Rasikh Sagitov at the ESCAP Forum in Almaty

On September 4-5, 2025, the Ninth North and Central Asia Multi-Stakeholder Forum on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals was held in Almaty (Kazakhstan) under the theme “Transformative, Equitable, Innovative and Coordinated Actions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for a Sustainable Future for All”. The event was organized by the ESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) Subregional Office for North and Central Asia in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, UN agencies, international and regional organizations and stakeholders from the private sector and civil society.

The main objective of the Forum was to promote a comprehensive dialogue between various stakeholder groups in North and Central Asia and focused on the following thematic United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation;

• Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy;

• Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure;

• Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities;

• Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

Rasikh Sagitov, Secretary General of UCLG-Eurasia, moderated Session 4: Goal 11 “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”, with a thematic focus on “Inclusive and resilient urban development in North and Central Asia”. The speakers of the session were representatives of ESCAP, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia, and the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In addition, Rasikh Sagitov made a presentation on “Regional cooperation in the field of smart cities” at Session 4: Goal 11 “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” (thematic focus “Sustainable smart cities for all in North and Central Asia”), presenting the best practices of Eurasia cities in the field of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

“Currently, the concept of a smart city is actively developing in cities and regions of Eurasia. Technologies are being introduced everywhere, and thanks to them, the cities of the future no longer seem to be a fantasy.

Eurasia cities use digital and artificial intelligence technologies to solve a variety of tasks in the fields of management, healthcare, transport and logistics, ecology and environmental management, security, urban environment, agriculture, education, telecommunications, social learning and development,” Rasikh Sagitov noted in his report.

08.09.2025

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