December 2-3, 2021 at the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, at the Department of geography and environmental sciences hosted the International Scientific and Practical Conference "Global Challenges of the XXI Century and the Environment" (hereinafter - the Conference) dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the UNESCO Chair for Sustainable Development within the framework of the 30th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The purpose of the conference was to discuss scientific problems and educational practices in the field of ecology, life safety to ensure sustainable development, namely, to attract the attention of representatives of government bodies, science, education, business, the general public of Kazakhstan and other regions, to the problems of protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems and promoting their sustainable use, water scarcity, combating climate change and desertification, ending and reversing land degradation processes, and stopping biodiversity loss.

An important task of the conference was to identify urgent problems and discuss achievements in the field of sustainable development in order to determine the best practical solutions, since today, more than ever, this is gaining special relevance in the field of ecology, economics, education, as well as the possibilities and prospects for achieving goals in the field of sustainable development approved by the UN in 2015.

The conference was attended both in person and in absentia, more than 500 people, among whom were, along with Kazakhstani, and foreign scientists from Italy, Portugal, Great Britain, Spain, China, Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, representatives of departments and departments of UNESCO, as well as from the Department of Ecology in Almaty city KERK MEGPR RK. By the day of the conference, a collection of materials in 4 parts was published, in which 268 reports and articles by authors from 11 countries and 102 organizations were published.

More than half of the participants in the Conference are representatives of the regions that actively contribute to the sustainable development of their territories, enterprises, organizations and initiatives. The participants discussed issues of sustainable development topical for society and got acquainted with the experience of colleagues from near and far abroad.

The conference was held in the form of a plenary session and 4 sections: 1. Modern problems of natural and anthropogenic terrestrial, aquatic landscapes; 2. Sustainable environmental management and green technologies; 3. Technosphere safety and environmental protection; 4. University education for sustainable development, as well as a "round table" for students on the topic: "Youth and the environment: a look into the future".

The conference participants noted that the widespread reduction in funding for scientific research focused on assessing the biological diversity of terrestrial, soil and aquatic ecosystems has led to a significant limitation or even complete lack of reliable and complete information required for making managerial decisions in order to effectively manage natural resources at the regional level.

A significant number of conference reports are devoted to environmental and environmental problems, technologies and approaches aimed at preventing environmental damage, including reducing the negative impact of production and consumption waste on the environment.