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08/23/2011
On August 15-19 this year World Bank Team along with the Project Management Consultant has assessed the progress of construction work and providing consulting services during implementation of the project "Western Europe-Western China" in SKO.
Reference: Decision of the Project Implementation was taken by the Government of RK in order to upgrade one of the key road corridors in Kazakhstan. The project will improve the condition of the road section with length of 2800 km, connecting China with Russia and Western Europe, as well as passing along the southern and western parts of the country. World Bank, through the provision of a loan of 2.125 billion U.S. dollars, finance the reconstruction of road sections in Kyzylorda, South Kazakhstan and Almaty oblasts. This is the largest loan in the history of the Bank.
As noted previously the Managing Director of the World Bank, Ms. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, during an official visit to Kazakhstan in May, the improvement of this key infrastructure is demonstrated by the fact that it may be a significant fillip to the economy, creating jobs, providing more efficient movement of people and goods, improving road safety and strengthening the industrial, agricultural and commercial activity along this historic road.
The main objective of arriving in Kazakhstan of the World Bank Team of the project department manager, Mr. Jacques Bure, a leading expert on social development, Mr. Daniel Gibson, the chief specialist on environmental protection, Mr. Wolfhart Paul and Bank representative in Astana Bakhyt Arystanov was in assessing the work of consultants and contractors working in two areas of the country: the South Kazakhstan and Kyzyl-Orda.
In process of visiting construction sites in South Kazakhstan, and also held meetings and conferences, the inspectors were interested in the polls to ensure the use of common technical standards, application of common principles for environmental protection and social protection, monitoring the implementation of resettlement activities, the satisfaction of complaints and appeals. All of these evaluation criteria have been formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the World Bank.
During the mission, representatives of financial institutions held a series of meetings with socially vulnerable people and property owners, whose interests were affected by the project. Also, they got familiar with the implementation of regional resettlement activities aimed at the full reimbursement of all the negative effects of reconstruction, ie the solution of problems associated with loss of land, which are sources of income, as well as houses and gardens. Particular attention is paid to the validation of non-governmental organizations in the region.
