Economist in Kazakhstan

Meet Marat Shashkenov, the economist in the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Kazakhstan and the only UN economist in the country. As such, he plays a key role in supporting UN activities in the largest landlocked country with a focus on inclusive, sustainable, and resilient economic development.  

Given the impact of the war in Ukraine on Kazakhstan's economy, a key focus for Marat in 2022 has been to conduct quarterly analyses on these impacts – ranging from global trends and impact on various sectors, to social spending – to support shared understanding across the UN country team and its potential implication to the UN activities in the country. He also contributed to joint analytical papers on the Ukraine war and the UN development system response in Europe and Central Asia along with peer economists in the region. 

This work and other analysis such as the impact of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism also informs Marat’s role in supporting the UN country team to update the Common Country Analysis of the development landscape. Marat also coordinates UN-wide support to the Government and business entities to reduce methane emissions in line with the country's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.