ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 25. Kazakhstan Agency of International Development (KazAID) plans to increase its assistance provided to $100 million, said Arken Arystanov, KazAID Chairman of the Board, at a briefing for foreign journalists, TurkicWorld reports.

"In 2022, we provided assistance totaling $36.7 million. In 2021, it exceeded $43 million. But our overarching aim is to ramp up this figure to $100 million down the line. Developed nations ought to allocate no less than 0.7 percent of their GDP towards development objectives. Regrettably, at present, only 7 countries meet this criterion. We, too, have the potential to step up our efforts," he stressed.

Arysanov noted that such structures are only found in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan within the CIS.

"Over the last 20 years, we've contributed around $600 million in aid. However, to better organize this support, there's a dedicated committee for development assistance within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. KazAID was set up under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan to share knowledge, skills, and technical expertise through seminars, conferences, roundtable discussions, and internships," he explained.

Furthermore, according to the chairman of the board, the agency also offers expert assistance, provides educational grants, makes contributions to international organizations, and undertakes construction and reconstruction projects in priority sectors.