WEEKLY REVIEW. Kazakhstan introduces international standards for OHS management
On Monday, February 13, Deputy Chairman of the Customs Control Committee of Kazakh Finance Ministry Nurzhan Ashikhanov told the Committee's board meeting that Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover amounted to USD 101.6 billion in 2011. In comparison with 2010 it increased by 40.1 percent. The volume of export made USD 80.5 billion, import - USD 21.1 million.
Kazakh Vice Prime Minister Kairat Kelimbetov considers necessary to analyze in detail business processes connected with movement, declaration and clearance of goods and post-entry audit. "The lack of exact standards makes this process difficult and untransparent. It is needed to revise the customs clearance procedure in order to simplify it," Kelimbetov said at a board meeting of the Customs Control Committee. In addition, Kelimbetov urged the customs bodies to negotiate the issue of electronic information exchange with each state body. "The aim is to simplify the procedure of getting permits for business and minimize human factor," he noted.
On Tuesday, February 14, at the Government's sitting Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov stated the slowdown in the country's economic growth in January 2012. The Kazakh PM charged the Economic Development and Trade Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev to prepare an economic factor analysis by the next Tuesday. Kazakh Industry and New Technologies Minister Asset Issekeshev offered to form an Innovations Map on the analogy of the Industrialization Map. According to him, this year Kazakhstan will pay attention to the innovation projects; therefore, it is necessary to create the Innovations Map.
Prime Minister Karim Massimov charged Economic Development and Trade Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev to study the urgency of the Industrialization Map projects not to waste resources for idle plants.
On Tuesday, Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov met with Head of OSCE Center in Astana Natalia Zarudnaya. The issues of cooperation between Kazakhstan and OSCE were discussed. Kazykhanov noted the successful completion of the Kazakhstan's mission in the OSCE Troika last year and chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, which for the first time in 12 years updated the Vienna Document 1999. That was once of the main outcomes of the ministerial meeting in Vilnius. Zarudnaya said that the mission's objectives corresponded with the ones outlined in the Kazakh President's Address to the Nation.
On Thursday, Minister Issekeshev met with a group of French businessmen, who took part in a meeting of Kazakhstan-France Business Council. According to the Minister, Kazakhstan is interested in future technology transfer and attracting French partners to innovative changes in the country. The most promising projects are seen in the field of energy, electricity, electronics, machinery, chemical industry, digital technology, geology, tourism. The meeting discussed the implementation of 22 joint projects. Of these six projects worth USD 375 million have already been implemented. Another 16 projects worth USD 11 billion are at the implementation stage.
In addition, the sides discussed new projects such as production of high-tech batteries for industrial use and production of metal semiconductor materials of high performance for electronics and energy markets.
On the same day, Vice Minister of Labor and Social Protection Birzhan Nurymbetov announced the establishment of the coordinating council in order to develop consolidated proposals on the formation and implementation of the state policy in the field of occupational safety and protection.
According to Nurymbetov, the ministry will take additional measures on the formation and phased implementation of the system of assessment and management of occupational risks, encouraging employers to increase the responsibility for ensuring labor safety, improving the system of insurance of workers against accidents based on the economic interest of employers in the continuous improvement of working conditions, monitoring of social tension in the workforce and increasing the role of the negotiation process.
On Friday, February 17, Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov met with Thierry Mariani, Minister for Transport within the Department of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing of France, deputy of the National Assembly. The parties discussed the issues concerning the development of bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade and economics, investment and transport, implementation of joint projects and opening of Astana-Paris air service.
On Friday, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kazykhanov was received by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The Minister informed of the current work of his ministry and implementation of the President's instructions. He told about the results of his working visits to Belgium and the U.S. The Head of State gave a number of instructions concerning foreign policy priorities of Kazakhstan for the near future.