OSCE Centre helps promote transparency on Western Europe - Western China Motorway in Kazakhstan
The final round of meetings to present the results of monitoring of the reconstruction of "Western Europe -Western China" transport corridor and related national roads network began on 12 June 2014 in Arshaly, Kazakhstan. The meetings were supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana.
The monitoring was carried out to address the concerns of workers and local citizens about economic, ecological, social, transparency and sustainable development issues arising in the course of the construction works done by the contracted private companies.
The event is the final part of a project supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana on the establishment of Transparency and Sustainable Development Expert Councils (TSDEC) at the national and local level in the course of the construction of the "Western Europe -Western China" international motorway and transport corridor.
The councils aim to ensure transparency, accountability and public participation in decision-making processes, taking into account the needs and proposals of the people living along the road construction routes. They were founded under a Memorandum of Understanding between the government, private construction companies and non-governmental organizations.
The meeting was convened under the auspices of the territorial units of the Transport and Communications, Labour and Social Protection, and Environment and Water Resources Ministries. It gathered more than 30 members of the national and local expert councils, governmental officials, representatives of private companies and civil society. Participants discussed requests received from the public on the construction of the motorway, preliminary conclusions of the 2014–2016 Plan of Action, and reviewed other multilateral initiatives to boost transparency, sustainable development and public participation in decision-making.
All in all, more than 20 meetings took place so far under the project in towns and villages from six regions (Aktobe, Akmola, Karaganda, Kyzylorda, South Kazakhstan and Zhambyl regions).