Kazakhstan has increased its focus on the development of the agricultural sector, improvement of land use and water resources management aspects. There are also challenges to water quality and scarcity, especially for transboundary rivers. We explore the drivers and pressures on Kazakhstan’s water and land use systems in cooperation with existing collaborations among national institutes and international organizations.

The need for a clean energy solution to confront climate change has gained attention during the last few years in Kazakhstan. The energy sector and related industries have incorporated environmental, social, and governance indicators in their sustainability reports; however, there are still significant challenges to be met in improving alternative energy sources in Kazakhstan. We aim to conduct various research activities on the country’s clean energy and climate change.

Universities and other higher education institutions have a critical role in achieving the SDGs through research, learning and teaching, campus operations, and leadership. Individual elements of sustainability and SDGs are already covered in different schools and institutes in Kazakhstan; nevertheless, there are no integrated programs and frameworks to address the significant challenges of our era. We focuse on incorporating sustainable development science into the curricula of the universities in the country and on the progress made toward embedding SDGs in tertiary education.