At Cop29, President Rakhmon presented his plan for the country's complete transition to a green economy by 2037. A challenge for a reality where fields facing long periods of drought, reduced harvests even in dryland farming, and many livestock losses are putting a strain not only on workers in the agricultural sector, but on the entire population.
Beyond political and military alliances and strategies, Kazakhstan aims to be an important cultural and professional training hub for the whole of Central Asia, working in this sector with great support from Russia.
The gigantic Manas logistic-commercial centre in the village of Leninskoe, which the Chinese are building not far from Biškek, is a candidate to become a fundamental junction (and alternative to the Russian route) for trade between East and West. With Kyrgyz Prime Minister Žaparov having already dubbed it the ‘great seaport’ of a landlocked country.
In his speech at the inauguration of the new parliament, the president of Uzbekistan calls for ‘a healthy confrontation between opposing views’ and rules for the representation of minor parties, in a country where groups truly opposed to the government are excluded from electoral competitions. Women and young people are on the rise among local MPs.
Public schools at all levels, from kindergartens to universities, are growing in the countries of the region. And in several cases it is the state itself that is stimulating investors with the aim of modernising the education and training system.
Among the films entered in the race for Best Foreign Language Film, a story told by director Kučinčirekov recounts the traumas linked to the ancient custom of entrusting the upbringing of the first or last child to grandparents. It brings to the screen a comparison between the Kazakhstan of the past and that of modern times.
