Tourism Boost in Almaty Region: Kazakhstan’s big ballooning festival returned to the Almaty region after a two-year break, with 29 hot air balloons from 12 countries flying daily over the Trans-Ili Alatau foothills, plus concerts and family activities—organisers say it’s a push for adventure tourism after 2024 flooding forced cancellations. Climate Finance Training: In Almaty, Central Asian climate finance experts opened a four-day Green Climate Fund concept note workshop (June 9–12) to help countries access GCF funding, with sessions on funding models and the project cycle. Water Standards Work in Shymkent: A regional workshop in Shymkent (June 3–4) focused on harmonizing water quality standards and lab methods, aiming to build a flexible, risk-based approach for surface water assessment. Tourism Economy Numbers: Kazakhstan’s tourism contribution hit 5 trillion tenge, with 630 billion tenge in tax revenues and 2.9 billion dollars in foreign tourist spending; the plan includes a unified tourism portal launching in December 2026. Politics Watch: Kazakhstan’s party landscape is entering a decisive week, with Amanat’s congress on June 12 and the newly registered Adilet party preparing for June 14.