QAZAQ GREEN.  9 September 2022, Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan have launched two partnership initiatives. The projects aim to promote corporate Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) and responsible business conduct and introduce climate-smart Agri-technologies, said the UNDP press office.

"Japan has been providing aid and assistance to countries around the world for many years. We are very pleased that these projects will reduce the damage caused by corporate human rights violations and contribute to decarbonization. We would like to further deepen our cooperation with UNDP and the Republic of Kazakhstan to ensure the smooth implementation and success of these projects," said H.E. Jun Yamada, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

­The first initiative– Business and Human Rights project - aims to strengthen the understanding and capacity of national governments, Japanese businesses, their suppliers, and partners to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).

Kazakhstan is one of the 17 countries prioritized by the Government of Japan for this global project to advance responsible business practices in Japanese companies and their supply chains in Kazakhstan. The project, worth $300,000, will focus on promoting Human Rights Due Diligence, a core element of UNGPs, through trainings and guidance sessions for Japanese companies and their supply chains.

Along with this global initiative, Japan becomes newest and the largest partner to UNDP’s next phase of the Climate Promise: from Pledge to Impact and provides climate funds for Kazakhstan on delivering the national climate pledge. The new project on climate-smart Agri-technologies, worth US$974,408, will help improve the existing KazHydroMet surveillance system, both in digital formats and through the installation of new modern equipment. It also aims to support farmers in the regions of Kazakhstan. Renewable energy solutions (wind and solar) will be piloted with digital monitoring process in different types of agriculture production.

“We greatly value our long-standing cooperation with the Government of Japan and its generous support to launch our work on business and human rights in Kazakhstan and help the country deliver on its international climate pledges. UNDP’s work and the priorities of the Japanese government converge in many areas in helping countries address development challenges that are compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, including rule of law and climate change agenda”, said Sukhrob Khojimatov, UNDP Resident Representative a.i. in Kazakhstan.

The Government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are in partnership to promote the global Business and Human Rights agenda, through the newly launched project titled “Promoting Responsible Business Conduct with a particular focus on promoting human rights due diligence in global supply chains and leveraging the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights for a just recovery”. With programming in 17 countries, including the Republic of Kazakhstan, the projects are focused on promoting a national narrative on business and human rights and strengthening Responsible Business practices of Japanese companies and their suppliers in the target countries through improving the ability and understanding of national authorities, Japanese businesses, suppliers and partners to carry out Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD).

At COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, UNDP launched the next phase of the Climate Promise - From Pledge to Impact - scaling up its support to turn NDC targets into concrete action in at least 100 countries. Japan becomes the largest supporter of this phase of the pioneering and groundbreaking initiative and joins the longstanding funding partners Germany, Sweden, EU, Spain, Italy, as well as the new funding partners UK, Belgium, Iceland, and Portugal to accelerate these efforts. UNDP’s Climate Promise is the largest global climate and development offer of support to countries on their national pledges to the Paris Agreement. In Kazakhstan, the initiative has been supporting the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources to advance its climate agenda, create a legal framework for the national GHG inventory system; provide trainings on the GHG emission inventory for experts, including experts from business enterprises; develop a roadmap for the implementation of adaptation related NDC components and raise public awareness on climate change adaptation.