The Millionth Sapling of the Halyk Ormany Project is Planted in Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan, the millionth sapling has been planted as part of the environmental initiative Halyk Ormany (“People’s Forest”), implemented by Timur Kulibayev’s Halyk Charitable Fund in partnership with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. This milestone marks one of the country’s most significant environmental achievements in recent years, Kazinform reports.
The landmark event took place on 25 April 2026, National Tree Planting Day, initiated by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in support of the national environmental agenda. The anniversary tree was planted in Astana’s green belt by a student of Astana IT University.
The achievement of planting one million saplings was further recognised internationally at RES 2026 EXPO, held in Astana on 22 April 2026. During the panel session “Leaders of the Sustainability Agenda – Cities and Companies”, the joint initiative of Halyk Charitable Fund and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources was highlighted as an example of a systematic approach to forest ecosystem restoration and effective collaboration between the state, business, and society.
Alongside the summit’s business programme, the project continued to be implemented on the ground. This year’s spring planting season for Halyk Ormany began in Astana’s green belt, with additional planting carried out in the Semey Ormany State Forest Natural Reserve and the Ile-Alatau State National Nature Park.
The Halyk Ormany project, initiated by the Halyk Charitable Fund of Timur Kulibayev, has become one of the largest environmental initiatives aimed at restoring Kazakhstan’s forest fund. Since its launch, more than 800,000 seedlings and saplings have been planted across 240 hectares in three regions of the country. Following the spring season, this figure has exceeded one million.
The project is shaping a new model for environmental initiatives in Kazakhstan – moving from one-off campaigns to systematic, long-term work with measurable results. These efforts form part of the broader environmental agenda of the Halyk Charitable Fund, built around three pillars: quality of life, clean air, and sustainability. The unifying principle is the “opportunity to live in a healthy environment”.
In 2026, new partners joined the project – the airline FlyArystan and the European Business Association EUROBAK – which will enable the additional planting of 190,000 seedlings across 55 hectares.
The Halyk Charitable Fund acts not only as the initiator but also as the coordinator of the project, creating a sustainable platform for cooperation between the state, business, and society within the environmental agenda. As a result, volunteers, students, business representatives, and civil society organisations are actively joining the initiative. Participants in the spring planting included students of Astana IT University, pupils of the Miras School with the support of the NNEF Public Foundation, employees of Halyk Bank, and local residents.
“For me, this is a great source of pride. We joined this initiative not simply to plant trees, but as citizens who care about the country’s future. Protecting nature is the responsibility of each of us,” said Assylzhan Abdullayev, a student at Astana IT University, who planted the millionth sapling.
According to Saginbek Shunkeyev, CEO of Halyk Charitable Fund, the project is designed with a long-term outlook.
“The goal of the project is to plant nine million seedlings and saplings over five years. The millionth sapling is the first important milestone, and we will continue to move forward in the same systematic way. It is especially encouraging that our joint initiative with the Ministry of Ecology has been supported by both international and domestic organisations,” he noted.
The Halyk Ormany project was launched in autumn 2025 following the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Halyk Charitable Fund and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Under the memorandum, the Fund will allocate KZT 1 billion and plans to plant more than nine million trees in the Semey Ormany State Forest Reserve, the Ile-Alatau National Nature Park, and the “Zhasyl Aimaq” green belt of the capital.
Thus, Halyk Ormany is becoming not merely an environmental project, but a sustainable platform that unites the state, business, and society around the country’s long-term development agenda.
