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This project, which is financed by Norway, aims at increasing the institutional capacity of the Committee for Environmental Control (CEC) of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Also the Secretariat facilitates bilateral cooperation between the CEC and the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT). The Kazakh Ministry of Environment provided co-financing (app. 70 000 USD for the period 2005-2007) that was channelled through a local consulting company.
The following progress was made under the project:
Outputs
Upon request from the Ministry of Environment, the Secretariat provided support to draft the compliance assurance chapter of the Environmental Code. This Chapter aims at providing the legal basis for:
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Improved procedures on pre-inspection, inspection and post-inspection activities that follow the recommendations of the European Union on minimum criteria for environmental inspection and other good international practice,
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Management of data on the regulated community, and compliance assurance activities by the government authorities;
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Appeal mechanisms and public disclosure of inspection results;
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Accountability and integrity of environmental inspectors.
The Code was approved in December 2006 and the Secretariat in working with the CEC to further develop a set of inspection procedures and tools. Also a study on non-compliance responses in Kazakhstan was drafted. This document will serve as a basis for further work on improving the administrative sanctions and their application in Kazakhstan.
Major Events
National workshop on modern tools of environmental compliance assurance with managers and inspectors from all regions of Kazakhstan (10-14 April 2006, Almaty): The workshop aimed to promote reforms of environmental compliance assurance and create a shared understanding among all regions concerning the need of reform and key elements. An on-site visit to an asphalt factory was carried out on 12-13 April to simulate the organization of inspection. The workshop showed that inspectorate employees were reluctant to change their working approaches unless the legal framework mandates the change and clear instructions are provided from the central level. Therefore project design was adjusted to this mentality of CEC staff and focus put on providing the necessary legal basis for reform.
National seminar on the role of improved environmental compliance assurance systems to raise Kazakhstan’s economic competitiveness (30 October – 1 November 2006): This seminar brought together over 50 participants from the national and sub-national level, mostly managers of environmental inspectorates, but also representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, as well as environmental managers from largest industrial companies. The participants discussed ways to improve environmental management within both governmental authorities and industrial enterprises. The OECD/EAP Task Force Secretariat presented the following issues:
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major international benchmarks for institutional development of environmental enforcement authorities;
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the Environmental Chapter of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises;
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the findings and recommendations of a review of criminal and non-criminal responses to environmental non-compliance in Kazakhstan;
In addition, a local sub-contractor to the MEP analyzed the extent to which recommendations of the OECD/EAP TF “Guiding Principles for Reform of Environmental Enforcement Authorities” are implemented in Kazakhstan. This analysis was done in close cooperation with the Secretariat.
Speakers from MEP introduced the major changes in the regulatory framework that have been promoted through the new Environmental Code, including the adoption of integrated permitting as of 2008, with a transition period in 2007. Private sector representatives described their efforts to improve environmental compliance.
Joint SFT-EAP Task Force Workshop on environmental regulation and control of offshore oil and gas extractions (6-7 November 2006, Atyrau City): The seminar aimed at introducing modern approaches of environmental regulation and compliance assurance, in particular based on experience from Norway as applied to offshore oil and gas extraction. Some 60 people attended the workshop representing environmental authorities, oil companies, NGOs, and mass media.
Networking with CEE and OECD inspectorates
The Secretariat facilitated a study tour of Kazakh inspectors to Norway regarding the environmental regulation of off-shore oil extraction (May 2006). Also support was provided to SFT under their bilateral cooperation with Kazakhstan. The Secretariat made an attempt to support the participation of Kazakh experts in the 2006 Conference of the IMPEL Network that failed due to a late response from the Committee.
Other activities
The Secretariat was in contact with the Kazakh Business Association for Sustainable Development, through which the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises were disseminated. The Association is working with its members, with support from the Secretariat, to develop case studies of their members’ compliance with the recommendations of the Environmental Chapter of the Guidelines.
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