Kazakhstan Revenue Watch and Budget Transparency and Public Administration Programs

Over the past five years, longtime Revenue Watch partner Kazakhstan Revenue Watch (KRW) has made huge strides in collaborating with the government on Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) implementation, particularly in their ability to push for a government decree. Due in large part to the local Kazakhstan EITI Coalition, the Government of Kazakhstan issued a decree in late 2006 obliging companies operating in the country to implement EITI and making endorsement of the initiative by companies a condition for the awarding of future contracts. KRW seeks to achieve systemic changes in the policies and practices of both the government and the producer companies through catalyzing public discussions; network construction and financial support of nongovernmental organizations and activists; capacity building for civic groups and mass media; and assistance in the development of constructive cooperation among the state, the business community, and civil society.

In 2007 and 2008 RWI continued to provide general program support to KRW and the Budget Transparency and Public Accountability (BTPA) program of the Soros Foundation-Kazakhstan to carry out activities aimed at promoting revenue transparency, analyzing the government's economic policies and long term investment strategies, and initiating public debates and open forums. Working in tandem with KRW, BTPA promotes active participation by both the public and NGOs in Kazakhstan's budgeting process. The program seeks to enhance public influence and control over expenditure performance, and to improve budget transparency and openness at the local and regional levels. For more information please see www.budget.kz. Additionally, RWI and its partners also work closely with Kazakhstan's NGO coalition Oil Revenues—Under Public Oversight, the country's leading EITI advocate. For more information about the coalition please go to www.publicoversight.kz.

Specific projects RWI's local partners have worked on include the production of an alternative report assessing EITI implementation in Kazakhstan; hosting the semi-annual regional Publish What You Pay (PWYP) coalition conference; small grants to nonprofits for capacity building and advocacy projects (including pipeline monitoring, downstream inclusion and National Fund expenditures); a series of journalist training workshops; participation in and research for the "Measuring Transparency Index"; research on transparency and consultation policies of the multilateral development banks; a documentary film investigating the relationships between extractive companies and local communities; and research and policy papers on the state's economic policy and investment strategy.

The success and influence of KRW is evidenced in its contributions to the work of other nonprofits in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and RWI's support allows further capacity- and experience-sharing between civil society groups in the region. KRW's work in Kazakhstan has set a high benchmark for well balanced civil society engagement not only in the country, but throughout the region. For more information please see www.kazakhstanrevenuewatch.org.