OREANDA-NEWS. April 22, 2011. The most urgent challenge facing the development of the mining industry is establishing effective interaction of subsoil users with local communities, and this problem requires national recognition. That is the conclusion reached at the roundtable on development of mining sector. The event was organized by the Mineral Resources Committee of the International Business Council (IBC), the Kyrgyz Mining Association and the Guild of Miners of Kyrgyzstan on April 15, 2011 in Bishkek, reported the press-centre of IBC.

The meeting was attended by representatives of mining companies operating in Kyrgyzstan and local and international experts on corporate social responsibility. Participants shared information about existing problems in relations with local communities and the experience to resolve these problems and search for new activities.

In particular, it was noted that to date, there is a problem of misunderstanding the specifics of the mining business in the rural areas of mining companies’ operation, and consequently investors’ expectations turn out to be too high. The reasons for this situation are both objective (economic situation in the region) and subjective (low awareness of the companies, the strong politicization of local people in the field). Frequent cases of open disagreement with the local population led to the suspension of a number of mining projects. In this situation the companies have to timely integrate their efforts and experience, as well as develop common approaches to working with local residents, taking into account local conditions and international practices.

The main conclusions of the discussion are as follows:

Currently, there are restrictions in the development of the mining industry related to rejection of projects on the spot;

One of the main reasons is the lack of communication environment in which people can get information on social and environmental issues;

?Solution can be developed by a common working plan to build a mutually beneficial partnership of subsoil users and local communities.

For more information, please call 431902 (IBC) or 300478 (Kyrgyz Mining Association).