Brendan Duprei and Almira Daulbaeva will present Narxoz at the World Urban Forum

The level of urbanization is growing rapidly in the world every year. Scientists estimate that by 2050, 70% of the world's population will live in large cities. In addition, most of the population growth is concentrated in Asia and Africa, and in 35 years, 80% of the world's people will be Asian or African. This will inevitably lead to economic growth that is closely linked to the consumption of fossil fuels. These long-term trends indicate that large cities will dramatically increase energy consumption, which will negatively affect air quality. Almaty is among the cities that suffer from hazardous PM 2.5 levels and air pollution. There is a need to use data-driven technologies to enable governments to make informed policy decisions and predict sustainable development.

The Sustainable Kazakhstan Research Institute seeks to combine the efforts of government agencies, research institutions and private sector actors to present scientific technologies that can be used to measure and monitor air quality to inform policy. As one of the leading research institutes in Central Asia, Narxoz University has been selected to host one of the events dedicated to the global challenges of urbanization. The Research Institute "Sustainable Kazakhstan", as well as the School of Society, Technology and Environment, together with UN Habitat, the University of Helsinki and the UN Environment Program, will hold a session entitled "Solving the problem of air quality in countries with emerging economies and the potential of innovative technologies" 12:30 to 13:30 in Abu Dhabi.

The World Urban Forum was established by the United Nations in 2001. The initiative aims to address one of the most pressing problems facing the world today - rapid urbanization and its impact on society, cities, economies, climate change and politics. The Forum will bring together the world's leading researchers, politicians and non-governmental organizations working on this issue. The venue this year will be Abu Dhabi, UAE. Arrival of 24,000 delegates from 164 countries is expected.

Narxoz University in such an honorable event will be represented by:

Brendan Duprey, Director of the Sustainable Kazakhstan Institute

Almira Daulbaeva, Associate Professor, EP "Ecology"

Representatives from the University of Helsinki will present cutting edge technologies for detecting and measuring large and small scale air pollution. This development can be further used to shape policy in cities such as Almaty. The event is expected to show the teaser "The world's largest crowdsourcing platform for PM 2.5".

Time: February 11, 12:30 - 13:30

Venue: Hall 2, Hall 7, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center

Co-organizers: University of Helsinki, UN Habitat, United Nations Environment Program.