On October 9, 2025, Astana hosted TaldauForum-2025, bringing together leading analysts, experts, government representatives, and members of civil society. The Forum addressed the development of human capital assets, digital transformation, and strengthening the role of public experts in modern society.
The forum continued the work initiated in 2020 by the Chairman of the Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Maulen Ashimbayev, when the Senate Expert Club was established to unite analysts, researchers, and representatives of the civic sector. Later, within this community, the "School of Analytics" was launched – an educational project aimed at training young professionals in public policy, strategic analysis, and public communications.
Over five years, Taldau Community has evolved into a full-fledged expert ecosystem, consolidating the intellectual potential of the country and contributing to the development of proposals on key socio-economic and political issues in Kazakhstan.
The forum’s program included lectures, workshops, an expert roundtable on digital transformation, and a session featuring representatives of Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp). Participants discussed modern approaches to public communication, the development of analytical thinking, and the role of expert institutions in the digital age. Special attention at the Forum was given to humanistic and intercultural issues, value-based societal development, and strengthening social dialogue. In this context, the Taldau Community actively supports the institutions of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and serves as a key partner of the International Center for Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue, jointly promoting ideas of mutual understanding, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence.
The highlight of the Forum was the plenary session titled "Why Nations Prosper: Lessons for Central Asia", featuring Senate Chairman Maulen Ashimbayev and 2024 Nobel Laureate in Economics Daron Acemoglu, who was awarded for his research on how institutions form and influence the prosperity of nations. The discussion focused on lessons of sustainable development and the institutional foundations of prosperity in Central Asia, as well as the ways in which strong institutions and an engaged civil society contribute to the long-term progress of states.
Among the participants were representatives of the International Center for Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue, including its Chair, Gulsana Kozhabay, and Deputy Chair, Marat Kalizhanov.
The Forum concluded with the Taldau Awards ceremony, recognizing analysts and public figures who made significant contributions to the development of expert capacity and the culture of public analysis in the country.
TaldauForum has reaffirmed its position as Kazakhstan’s premier analytical platform, where government, experts, and civil society collaborate to develop sustainable solutions grounded in knowledge, open dialogue, strategic insight, and humanistic values.
