Student Olympiad on Sustainable Development Goals in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan became the fifth country to host the Student Olympiad on Sustainable Development Goals. The event was held on April 22 and 23, 2021 in an online format.

The purpose of the Olympiad:

Building the capacity and knowledge of future professionals and students in the field of Sustainable Development Goals No. 6, 7, 9 and 13:

Goal 6: Ensure the availability and sustainable use of water and sanitation for all.

Goal 7: Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation.

Goal 13: Take urgent action to address climate change and its impacts.

The Olympiad consisted of three sections:

• Integrated water resources management;
• Climate change and clean energy;
• Industrialization, innovation, and infrastructure.

The first stage of the Olympiad was attended by 30 students from universities of Kazakhstan, for whom a written test was conducted. The participants who scored the highest number of points based on the results of the test were invited to an interview with the jury members in the second stage.

Within the framework of the Olympiad, a seminar «Water Day» was also held, the video broadcast of which you can watch at the link:

https://www.facebook.com/1565619950340757/posts/3010486639187407/?d=n.

Upon completion of the Olympiad, all its participants, together with undergraduates @dkukz, as well as national coordinators and activists of the Central Asian Youth Network for Water CAY4W @cay4water, visited the surroundings of Lake Issyk. The trip was memorable for entertaining stories from the huntsman, a hike to the reserve, a 3 km walk to the dam and the cave of desires.

The winners of the second stage will be informed by e-mail about their further participation in the regional stage of the Olympiad.

DKU expresses its deep gratitude to all universities of Kazakhstan for organizing the participation of their students in the Olympiad of their students.

The event was organized by the DKU Institute of Natural Resources in cooperation with CAY4W, with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the World Bank, as well as with the expert support of the Global Water Partnership @gwp_water and Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) @unitednationsescap in cooperation with the UN Information Center in Almaty.