Introductory online workshop on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP)

On December 9, 2020 the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) within the framework of the UN Development Account project "Enhancing sustainable public procurement for the regional transition to inclusive green economy in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia" (UNDA SPP project) and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) held an introductory online workshop on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP). The seminar was held with the organizational and expert support of the Kazakhstan Association of Regional Environmental Initiatives "ECOJER".

Within the framework of the seminar the following issues were presented and discussed:

• the UNEP’s approach to SPP;
• the current state of public procurement in Kazakhstan and the existing framework for the implementation of SPP principles;
• UNDA SPP project and PAGE SPP-related activities;
• examples and lessons learned from other UNDA project countries (Kyrgyzstan, Georgia); and
• preparation of an assessment of the status of SPP and the legal review in Kazakhstan in the framework of PAGE.

The seminar was opened with welcoming speeches by Mr. R. Beketayev, Vice-Minister of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Mr. A. Primkulov, Vice-Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who expressed their support for the project and readiness for dialogue on the development of sustainability principles in the public procurement system of Kazakhstan. Mr. Beketayev also informed the participants about the activities in the field of SPP, which are currently being carried out in Kazakhstan, for example, the Ministry of Finance, together with interested government agencies (i.e. Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources), is working on the issues of introducing green procurement, taking into account environmental protection criteria, renewable energy, minimization of emissions and recycling. These norms of sustainable development are already partly integrated in the draft Law on Public Procurement, which is currently under consideration by the Mazhilis (Lower House) of the Parliament. The Vice-Minister stressed that public procurement is a powerful tool for achieving strategic goals for sustainable development, which takes into account environmental, economic and social aspects.

On the part of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources, the Vice-Minister Primkulov also presented the work on the modernization of the current environmental legislation. A new edition of the draft Environmental Code of Kazakhstan is currently being discussed in the Mazhilis of the Parliament. The new Code focuses on best practices of the OECD countries and is intended to stimulate the greening of Kazakhstan's business, as well as increase the role of the public in environmental decision-making process. The Ministry for the first time introduced the concept of "green" technologies and "green" projects into the legislation, and has started developing a "green" taxonomy in order to stimulate investments in the environmental sphere.

In her welcoming speech, Ms. Aidai Kurmanova, Head of UNEP Sub-Regional Office for Central Asia, indicated that SPP-related activities in Kazakhstan, namely, within the UNDA project and the PAGE program, will allow the country to make progress towards SDG Target 12/7 - "Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities." In addition, the results of the projects will help Kazakhstan to implement the Resolution adopted at the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in April 2019, in which “all member states are invited to develop sustainable public procurement policies and update their legal framework for public procurement in accordance with a commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12.7 ”. UNEP is open to cooperate and support Kazakhstan in this direction.

During the workshop, Mr. Farid Yaker, UNEP, presented the concept of SPP and its benefits for the economic, social and environmental spheres. Using examples from the EU, China, Republic of Korea, where the principles of SPP are already being used, Mr. Yaker showed how the use of environmentally friendly products can lead to savings in the state budget, while not harming the environment and human health. Examples of the first steps in implementing SPP in practice with the support of the UNDA SPP project were presented by Mr. Kakha Demetrashvili, Deputy Chairman of the State Procurement Agency, Georgia and Mr. Kubat Kanimetov, Director, Center for Promotion and Development, Kyrgyzstan.

Notably, in 2012 UNEP developed and is successfully implementing its SPP methodology in the countries of Eastern Europe (Ukraine and Moldova), the Caucasus (Georgia) and Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan). This experience will be presented in Kazakhstan for possible further implementation. UNEP is ready to cooperate with governmental and non-governmental organizations in Kazakhstan to promote the ideas of SPP and apply them in practice, as SPP is one of the tools for the transition to a green economy.

Mr. Nurlan Sharipov presented the current state of public procurement in Kazakhstan, the existing framework for the implementation of SPP principles and achievements in the development of SPP. Mr. Kuanysh Baltabaev, national expert on SPP, presented a work plan for the SPP status assessment and legal expertise, in his presentation he also introduced the participants to the UNEP SPP assessment questionnaire and invited them to participate in the survey (the questionnaires will be distributed in December 2020).

The seminar was attended by heads and officials of central and local executive government bodies, representatives of the quasi-public sector, international organizations, business and public associations, as well as companies participating in government and quasi-government procurement. A total of 56 people (the list is attached).

The participants noted the high level of organization of the seminar and strong interest in the implementation of the project on SPP.

The moderator of the workshop from UNEP, Ms. Lesya Nikolayeva, thanked all participants for their active work and expressed gratitude to the representatives of two key government agencies - the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan - for supporting the SPP initiative and expressed hope for further close cooperation.

The recording of the workshop, as well as all presentations are available at:

https://web.tresorit.com/l/dXLVI#6agZuwHQ-DcH9TeB1vffWA (password to access recordings: pqAuGCu2).