A Healthy Start for a Healthy Life

Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, 26 June 2026 – UNICEF, together with the Ministry of Health, co-organised a national seminar titled ‘A Healthy Start for a Healthy Life’ held from 25–26 June 2026. The seminar focused on improving the health and development of children and adolescents, strengthening early intervention services, and advancing strategic priorities in child health.

Participants paid particular attention to implementing the ‘Children of Kazakhstan 2026–2030’ plan and explored new areas of collaboration, including early childhood development and adolescent mental health, as well as strengthening public trust in the healthcare system.

During the seminar, UNICEF and the Republican Primary Health Care Centre presented the results of their joint work plan to strengthen services for young children through primary health care. The partners completed a comprehensive assessment of the Universal Progressive Home Visiting Model, developed standard operating procedures for child development and early intervention centres, created a national child development screening tool, and introduced digital technologies to monitor and support children more effectively.

These measures improve service quality, strengthen the capacity of paediatric services, and expand opportunities to integrate digital solutions with health information systems.

The seminar provided a platform for open dialogue and to agree on the next steps. UNICEF expressed confidence that continued collaboration between the participants will help improve the health and well-being of every child in Kazakhstan.