Almaty: UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Kazakhstan as part of his Central Asia tour and met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Almaty.

The key outcome of the visit was the signing of a Host Country Agreement to establish the UN Regional Centre for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty. The agreement was signed by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and UN Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua.

Guterres praised the initiative, calling it “a new chapter for the region” and commended President Tokayev’s leadership in promoting regional cooperation and sustainable development.

The Centre aims to advance the 2030 Agenda across Central Asia and Afghanistan through joint regional action and integration.