The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation and GAAC to Establish a Regional Autism Hub for Central Asia and the South Caucasus

The hub’s primary objective will be to adapt and implement international practices in line with the specific characteristics of the countries in the region. It will unite specialists, relevant organizations, and government representatives to facilitate the exchange of expertise, and promote broader access to evidence-based approaches, research, and data.

GAAC was established in 2025 at the United Nations headquarters in New York with the participation of Qatar Foundation, Autism Speaks, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF. The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation was a founding member of the Coalition. The creation of the regional hub marks the next stage of the Foundation’s cooperation with GAAC and will enable the further advancement of the Coalition’s initiatives within the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

“Across the world, countries are building knowledge and developing approaches that can improve the quality of life of autistic people and their families, yet access to these opportunities remains deeply uneven. Effective research, resources and models already exist in many countries. The key challenge is to help these solutions spread, adapt to local contexts and take root elsewhere,” said Keith Wargo, President and CEO of Autism Speaks. “GAAC’s value lies in turning shared knowledge into coordinated action. By bringing together partners across countries and sectors, we can strengthen national and local systems and help ensure that progress made in one part of the world improves lives far beyond it.”

Qatar Foundation also emphasizes that international collaboration helps extend advances in the field of autism across countries and support systems.

“GAAC was created out of the realization that the challenges facing autistic people and their families are shared across the world and require collaborative solutions. Our goal is to ensure that progress in diagnosis, policy, intervention and treatment made in one country can benefit autistic people and their families around the world,” said Dr. Hilal Lashuel, Research, Development and Innovation Advisor to the Chairperson’s Office and Executive Director of Research, Development and Innovation at Qatar Foundation.

The regional GAAC model for Central Asia and the South Caucasus was presented by Almaz Sharman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation and Doctor of Medical Sciences, in New York in September 2026, during the UN General Assembly.

“For the sustainable development of support systems for people with autism, it is not enough to have proven solutions – it is equally important to create the conditions for their adaptation and implementation in accordance with national and regional contexts”, said Almaz Sharman.

The foundation for this work will be the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation’s many years of experience implementing the “Autism. One World for All” program under which 13 Asyl Miras autism centers operate across 12 cities in Kazakhstan, supporting more than 17,500 children with ASD. The program encompasses the development of diagnostics and early intervention, specialist training, and the introduction of new support models.

“In recent years, Kazakhstan has accumulated significant practical experience in supporting children with autism and their families, in large part thanks to the specialists at the Asyl Miras autism centers. It is important to us that the knowledge gained in Kazakhstan becomes part of the international dialogue, and that effective global practices find application in the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus,” said Ainur Karbozova, CEO, Bulat Utemuratov Foundation.