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Kazakhstan news
Society
From 1 January 2027, 22 of the 36 types of state benefits in Kazakhstan will continue to be granted without taking into account the family's welfare category. Labour and Social Protection Minister Askarbek Yertayev announced this at a briefing at the SCC, according to a Kazinform correspondent.
Kazakhstan's Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Askarbek Yertayev, said at an SCC briefing who will make up the most socially vulnerable population category after the reform. He stated that there are 128,000 such families across Kazakhstan.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for the wide use of technological progress to preserve biodiversity, according to Tengrinews, which cited the press service of the Akorda presidential administration. He spoke at the COP17 leaders' summit on biodiversity conservation held in the Armenian capital.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke at the COP17 leaders' summit on biodiversity conservation. He said healthy ecosystems play a key role in food production, the protection of water resources and the livelihoods of millions of people, and called for an environmental agenda that overcomes political differences.
At the COP17 Leaders' Summit on Biodiversity in Yerevan, Armenia, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced Kazakhstan's initiative to establish an International Fund for the Protection of Rare Species and Biodiversity and urged foreign partners to join it. He said the initiative is complemented by the National Biodiversity 10-year program, and that the National Bank of Genetic Biodiversity is being launched.
Kazakhstan will revise its approach to guaranteeing citizens' pension savings, Labour and Social Protection Minister Askarbek Yertayev said at a briefing by the SCC. He said the guarantee of the safekeeping of pension savings is enshrined in an article of the Social Code and stressed that the changes concern only investment income.
From 2027, the period for paying unemployment benefits in Kazakhstan will be cut from six months to three. At the same time, the job search period for unemployed people will be extended from three days to 10 days. Labour and Social Protection Minister Asqarbek Ertayev announced the changes at a briefing. The report was published by Tengrinews.
Society
Family welfare categories in Kazakhstan, which help determine eligibility for some state benefits, may change depending on a household's financial situation. Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population Askarbek Ertayev announced this at a briefing at the Central Communications Service (SCC), according to a Kazinform correspondent.
Ministers and media executives from Organization of Turkic States member countries discussed the impact of modern technologies on the media sector at a meeting in Astana. Kazakhstan's First Vice Minister of Culture and Information, Kanat Iskakov, said that alongside new opportunities, innovations bring new threats. He noted that with the development of artificial intelligence, creating fake videos, images and audio recordings no longer requires significant resources, increasing the risk of spreading false information and declining trust in official sources.
From the new year, the rules for assigning social benefits in Kazakhstan will change. When distributing state support, authorities will consider not only household income but also the overall wealth of the entire family. As a result, affluent Kazakhstanis may lose the right to some payments, according to Khabar 24 correspondent Gulnara Khasan.
Energy
Armenia is studying the possibility of mutual electricity supplies with Azerbaijan. This includes purchasing electricity from the neighbouring country should such a need arise.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the 7th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). He reminded participants that security is always one of the core priorities of CICA's work.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev presented the country's results in conserving rare animal species at the COP17 summit in Yerevan. The efforts focus on restoring populations of the saiga antelope, the Turanian tiger and other species.
Diplomacy
The seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), held in Baku on October 15, marked the next stage in the development of the platform created on Kazakhstan's initiative.
From 1 January 2027, mothers in Kazakhstan may return to work and keep receiving the social childcare benefit until their child turns 1.5, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection said at a briefing held at the SCC. Almas Kurmanov, chairman of the State Social Insurance Fund (GFSS), said that employment will not be grounds for ending the payment if a mother returns before her childcare leave ends.
Kazakhstan's National Security Committee has reported halting the activities of a drug smuggling channel from Afghanistan. According to NUR.KZ, which cited the committee's website, a special operation to dismantle an international drug channel along the so-called "Northern Route" was carried out jointly with special services from Russia and Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Labour and Social Protection said the existing procedure for granting 22 of 36 types of social assistance will be kept. Minister Askarbek Ertayev said at a briefing that the changes will not affect a number of payments to people with disabilities, victims of nuclear tests and victims of political repression. He said the reform does not apply to all benefits, that this should be taken into account, and that many questions are being raised on social media.
Scientists from six countries have agreed to jointly study the steppe civilization, in particular the history of the Golden Horde and the Ulus of Jochi, according to Khabar 24. An agreement to create a scientific consortium was signed in Almaty. The academies of sciences of Kazakhstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Mongolia are members.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dissolved all local assemblies, or maslikhats, on October 12, and the Central Election Commission called snap elections for November 29. Most maslikhat seats had been held by members of the Amanat party, which was absorbed into the new ruling party, Adilet, in June.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a series of meetings on the sidelines of the Biodiversity Summit held in Yerevan as part of COP17, according to Tengrinews, which cited the Akorda presidential press service.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev warned at a UN summit that the Caspian Sea could face a disaster similar to the Aral Sea tragedy if countries in the region fail to take measures to protect it. Citing Akorda, the presidential press service, he called on the five Caspian states to join forces to preserve the sea's ecosystem.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev warned that conflicts increasingly affect cross-border energy infrastructure and that instability in global markets could slow economic growth even in countries far from fighting. Speaking at the 7th CICA summit in Baku, he said energy security is currently under threat of complete destruction.
Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting on digitalising labour and social protection, according to Egemen Qazaqstan, which cited the government's press service. Discussed were digital tools meant to ensure state social aid reaches citizens who truly need it, and to help enterprises observe workers' labour rights and prevent labour risks.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Kazakhstan has shared a plan with Azerbaijan to increase the volume of Kazakh oil transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. He made the remarks in a speech at the 7th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, which he travelled to on 14 October. Tokayev said the Caspian Sea region is of special importance not only to its own region but to global energy security.
Today's top Turkic news: Uzbekistan-China ties, Samarkand visit, Kulubaev-Rubio talks, Northern Cyprus festival and Turkmen desertification centre.
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