As part of the implementation of the Decree of the Head of State of March 16, 2026, "On measures to develop a culture of reading and form an intellectual nation," Kazakhstan has taken an important step toward developing a culture of reading, supporting national literature, and giving new impetus to the sustainable development of the book industry.
To this end, the Creative Industries Development Fund Corporate Foundation and the Reading Nation Public Foundation signed a memorandum of cooperation.
The document was signed by Erlan Kanalimov, Chairman of the Creative Industries Development Fund Corporate Foundation, and Bakytzhan Turlybekov, Chairman of the Reading Nation Public Foundation. The main goal of the memorandum is to expand the readership, generate sustainable demand for intellectual products, support national literature, and create conditions for the sustainable development of Kazakhstan's book industry.
As part of this collaboration, the parties will jointly implement the national marathon "Kitap Oqityn Ult," conduct systematic work to foster a reading culture, expand the readership, and strengthen the relationship between literature and the creative industries. Furthermore, it is planned to organize forums, festivals, exhibitions, creative meetings, lectures, seminars, and other cultural and educational events.
The project's key feature is its scale. This year alone, it is planned to engage over one million citizens across the country in reading. Each participant will read up to 15 books, and the recommended list includes over 300 works in Kazakh and Russian.
Thus, the project aims to generate up to 15 million book readings. This will not only demonstrate growing interest in reading but will also create new opportunities for domestic authors, publishers, bookstores, translation projects, and the development of creative industries.
"The memorandum signed today is a practical step toward implementing the Decree of the Head of State of March 16, 2026, 'On the Development of a Culture of Reading and the Formation of an Intellectual Nation.' This document lays the foundation for an important partnership aimed at developing a culture of reading, supporting domestic literature, and creating new opportunities for the development of Kazakhstan's book industry. The creative economy is built not only on the creation of creative products—it is founded on ideas, knowledge, and intellectual property. Books are the source of these values. The emergence of millions of new readers will become a powerful incentive for the development of domestic authors and publishers, the implementation of new creative projects, and the strengthening of the entire ecosystem of creative industries," noted Erlan Kanalimov, Chairman of the Board of the Corporate Fund "Creative Industries Development Fund." In turn, Bakytzhan Turlybekov, Chairman of the "Kitap Oqityn Ult - Reading Nation" Public Foundation, noted that the sustainable development of the book industry depends primarily on the development of a loyal readership.
"We can support authors, publishers, and bookstores. However, without creating sustainable demand for books, the full development of the industry is impossible. Therefore, our main goal is to engage millions of citizens in reading and create a new reading culture," he emphasized.
As part of the partnership, the parties will jointly implement long-term projects aimed at developing a reading culture, supporting literary creativity, sharing experiences, and systematically promoting cultural and educational initiatives. The signed memorandum will contribute to the implementation of the Decree of the Head of State on the development of a reading culture and the formation of an intellectual nation, and will also create a solid foundation for the implementation of new joint projects aimed at increasing public interest in reading, popularizing national literature, developing intellectual capital, and strengthening the ecosystem of Kazakhstan's creative industries.