Business & Money | Tuesday 3 January, 2017 12:55 pm |

 A high-ranking delegation representing Astana EXPO 2017 that will include the President of Kazakhstan is to have a significant presence at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev will officially unveil the Astana EXPO 2017 pavilion on January 16, 2017 – the opening of the four-day Summit. He will be joined by key members of the EXPO organising committee, including Chairman of National Company Astana EXPO 2017, Akhmetzhan Yessimov, and Astana EXPO 2017 Commissioner, Rapil Zhoshybayev.

The delegation will share their experience of driving sustainability measures in the Kazakhstan capital through its hosting of EXPO 2017, including increased use of renewable energy and the localisation of its workforce.

Representatives of the Astana EXPO 2017 will join a panel discussion on the third day of WFES (January 18) that will focus on the challenges and opportunities of hosting the Expo and how it can help a country reach its sustainability targets.

The experiences of the Astana EXPO 2017 team are particularly relevant in light of Dubai’s hosting of EXPO 2020, which will be held under the core themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.

Highlighting the core theme of Astana EXPO 2017 – ‘Future Energy’ – the team’s discussions will focus on how the event can facilitate sustainable access to energy while reducing emissions. Kazakhstan and the UAE have similar goals in promoting sustainable economic diversification in preparation for a future without oil, making it vital to share knowledge to achieve that goal. 

The Kazakhstan delegation will begin their visit on January 16 by opening the Astana EXPO 2017 pavilion to WFES visitors and the media. Mr Nazarbayev and Mr Yessimov will address the Forum on key learnings from the country’s advanced sustainable energy projects.

Later that day, the Astana EXPO 2017 delegation will host a reception at the event. Director of Content and Event Organization at National Company Astana EXPO-2017. Marat Omarov will be among those addressing the reception and is due to highlight the array of sustainable energy projects that will be presented at the EXPO.

Astana was voted as host city of EXPO 2017 by an overwhelming majority during a 2012 meeting in Paris of the 156 member nations of the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE). Kazakhstan chose the theme ‘Future Energy’ to promote and discover sustainable, global energy solutions.

Astana will showcase global developments in the energy sector and highlight the country’s path towards a diversified and sustainable future.