On September 19, 2006 in the «Astana Inter-hotel» , Almaty, a seminar on «Experience and practice of international companies in Kazakhstan in the field of environmental protection: technologies and standards» was held.

The event was co-organized by the Foreign Investors' Council and the International Exhibition Company ITECA with the official support of Ministry of Environmental Protection of the RoK and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of RoK.

The objective of the Seminar was to bring together positions of environmental protection of international companies operating in Kazakhstan, state bodies and society.

The representatives of about 50 organizations including state structures, funds, international companies, universities, oil and gas, and servicing companies attended the Seminar.

The Seminar was opened by welcome speech of Mr. Zeinulla Sarsenbaev, Vice-Minister of Environmental Protection of RoK. The issues of maintenance of the standards of the environmental protection by transnational companies, obligatory and voluntary standards for international companies in the field of environmental protection, technical re-equipment of the energy sector and reducing the level of pollution and other questions were discussed at the Seminar.

GRATA Law Firm's specialists took active part in the Seminar. Zhibek Karamanova, Lawyer at the Environmental Law Dept. spoke on Environmental audit and increasing the performance level in the field of environmental protection. Director of the Environmental Law Dept. of GRATA, Partner at the Firm Mr. Rashid Saniyazov attended Seminar, as well.

On the whole, the Seminar contributed to involve wide circles of interested persons, international companies and state structures in working out the best decisions in the favor of environment and human beings` health, and the harmonization of international ecological requirements and standards and the environmental protection's legislation.