OSCE Centre in Astana promotes social accountability in extractive industries

KAGARANDA, Kazakhstan, 8 December 2010 -Representatives of local administrations, the business community and non-governmental organizations are learning about corporate social accountability and good governance in mining industries at an OSCE-supported workshop that started today in eastern Kazakhstan.

The three-day event, organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana in partnership with the Soros Foundation in Kazakhstan and the NGO "Blago", aims to increase the 25 participants' capacity to implement the principles of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, which aims to make payments by extractive industry companies to governments and to government-linked entities transparent.

"This workshop contributes to efforts to improve transparency and accountability in extractives industries and to ensure that revenues are managed in a balanced way that benefits the public," Ambassador Alexandre Keltchewsky, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, said in a message to participants.

The workshop follows other projects conducted by the OSCE Centre in line with OSCE's priorities of promoting good governance and environmental security.