From December 21 to 25, 2023, in Baku, the forum dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia and Azerbaijan (SPECA), organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) took place. The purpose of the forum was to discuss the economic development of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and to explore the possibilities of enhancing cooperation and regional economic partnerships among these countries. The event emphasized the role of transit routes, digitalization, trade, and infrastructure development, as well as the goals in the field of sustainable development.

The forum was organized by the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Each participating country had its own pavilion where projects were presented in the following areas: entrepreneurship, digital development and innovation, and tourism.

"TechnoGroupService" LLP (TGS) actively participated in the forum, presenting the "InTech-Forecast"  and "GreenLight" IT-solutions. During the forum, TGS representatives engaged in fruitful discussions, working on the expansion of TGS projects and the development of partnership and client databases. Additionally, TGS expressed its commitment to support the initiatives of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry and provided international support for their ongoing projects.

On December 24, the first Summit of Heads of SPECA Participating Countries was held. During the summit, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the establishment of a dedicated fund for economic development and integration, as well as the initiation of joint scientific research on environmental issues. The head of state emphasized that the program has become a unique platform for cooperation between the economies of Central Asia within SPECA.

Kazakhstan, being one of the founding members of the SPECA program, played a key role in its establishment in 1997. The program initially involved Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan joining later. The program's goals, as outlined in the Tashkent Declaration, are to support cooperation, promote economic development, and integrate Central Asian countries into the economies of Europe and Asia.

From November 21 to 25, 2023, an exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia and Azerbaijan (SPECA) took place in Baku. The exhibition aimed to showcase the economic potential of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, discuss collaboration opportunities, and strengthen regional economic ties between the countries. The Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan organized the exhibition. Each country had separate pavilions showcasing projects in various areas, including industry, digital development and innovation, entrepreneurship, and tourism.

TechnoGroupService LLP (TGS) officially participated in the exhibition, presenting its own software "InTech-Forecast" and the renewable energy support service "GreenLight." Throughout the exhibition, TGS representatives actively promoted TGS projects and expanded their partner and client base. They also gave an interview to the "Khabar" TV channel and initiated collaborations with Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek partners, and domestic companies participating in the exhibition. TGS expresses gratitude to the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry for the support and invitation to participate in this international event, as well as to the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Republic of Azerbaijan for their prompt work.

As part of the exhibition, on November 24, the first Summit of the Heads of States participating in SPECA was held. During the summit, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed establishing a target trust fund to support economic development and integration and initiating joint research on environmental issues. The head of state believes that the countries of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) have become a continental bridge between Europe and Asia.

Kazakhstan initiated the creation of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia in 1997. The programme was launched in 1998 by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, later joined by Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. The founding document, the Tashkent Declaration, states that the "objective of the Programme is to support the countries of Central Asia in developing cooperation, creating incentives for economic development, and integrating into the economies of Europe and Asia."

The International Energy Summit held on November 17, 2023, in Almaty served as a platform for discussing key challenges in the electric power industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The summit featured insights from the following experts: Isenov Baglan Kakimzhanovich, Director of the Production and Technical Department at JSC "CAEC," Alimbetov Zharkymbek Kopbayevich, Deputy Chairman of the Kazakhstan Industry Trade Union of Power Engineers, Gladyev Evgeny Valerievich, CEO of Samruk Kazyna-United Green LLP, Mominbayev Zhomart Bayzakovich, Member of the Board of Directors of "Qazaq Green" RE Association, Kopenov Edil Kudaibergenovich, CEO of LLP "AlmatyEnergoSbyt," Zhanbyrshy Galym Saduakasuly, Technical Director of LLP "Sogrinskaya TEC," Kalmenov Marat Ergalievich, Head of the Business Development and Green Technologies Service at JSC "Kazakhstan-British Technical University," and others.

One of the pressing issues highlighted by all participants was the shortage of personnel in the industry and the need to increase the remuneration of energy professionals. Suggestions were also made regarding measures to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 and the opportunities to attract green finance into renewable energy.

During the summit, representatives from the production sector shared their experiences in operating state-of-the-art energy equipment and the results of implementing projects in the digitalization of the industry, including the creation of digital twins for large hydroelectric power stations.

TOO "TechnoGroupService" announces the receipt of an External Evaluation (Second Party Opinion (SPO)) prepared by the Kazakh provider, the Green Finance Centre (GFC) (https://gfc.aifc.kz/en), for the verification of the Green Bond Framework (GBF) Policy. The SPO is already available on the official GFC website: https://gfc.aifc.kz/, and it has been included in the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) database of sustainable bond issuers. The release of the SPO is timed to coincide with the National Currency Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is celebrated this year.

TOO "TechnoGroupService" expresses gratitude to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDMF), the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange "KASE," and the Green Finance Centre of the AIFC for the opportunity to develop the GBF and issue the SPO, which are necessary for the future issuance of "green" bonds. These measures align with the development policy of "green" finance in Central Asian countries actively promoted by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, K. Tokayev (https://kz.kursiv.media/2023-11-03/fnsk-center/).

The first project to be implemented using the "green" finance mechanism is the construction of a 50 MW solar power plant "Kun Bulagy" in the Issyk-Kul region of the Kyrgyz Republic. The annual power generation capacity of the power station will be 84.9 million kWh, and it is expected to prevent CO2 emissions of 10.5 thousand tons.