A new regional hub is launching in Central Asia and the South Caucasus to address a persistent challenge: adapting proven autism support models from wealthy nations into sustainable systems for under-resourced contexts.
The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation, partnering with the Global Autism Advocacy Coalition, announced the center's establishment in September 2026 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The initiative focuses on what experts call "context-appropriate solutions"—taking evidence-based practices and adapting them to fit the specific economic, cultural and institutional realities of the region.
"For sustainable development of support systems for people with autism, having proven solutions isn't enough," said Almaz Sharman, chair of the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation's board of trustees. "Just as important is creating the conditions for their adaptation and implementation considering national and regional circumstances."
The foundation's decision reflects growing recognition that autism support infrastructure in Central Asia and the South Caucasus remains fragmented and underdeveloped. Many children in these countries lack access to early diagnosis, evidence-based intervention and specialized professional support.
The GAAC was established in 2025 at UN headquarters with founding members including the Qatar Foundation, Autism Speaks, the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation was a founding member. The new regional hub represents the coalition's first major expansion beyond its New York base.
The foundation brings substantial regional experience. Since launching its "Autism. One World for All" program, it has operated 13 "Asyl Miras" autism centers across 12 Kazakhstani cities, serving more than 17,500 children with autism spectrum disorder. The program has developed diagnostic protocols, early intervention frameworks, professional training pipelines and new care delivery models.
"Kazakhstan has accumulated extensive practical experience supporting children with autism and their families in recent years, largely thanks to professionals in the Asyl Miras centers," said Ainur Karbozova, executive director of the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation. "It's important that knowledge gained in Kazakhstan feeds into the international dialogue."
Rather than positioning the region as a recipient of solutions developed elsewhere, the foundation asserts that Central Asian expertise should inform how global best practices are adapted. The distinction reflects lessons from decades of failed development initiatives that import outsiders with ready-made solutions rather than building on local knowledge.
The regional center will function as a convening space, bringing together international organizations, regional specialists, government representatives and practitioners to facilitate knowledge exchange. It will create pathways for sharing research, data and proven approaches while establishing infrastructure for understanding why particular interventions work in one context and what needs to change for implementation in another.
The foundation's existing work shows awareness of common pitfalls. The Asyl Miras centers weren't simply transplants of autism programs from elsewhere. They were built deliberately to address gaps in Kazakhstan's health system through training local professionals, developing diagnostic tools suited to the regional context, creating care models that function within available resources and training families to support their children at home.
The center's success will depend on whether it can replicate that approach across a more complex landscape. Central Asia and the South Caucasus encompass countries with different health systems, resource levels, regulatory environments and existing autism support infrastructure.
Regional centers dependent on foundation funding often struggle once external support ends. The GAAC model will need to develop revenue streams and institutional relationships that allow it to persist beyond initial grant cycles.
Still, the initiative reflects growing understanding that autism support in developing regions requires more than charity or technical expertise from abroad. It requires building local capacity, respecting existing knowledge, creating space for adaptation and establishing systems countries can eventually operate independently.
Whether the regional center can translate its commitment into actual improvements in autism diagnosis, intervention and support for families across the region remains to be seen. The real test will come when local organizations, governments and professionals begin using it to address their most pressing problems.
