Press-release on the start of the second EITI validation in Kazakhstan

As a result of the last validation, a decision was made regarding the status of Kazakhstan in Oslo (Norway) on February 13-14, 2019 during the 39-th Meeting of the EITI International Board. The EITI International Board decided that Kazakhstan has made a significant progress in the EITI implementation. A number of recommendations was given for corrective actions during 18 months until August 13, 2019 http://eiti.geology.gov.kz/ru/validation

Corrective measures related to the international requirement 1.4 of the EITI Standard to ensure the diverse and representative participation of civil society in the National Council of Interested Parties (NCIP); requirement 2.3 on the publication of license registries, as well as date of award and their validity; requirement 2.6 regarding a participation of the country and companies, involved in geological exploration, mining and transportation of the mineral resources, disclosure of property rights, financial relationships; requirement 3.2 on the cost of mined mineral resources; requirement 4.3 on barter deals (swap agreements with Russia), quasi-fiscal expenditures of enterprises and other.

            Kazakhstan carried out remedial actions by the due date (August 13, 2019) and published an Additional Report to the 13-th National Report for 2017 (validation is carried out according to the latest published report) on the EITI National website, in the section of National Reports – 2017 http://eiti.geology.gov.kz/ru/national-reports

The EITI International Board agreed on the following procedure for the second and subsequent validations:

1. Informing the National Council of Interested Parties (NCIP) about the validation start. It is suggested to contact the EITI International Secretariat with comments and questions regarding the EITI implementation and progress of the corrective actions.
2. The EITI International Secretariat analyzes documentation and assesses the progress, which was made in process of corrective actions, established be the EITI Board. Documentation analysis must be performed in accordance with a standardized procedure for data collection and stakeholder consultations in accordance with validation procedures.
3. Draft Assessment is submitted by the NCIP for comments.
4. After receiving these comments, preparation of the evaluation by the International Secretariat for consideration by the EITI Board through the Validation Committee is completed.
5. Validation Committee will review the evaluation and feedback of the NCIP, which were previously conducted by the International Secretariat. The Committee will then decide whether to request additional information, to pass the assessment to an independent validator, or to make a recommendation to the EITI Board.
6. The EITI Board will make the final decision on the issues, such as whether corrective measures have been taken, as well as on the country's overall compliance under paragraph 8.3.a.ii of the EITI Standard. The evaluation and related comments of the NCIP will be considered confidential until the EITI Board take a decision.

            The decision of the EITI International Board regarding the status of Kazakhstan is expected by the end of October, 2019.