The Konrad-Adenauer Foundation is one of the largest political foundations in Germany and is widely represented in many countries of the world, including Kazakhstan. The Foundation supports various initiatives in the field of education, culture and art. The Head of The Konrad-Adenauer Foundation in Kazakhstan, Johannes D. Rey talks about the work of the Foundation in an interview with the magazine.

– The Konrad-Adenauer Foundation is one of the largest political foundations in Germany and is widely represented in many countries of the world, including Kazakhstan. The Foundation supports various initiatives in the field of education, culture and art. Are the issues of sustainable economy and renewable energy on the agenda of the Foundation?

– Indeed, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) is in charge of over 200 projects in more than 120 countries. Our leitmotif is "Shaping. Democracy. Together'. We are committed to maintaining peace, freedom and justice through political education. We promote free democracy, the social market economy, and the development and consolidation of the value consensus. Within the social market economy, my Foundation addresses particularly environmental issues. Since Germany has dedicated itself to energy transition, green economy, renewable energy and sustainable development became one of our main topics. Our mutual project on the establishment of an international magazine like Qazaq Green is the visual proof of our commitment to eco-political issues.

– Today there are big changes in the economic paradigm of many countries: digitalization, greening of the economy, energy transformation, etc. You have worked in different countries, in your opinion, what is the most difficult part of this transition? What aspects, in your opinion, of the transition have now been most successfully implemented in our country?

– The most difficult part of any transition lies in the political challenge to persuade the people. They have to be won over by a convincing political case. Especially the countries that still depend on fossil fuels on a large scale shouldn't be the loser of energy transformation. Transition needs time and has to be implemented thoughtfully, together with and not against the will of the people. Political education plays a decisive role in this case!

I am new in your country, it is rather difficult for me to say ad hoc which aspects are running most successfully here. But from what I have seen so far, I would say that the government is taking the right steps to implement the transformation. The country is working systematically to improve the business environment and develop business activities; in 2015, Kazakhstan joined the World Trade Organization, this gave the country equal rights in foreign markets; the Strategic Development Plan until 2025 launched the processes of the Third Modernization of the country; other important reforms are announced and running. Among them the new Environmental Code. Unfortunately, the pandemic has brought its corrections to the country's plans and Kazakhstan is likely to take a long time to recover from it according to expert estimates.

– It is no secret that today, due to the change in economic models in the light of the transition to a sustainable or "circular" economy, the social order, the behavioral imperative of a modern citizen are changing, many professions are leaving the labor market. What role does the younger generation play in the above processes?

– They play the key role undoubtably. Might I quote Desiderius Erasmus? "The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth."

Hence, the main target group of our education programmes is the youth. Additionally, the kas grants 40 scholarships to gifted students every year and plans to start a work with schools and pupils.

– Many countries today are faced with the problem of confrontation between "green" and "brown". Some advocate "green" energy, environmental protection, responsible resource consumption, others, on the contrary, gravitate towards traditional energy sources (coal, gas, oil), say that the "green" course will lead to the closure of many industries, unemployment, decrease in the competitiveness of products. In your opinion, how to reach consensus?

– I have already answered the question basically. Mutual understanding of diverse initial situations of each country can only grow in a regular dialogue. There is no need for anyone to take the moral high ground. Even Germany has to proof if it can manage the transition period towards green economy without any social dislocations.