“It is no secret that many citizens already have several loans. This is an extremely acute problem, which, without exaggeration, poses a danger to our society. That is why special laws have been adopted in this direction“, said the President of the Republic Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the opening of the new plenary session of the Kazakh Parliament.
The people of Kazakhstan today live in a completely new political reality. Over the past 5 years, large-scale reforms have been carried out and the political system has undergone a radical transformation. Fundamental changes are occurring in public consciousness, the level of legal culture of citizens is increasing, new models of behavior are being formed in society and new values are taking root. The renewal of political and public life, mentality and cultural code of the nation is beginning. “In a word, the construction of a Just Kazakhstan is underway and, what is especially important, all this fully corresponds to the aspirations of the people. Therefore, we will continue to steadfastly follow our strategic course and will not deviate from the path set“, said President Tokayev.
In the context of the escalating geopolitical confrontation, Kazakhstan firmly adheres to the position of a peaceful, evolutionary path.
A new vector of development has been outlined, giving a new impetus to economic diversification. Inflation has slowed down, having decreased by 2.5 times compared to the highest level last year. The country's international reserves exceed 100 billion USD. The manufacturing industry is growing faster than the mining sector. It is important not to slow down the pace. It is necessary to launch a new investment cycle, effectively use the created reserve.
The government and akims (ed. note: municipalities) should pay special attention to the issue of changing the structure of the economy and provide new mechanisms aimed at ensuring the country's sustainable progress. The main goal is to increase the income level of citizens. With proper organization of work, this is quite feasible.
„Economic growth must be accompanied by a reduction in social inequality and strengthening of the middle class. Only in this way can we strengthen the potential of our state. For this to happen, the main criterion in any business should be efficiency. Every decision, every project must be considered in terms of its benefit to the state“, Tokayev is convinced.
The President of Kazakhstan outlined 9 points that are key to the development of the country:
1. Imbalances between monetary and fiscal policy must be overcome.
We must admit that lending to the real sector is still not at the required level. The issue of sufficient financing of small and medium-sized businesses has not been resolved either. This negatively affects business activity in the country, the sustainability and progressive growth of the economy. Therefore, the government and the National Bank will have to jointly develop an optimal solution to this problem. Banks should be encouraged to invest more money in the economy.
International experts classify Kazakh banks as one of the most profitable among resource-rich countries. Therefore, we are also talking about fair taxation of this sector. Taxes paid by banks should be commensurate with the dividends that their shareholders receive. This approach seems especially logical against the background of state aid provided to banks. It is also important to create a stable regulatory environment for the circulation of digital assets and the safe introduction of innovations in the banking sector.
We need a new law on banks that meets the current challenges to stimulate economic activity and further dynamic development of the fintech sector. The current law is almost 30 years old, it was adopted in completely different realities.
Together with the National Bank, it is necessary to take effective measures aimed at the efficient use of budget funds, limiting and strictly controlling spending.
Living within one's means is the only possible recipe for the stability of public finances. Therefore, excessive spending on tasks that are not by their nature priority and strategic should be avoided.
It is necessary to bring order to inter-budgetary relations. The decision to keep tax revenues from small and medium-sized businesses in the regions was correct and timely. It gave a significant impetus to the development of entrepreneurship and increased the independence of akims. However, some regional leaders, having received an additional source of income, began to use it ineffectively, without practical benefit to the state, for secondary tasks and projects. In order to find sources to cover the budget deficit, the government must develop rational compensation mechanisms.
It is necessary to optimize tax regimes without worsening the existing favorable conditions for entrepreneurs. An example is the introduction of a tax on retail trade. Business believed in this norm, began to come out of the shadows, and fragmentation decreased. But entrepreneurs who work primarily with the public should fall under this regime.
Fully unlocking the potential of consumer services and trade can give the necessary quick effect in terms of economic growth, increased tax revenues and employment.
To achieve success in fiscal reform, it is necessary to carry out total digitalization of the administration. To reduce the risks of corruption and ensure transparency, the transfer of tax processes to electronic format should be accelerated. It is advisable to adapt all tax policies to changing fiscal conditions, including revisions to tax rates.
The financial situation is also aggravated by the continuing high share of the shadow economy. To significantly reduce it, you need to take a set of well-thought-out measures. In particular, it is necessary to complete all work at border customs points in a short time, as well as to prevent the illegal flow of income from foreign trade operations to other jurisdictions.
2. It is important to constantly work to improve the investment climate and business conditions.
In the context of intense international competition for investments, the main need is to make decisions to attract capital in the “here and now“ mode. Therefore, the Investment Headquarters under the Government was entrusted with broad powers. This made it possible to accelerate the implementation of projects in such priority areas as deep metal processing, oil, gas and coal chemistry, tourism, energy and mechanical engineering.
It is necessary to intensify work in this direction in order to prevent a decrease in the volume of direct investments in the economy. I would like to note that not all akims and ministers are properly involved in the process of attracting investors. The government is obliged to make adjustments in this work.
It is necessary to pay attention to better preparation of public-private partnership projects with the participation of international financial institutions. I instruct the government to determine a set of large-scale ready-made projects that can be financed by international financial organizations through the PPP mechanism.
The share of direct state participation in the economy remains at a high level, which violates the level playing field in the market and suppresses private initiative.
„We must admit that we have not yet developed an optimal policy for managing state-owned enterprises. It is necessary to legislatively regulate the goals, functions, types, methods of financing and other aspects of their activities. In addition, it is necessary to ensure stability and a systematic approach to issues of financial relations between holdings and the government“, the president added in his speech.
The government was given an important task: to increase the share of medium-sized businesses in the economy to 15% by 2029. Today this figure is about 7%. At the beginning of the year, I instructed to make specific decisions aimed at supporting medium-sized businesses. It became clear that package measures would be developed. However, they are not there yet.
An extremely important task is attracting investments in the agro-industrial complex. Despite the consequences of the floods, our farmers completed the sowing campaign on time, for which I express my deep gratitude.
This year, funding for spring field work has been doubled. But in general, 70% of the financing of the agro-industrial complex is provided by the state. It is also necessary to attract funds from commercial banks in the industry.
The most important task is a gradual transition from direct subsidization of the agricultural sector to providing affordable credit. All allocated funds must be used effectively. But unreliable data, or in other words, falsifications, do not allow us to assess the real situation in agriculture.
Land is a key element of the investment attractiveness of the industry. The Land Acquisition Commission has identified more than two thousand illegal decisions of local executive bodies to provide agricultural land without holding competitions. There should be no ambiguity here. If the land was taken in violation of the law and is not used, then this land should be returned to the state and under a simplified procedure. But if the land user works conscientiously and has invested, then the existing production cannot be destroyed. At the same time, work on the development of villages and ensuring permanent employment of villagers should also be taken into account.
The state is faced with the task of stimulating productive legal employment of citizens, especially in rural areas, so that they directly participate in building their own future.
Last year, the “Auyl Amanaty” project was launched, which generally showed good results. Now, within the framework of this project, the issue of introducing a new instrument - “commodity credit“ should be considered. At the same time, it is important to create an infrastructure for processing and marketing products produced by peasants.
It is necessary to create centers in each region to train citizens in the cultivation of various crops. At the initiative of the Amanat party, such a project was launched in the Merken district of the Zhambyl region; the government and akims should consider scaling it up to other regions.
In general, the task of the government and all state bodies is to open the way for domestic business and foreign investors. Obstructing their legal activities should be considered a very serious violation with all the ensuing consequences. I have already spoken about this. Entrepreneurs and investors, for their part, must demonstrate integrity, comply with the law, and not evade taxes.
3. Systematic efforts should be made to fully unleash the country's industrial potential.
The government has drawn up a list of 17 major projects. The priority is the development of high-stage processing. It is important to make maximum use of local raw materials and components and create related production facilities around the giants.
This year, by a special decree, the city of Alatau was established, which should become a place of advanced development, attracting innovation and talent. The government should create an attractive environment for investment, living and working in this city.
Positive results have been achieved in the automotive industry. The momentum should be maintained by consistently increasing the level of localization. The state support provided to the automotive industry should ultimately return in the form of a full-fledged automotive cluster.
The task of further developing the petrochemical industry is also relevant. We have begun to implement large-scale production of polypropylene and polyethylene. Other promising projects are also under development: for the production of butadiene, urea, terephthalic acid.
In a record short time, the modernization of sections of the Central Asia – Center gas pipeline with a length of over 800 km was completed. It is necessary to expand capacity and diversify gas transportation routes. One of the main tasks of the government remains the gasification of the population and the economy.
The government has been instructed to accelerate the construction of gas processing plants in Zhanaozen, Kashagan and Karachaganak. This is a priority task. For the successful development of the industry, it is necessary to quickly introduce effective incentives aimed at ensuring a return on investment, including ensuring adequate tariffs and wholesale prices. Such conditions are extremely important for new investments in gas exploration. Otherwise, it is simply impossible to provide the economy with sufficient quantities of gas.
4. It is necessary to solve priority infrastructure problems.
This applies primarily to energy and utilities. Standard terms for lending for the construction of new production facilities cannot be called acceptable. Therefore, the government should think about how to ensure affordable long-term lending from financial institutions.
A national project for the modernization of energy and utilities should be approved by the end of the year. The issue of creating a culture of saving utility resources remains acute. Starting next year, it is necessary to introduce clear standards for their consumption on the principle of “you use more, you pay more“. At the same time, consumers should not be left alone in their relations with private monopolists. The concept of socially significant services should be introduced into legislation and regulated by analogy with the processes of providing public services.
Given the growing global energy shortage, we are in dire need of reliable and environmentally friendly energy sources. Therefore, in my opinion, it is necessary to pay great attention to the development of nuclear energy. This type of production can largely satisfy the rapidly growing needs of our economy. There are currently about 200 nuclear power plants operating in 30 developed and developing countries.
We need to think about the future, taking into account the long-term national interests and the specifics of our country. That is why I have always insisted on the need to make a thoughtful decision on the issue of building a nuclear power plant and widely discuss strategic plans in society.
Any step important for the life of the country must be taken with the support of the people. This should also be the case with the referendum on nuclear power plants. I spoke about its implementation last year, that is, this topic has been on the public agenda for a year. I believe that this is a sufficient period for citizens to make an informed decision. In this regard, I support the government's proposal. “On October 6 of this year, a nationwide referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant will be held and I will sign the corresponding decree“, said President Tokayev.
The upcoming referendum will be another manifestation of a broad national dialogue and a vivid example of the implementation of the concept of a “listening state“. In essence, with these steps we are forming a new socio-political culture and imposing new standards for making key state decisions.
A strategic priority is the development of the transport and logistics sector. Kazakhstan's location in the very center of Eurasia is our huge competitive advantage. Therefore, the investments we make in transport infrastructure will, of course, pay off.
We must leave high-quality highways and railways, efficient air hubs, railway stations and seaports to the next generations of our citizens. In this direction, it is necessary to solve a number of problems.
The reform of the railway industry should be accompanied by a revision of the tariff system. This is an obvious fact. The new tariffs will help maintain the serviceable condition of the railway network and expand its capacity. The Kazakhstan Temir Zholy company is implementing three large infrastructure projects for the construction of railway lines with a total length of over a thousand kilometers. These projects must be completed on time and at a high level of quality.
A pressing problem is the condition of our roads. I have already spoken about this. This year, about 12 thousand km of roads are being repaired and built throughout the country, which is an unprecedented volume for Kazakhstan. The reconstruction of the Astana - Almaty, Aktobe - Atyrau - Astrakhan, Taldykorgan - Ust-Kamenogorsk routes is being completed.
Kazakhstan must consolidate the results achieved in the field of digitalization. Artificial intelligence technologies should be actively introduced into the e-government platform. Kazakhstan should become a country where artificial intelligence is widely used and digital technologies are developed. This is a priority of the government. I ask people's deputies to join this work.
Next year, the National Center for Artificial Intelligence should be opened in Astana, which will be open to schoolchildren, students, researchers and entrepreneurs.
It is necessary to continue work on improving the regulatory regulation of digital assets and mining and further development of crypto exchanges. We have entrepreneurs who consume large amounts of electricity to the detriment of the economy, but do not pay taxes in the right amount. These are the ones we need to deal with.
In 2025, the project for laying an optical communication line across the Caspian Sea will also be completed. This is extremely important for our country from the point of view of creating a digital infrastructure connected to international corridors and cross-border data flows. In general, we must continue the active development of telecommunication networks and data centers, introduce global cybersecurity standards and improve the competencies of our specialists.
The most important task is the development of air routes. About 150,000 tons of air cargo are handled annually in Kazakhstan. Over the next four years, this figure may double. It is necessary to create all the conditions for expanding the capabilities of our airports for cargo transportation.
The development of domestic air routes should be an area of great attention, especially with regard to the problem of infrastructure of the main tourist sites.
The runways of the Balkhash and Alakol resort areas have already been modernized. It is necessary to reveal the potential of the Katon-Karagay, Zaisan and Kendirli resort areas. It is necessary to build terminal complexes and airports with high-quality road infrastructure in the resort areas. Small aircraft should be purchased at the expense of the Industrial Development Fund.
I would like to especially note that when implementing tourism projects it is important not to disturb the ecological balance and avoid damage to nature.
5. It is important to consistently increase the human potential of the country.
Providing the economy with qualified personnel is the most urgent task. First of all, we need to overcome the acute shortage of specialists from the industry: water and sanitation workers, builders, energy specialists and many others. We are also talking about training specialists for the professions of the future. Work in this direction has already begun.
The government is internationalizing higher education - 23 well-known foreign universities have been attracted to the country. It is necessary to provide all possible support for their activities, including through the gradual expansion of state orders for training specialists. The same applies to local universities, whose educational programs meet modern requirements. The amount of subsidies allocated should allow for the organization of a high-quality educational process. You cannot scatter public funds across all universities.
It is necessary to strengthen the connection between the best universities and the real sector of the economy. It is necessary to synchronize innovation policy with the scientific and technical priorities of the country. This will give impetus to innovation in industry and unlock the potential of applied science in universities.
It is also impossible for academic internships abroad to turn into some kind of sinecure and “academic tourism“. Qualified personnel should be trained not only in universities, but also in organizations for technical and vocational education. The government should consider the possibility of accepting college graduates who have shown good results in branch state bodies.
The reform of vocational education is becoming extremely important from the point of view of ensuring economic growth and its investment attractiveness.
I declare 2025 the Year of Blue-Collar Professions. During this time, it is necessary to carry out a reform in the system of technical and vocational education. The Year of Working Professions will also help to popularize the idea of \u200b\u200bhardwork and professionalism in our society.
It is necessary that people who have achieved success through honest, hard work should always be respected and honored. This is fully consistent with our principle “Responsible Citizen – Honest Work – Deserved Success“. The values of hard work and professionalism in our society should always be in the first place. Thanks to specialists in their field, a new quality of our nation is being formed. Therefore, we will continue to take consistent measures to improve the situation of workers.
There is no such thing as bad work, any work is respected. The main thing is that every citizen fulfills his duties conscientiously, with a deep sense of responsibility. Only in this way will our country reach heights on the path of progress.
It is not for nothing that people say that labor is the key to wealth („Zhumystyn kozin tapkan baylyktyn ozin tabady“). There must be an understanding in our society that honest and responsible labor will certainly be appreciated. This goal is also achieved by awarding honorary titles to citizens. Previously, such awards were introduced for teachers, doctors and cultural figures. This is a very good initiative and this approach should be applied more widely.
To build a competitive economy and the progressive development of the country, it is necessary to consistently raise the prestige of blue-collar professions and specialists in various industries. Therefore, the system of state awards will include honorary titles for engineers, geologists, field developers, workers in the transport, agricultural and water industries, as well as scientists and inventors. Recognition of their merits at the state level will be a good motivation for all professionals and will raise the authority of working people.
Secondary education plays a huge role in strengthening the human potential of the country. On my instructions, the national project “Comfortable School” is being implemented. By the end of 2025, 217 modern schools are planned to be put into operation. This issue is extremely relevant and is under the control of the Samruk-Kazyna Fund. The government and akims should actively participate in this work. I believe that deputies will not remain aloof either. For convenient schools, the government should provide a separate management system.
At the same time, nearly 1,300 schools across the country need major repairs. The government, together with the akims, should identify sources of funding, including sponsorship funds, and reconstruct these schools within three years.
The state allocates huge amounts of money for guaranteed payments, including for financing private schools. For example, this year alone, private schools, where over 250 thousand children study, received 134 billion tenge from the budget. Parents should know about the specific state support for private schools. To do this, the allocated amounts should be shown by standard for each child. This will give the public a real idea of the funds allocated for social programs.
At the same time, it is necessary to take measures to strengthen the functionality of schools and further improve the qualifications and social status of our teachers.
Preparing children for school is of great importance. Parents, along with the state, bear joint responsibility for preschool education and upbringing of the child. Therefore, financing of preschool education per capita should be tied to the real income of each family. Thus, further improvement of the education system will help those citizens who really need it, will increase the transparency of state support and, in general, will help strengthen the human potential of the country.
6. It is necessary to implement comprehensive measures to strengthen the health of the nation and restart the system of social support for citizens.
The introduction of mandatory social health insurance has contributed to a significant inflow of additional funds into healthcare and benefits private medicine.
It is necessary to create a single package of basic state medical care, balanced in terms of budgetary capabilities and obligations. Everything beyond this should be paid for through the insurance system. Such major changes cannot be successfully implemented without digitalization.
Instead of several dozen currently operating heterogeneous programs and databases, it is necessary to create a single state medical information system. It should provide comprehensive control and objectivity of data for all healthcare organizations receiving state orders, regardless of their form of ownership. The government must urgently address this urgent problem and report on progress to me and the parliamentary body.
For the development of local healthcare, it is necessary to more actively attract resources through the mechanism of public-private partnership. Unfortunately, the best foreign experience in public-private partnerships is still not fully reflected in our legislation, which leads to ineffective projects and excessive burden on the budget. It is necessary to review the approaches, it is important to ensure adequate tariffs in return for investments. The government should formulate separate standards and rules for public-private partnerships for the healthcare and education sectors.
The problem of the shortage of qualified medical personnel remains relevant. To solve it, it is necessary to significantly improve the quality of medical education, including by introducing differentiated scholarship amounts and distributing them depending on the level of the educational process.
The state is consistently increasing social spending, taking into account the need to support vulnerable categories of citizens. Now more than half of the state budget goes to the social sphere. To support families with children, the term for paying child care benefits has been increased from one to one and a half years.
Since the beginning of this year, special payments have been introduced for persons employed in jobs with harmful working conditions. A large-scale project “National Fund for Children” has been launched, within the framework of which more than 300 billion tenge from the revenues of the National Fund were distributed to the accounts of 7 million children. However, it must be admitted that now support measures are provided without taking into account the real income of citizens. Often they are received by wealthy families who do not need such assistance at all. It is necessary to improve the instruments for supporting the population, taking into account this aspect. I instruct the government to introduce a “social portfolio” mechanism from the beginning of next year.
State support should be directed to citizens who really need it. In other words, it is necessary to provide social assistance on the principles of justice, openness and efficiency.
7. One of the main goals is to improve the ecological situation and cultivate respect for the environment.
It is necessary to protect the inhabitants of our country from the influence of negative environmental factors. Business should approach the protection of nature with great responsibility. The government and the Atameken Chamber should take specific measures. It is necessary to continue the widespread introduction of the most modern technologies in this area, as well as to create a modern emissions monitoring system.
Our focus will remain on the issues of preserving the unique flora and fauna of Kazakhstan. The state will take all necessary measures to protect forests and steppes from fires.
Despite the enormous natural diversity of Kazakhstan, forests occupy only 5% of the country's territory. Forest reproduction is crucial for maintaining ecological balance and further sustainable socio-economic progress of the country. From the first days of my presidency
8. The efficiency of public administration must be radically improved.
A little more than 5 years have passed since I introduced the concept of “state of hearing“. During this period, it was possible to change the culture of interaction between society and state structures. Sufficiently effective mechanisms for expressing opinions and various platforms for dialogue have appeared. Direct communication between civil servants and citizens has become the norm. We can say that this concept forms a new model of behavior of civil servants – initiative and open, and therefore more responsible and effective. But in order to ensure the further development of the dialogue between the state and society, we all need to be conscientious, objective, act exclusively within the framework of the law and be responsible for our words and actions.
We see how public initiative is sometimes seized by irresponsible, exalted populists who do not have in-depth knowledge of the problems being discussed in society. This has nothing to do with democracy.
It is extremely important that a unified ecosystem for working with appeals has begun to form, which allows us to more accurately determine the needs and expectations of citizens. To improve their work, state agencies should pay more attention to the analysis of complaints.
One of the demands of citizens that the state has satisfied in recent years is the introduction of direct election of akims.
The issue of increasing the competence of civil servants has not been removed from the agenda.
All appointments should be made taking into account the professional and moral qualities of candidates, as well as their performance and previous positions. The principles of meritocracy have not been canceled. There have been positive changes in this work. All state bodies have switched to a unified personnel information system.
Now the Agency for Civil Service Affairs and the government must ensure the automation of personnel issues of organizations financed from the state budget.
9. The ideology of law and order must be firmly established in society.
The widespread penetration of digital technologies into people's everyday lives is accompanied by an increase in the number of various types of fraud. We are already seeing this. That is why in modern realities, knowledge of the basics of economics and finance and possession of basic digital skills are becoming especially important. In this regard, I would like to note the project “Karyzsyz Kogam“, initiated by the Amanat party to improve the financial literacy of citizens. Last year, the project covered 65 thousand people, and this year it will be significantly expanded.
The government, together with financial regulators, should introduce educational programs on the basics of financial literacy and digital hygiene in schools and universities. This will strengthen the immunity of Kazakhstanis against various types of fraudulent schemes. All authorized bodies are obliged to take decisive measures to combat fraud and related crimes that affect honest citizens.
A draft of a new Law on Combating Crime is currently being developed. Its implementation will require the consolidation of the efforts of the state apparatus and society. Only in this case can the situation change, guarantee the rule of law and the security of citizens.
In all societies, including ours, there are demands for basic categories such as justice and security. The full satisfaction of these basic needs is a reliable indicator of the effectiveness of the state.
Through the consistent implementation of large-scale reforms, we have significantly expanded freedom of expression and created opportunities for citizens to participate in government decision-making.
The deep socio-economic transformations and comprehensive measures in the field of human rights protection are aimed primarily at building a just society as a basis for the overall progress of our country. Therefore, we will continue reforms and systematic work in this direction.
Road accidents are a serious problem for the entire society. Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,300 people have died as a result of road accidents, and over 16,000 have been injured. In fact, people die on the roads every day, sometimes entire families.
Road safety can be ensured by improving the road transport infrastructure and introducing intelligent systems. This applies not only to local roads, but also to national highways. The relevant department must ensure proper control over the technical condition of cars.
Another important task is the fight against drugs. In essence, this is a matter of preserving the nation's gene pool.
We have already taken the necessary legislative measures. However, concrete results are not yet visible. It cannot be said that state agencies, including law enforcement agencies
We need to build a society based on law and order, knowledge and pragmatism. The key to the success of a nation lies in the culture, solidarity and creativity of citizens, especially young people. In order to become a civilized state, we must get rid of destructive patterns of behavior.
Kazakhstan firmly adheres to a peaceful and balanced foreign policy. The main tasks of our diplomacy remain strengthening the sovereignty and independence of the state, protecting the rights of citizens abroad, upholding national interests and attracting investment in the economy.
Kazakhstan has convincingly demonstrated its commitment to broad multilateral cooperation in strict accordance with the UN Charter. Our country plays an active role in solving the problems of international security and stability. We support the efforts of the UN and other international organizations to combat terrorism, extremism, illegal migration, climate change and other threats, support UN peacekeeping activities, disarmament initiatives and advocate for the resolution of armed conflicts through diplomatic means.
Under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan, important international events were held in Astana, including summits of the heads of state of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Organization of Turkic States. We are grateful to our allies and partners for their support.