Environmental Safety to Be Added as Constitutional Principle

It has been proposed that environmental safety be consolidated as one of Kazakhstan’s basic constitutional principles. Roman Sklyar, the First Deputy Prime Minister, said this at a Ministry of Ecology board meeting, where he summarised the agency’s results for 2025, Orda.kz reports.

The meeting took place ahead of the national referendum on a draft new Constitution.

According to officials, public demand for a favorable environment remains high.

«In the proposed draft of the new Constitution, one of society’s main requests was the inclusion of a fundamental principle: creating a favorable environment for human life and health and a careful attitude to nature» Sklyar said. 

The Ministry of Ecology also reported on its work. The agency is launching digital monitoring of emissions and waste, expanding forest monitoring, and preparing a waste-recycling reform involving investors.

«Taza Kazakhstan», a nationwide clean-up and environmental initiative, continues. Authorities are also implementing a program to plant two billion trees and increase forest area to 14.5 million hectares.

At the same time, officials acknowledge serious problems with land degradation and desertification. Special attention is being paid to forest fires. An early detection system currently covers about 2.2 million hectares, and monitoring is expected to expand to 5.4 million hectares by the end of the year.

Starting in March 2026, municipality (akimat) will be able to issue fines for littering, damaging trees, and disorder in yards and streets. 

Original author: Raushan Korzhumbekova