer clusters in the region were launched that provide computing power for government authorities, universities, startups, banks and national companies.
Now we expand our Al tokens economy. Data Center Valley project in Kazakhstan aims at least 1GW of Al compute infrastructure. Large development sites, reliable water supply, low-cost electricity, and low-latency connectivity have been arranged and 250 MW Al data centers are under construction now in two phases.
Third, human capital development.
Kazakhstan is introducing Al across all levels of education and professional training.
The President of Kazakhstan has signed a decree to embed Al in secondary schools.
TUMO and Tomorrow School already provide free Al education for young people and adults.
Al Research University to be launched in September this year in partnership with leading international universities.
Through the Al-Sana programme, students, civil servants, entrepreneurs and professionals across different sectors are being trained in practical Al skills.
The International Centre for Al alem.ai is becoming a common platform for education, research, startups, business and government.
The center is a complement to Kazakhstan's advanced startup ecosystem Astana Hub, which started to bring Al unicorns to the world from Kazakhstan.
