University Professor keynote speaker at House of Lords

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

Professor Yelena Kalyuzhnova, far right, front row and delegates at the House of Lords

The British-Kazakh Society hosted a seminar on "Local Content Development in Kazakhstan" in the House of Lords recently. The keynote speaker of the seminar was Professor Yelena Kalyuzhnova who is Head of the Centre for Euro-Asian Studies at the University of Reading.

Professor Kalyuzhnova presented the results of the study that was carried out by the Centre for Euro-Asian Studies and Kainar University on the main aspects of the local content policy in Kazakhstan.

Professor Kalyuzhnova said; "this was a very interesting and fruitful event. There was a large delegation of the leading businessmen, academics and policy formers at the seminar. The main findings and conclusions of the discussion were passed to the Kazakh National State Agency on Local Content Development."

"The government of Kazakhstan is increasingly concerned with ensuring that existing natural resource endowments generate wider economic benefits and the policy of local content development is one of its priorities."

The seminar was addressed by H.E. K. Abusseitov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the UK and by Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, Q.C. the Chairman of the British-Kazakh Society.

The University of Reading study is supported by the INSIRE project of the British Council.  The speakers at the event included Mr Nigel Gould-Davies, VP Policy and Corporate Affairs, BG Kazakhstan, Mr Julian Lee, The Centre for Global Energy Studies, and Mr Peter Ormerod, Vice President of Strategic Opportunities, Promethean.

Professor Yerengaip Omarov, Rector of Kainar University, Professor Abdizhapar Saparbayev, Head of Economic Faculty of Kainar University and Dr Christian Nygaard of The Centre for Euro-Asian Studies, the University of Reading took part in the discussion and formulation of the policy recommendations.