5 August will see the next meeting of the Working Group on the construction of a waste incineration plant in Almaty. The meeting will examine two official statements published in the state information disclosure system for public companies of the People's Republic of China (PRC) CNINFO, concerning the implementation of the project.
WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE UP FOR REVIEW
The main item on the agenda will be two official disclosures published on the CNINFO platform.
The first document concerns the signing of a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Akimat of Almaty City, and the company Hunan Junxin Environmental Protection Co., Ltd.
The second document pertains to the conclusion of an Investment Agreement between the Ministry of Ecology and the company Junxin Environmental Protection (Almaty) Co., Ltd.
WHY THE DOCUMENTS HAVE DRAWN ATTENTION
According to the Working Group, the Ministry of Ecology previously refused to provide a copy of the Investment Agreement, citing its confidential nature.
The Working Group states that it considers this refusal unlawful and contrary to the requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan on access to information, as well as the provisions of the Aarhus Convention, which stipulate the public's right to access environmental information and to participate in decision-making on matters that could affect the environment.
At the same time, it is noted that details of the agreement's contents were published in the official information disclosure system of public companies in the PRC in accordance with the requirements of that country's legislation.
WHAT MATERIALS HAVE BEEN PREPARED FOR THE MEETING
To preserve the evidence base, notarised Russian translations of both official statements have been prepared, along with notarised records of inspection of the web pages containing the published documents.
As noted, these materials record the content of the publications and the fact of their placement on the official website. In the Working Group's view, this will make it possible to confirm the existence and content of the publications in the event of their subsequent alteration or removal.
WHAT WILL BE THE OUTCOME OF THE MEETING
Following the meeting, the Working Group intends to publish a protocol of the decisions taken, as well as the meeting materials, on the official website of the Association of Environmental Organisations of Kazakhstan.
