Press Release

World Bank Supports Agency of Republic of Kazakhstan for Competition Protection to Increase Authority’s Potential

Agency’s employees successfully finalized training sessions arranged by World Bank in cooperation with US Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice

ASTANA, 03.11.2009 – The World Bank arranged a special training programme for the staff of the Agency of Republic of Kazakhstan for Competition Protection in the framework of the Joint Economic Research Programme 2009 between the World Bank and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The programme was focused on sharing best international practices in competition protection and it was conducted by the experts from the US Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice.

The training sessions included theory, case study, and simulated real world investigations. The Agency’s employees studied methodologies leveraged by the US competent authorities during investigations in competition restriction. The programme has been successfully finalized, and the Antimonopoly authority’s employees received positive conclusions from the US counterparts.  

“Considering Kazakhstan's economy high dependence on such major industries as mining, oil and gas, railroad, which currently have a long way to go to reach market power deconcentration, and which should become accessible to smaller companies, it is crucial that the public authorities should proceed to support and develop competition, a major component to a free market economy,” said Agency’s Chairman Mazhit Yesenbayev.

The World Bank and the Agency for Competition Protection intend proceeding with further cooperation such as providing internship for Agency’s selected experts in the Federal Trade Commission and increasing delivery of information to the regions of Kazakhstan.

“International cooperation is crucial because it allows civil servants to learn not only most recent knowledge but practical approaches tried by other economies as well. Kazakhstan is the first country, where the World Bank together with the Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice developed joint programme in competition protection. And we are glad to have very positive results,” said the permanent representative of the World Bank in Kazakhstan Mr. Sergey Shatalov.    

The Joint Economic Research Programme is an annual event funded by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan together with the World Bank aimed at providing high quality advisory services to public authorities according to their concerns.   

The mission of the World Bank in Kazakhstan is to improve population’s standard of life by promoting diversification and competitiveness of economy and increase employment. Since July 1992, the Bank granted 34 loans to Kazakhstan, total amount of which exceeds US 4.2 billion.   

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For more detailed information on activity of the World Bank in Kazakhstan, please visit http://www.worldbank.org.kz/