A press conference took place on 4 June 2013 dedicated to the Kazakhstan Mining and Metallurgy Days

A press conference took place on 4 June 2013 dedicated to the Kazakhstan Mining and Metallurgy Days, which will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 12 and 13 June 2013. Launched last year, the Kazakhstan Mining and Metallurgy Days combine several key events for the industry:

• The IVth Congress of Workers of the Mining and Metallurgy Industry in Kazakhstan
• The IVth Astana Mining and Metallurgy (AMM) congress
• The Golden Hephaestus national industry competition

The AMM 2013 congress will focus on: 'Prospects for technological growth in mining and metallurgy in unstable global economic conditions', and speakers will appear at the event from eight countries – Australia, the UK, Germany, Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Turkey and France. Around 700 delegates from across Kazakhstan and abroad will attend, as well as official national delegations, ambassadors and accredited trade missions. 33 companies from six countries – Kazakhstan, Russia, the UK, Norway, Turkey and France – will also take part in the AMM exhibition.

AMM aims to present Kazakhstan as a leading country in Central Asia, achieve new technological conversion and enhance industrial processing in mining and metallurgy.

The Congress of Workers of the Mining and Metallurgy Industry in Kazakhstan will present a range of initiatives, including those from the Kazakhstan Subsoil Users Fund, which aims to carry out education programmes on training and retraining of mining and metallurgy professionals, as well as organising training abroad and staff certification. Themed round tables will also take place, examining human resource development in mining and metallurgy and improving the legislation governing subsurface resource use.

Development of social partnerships in mining and metallurgy will come into focus at the event – the Congress will feature proposals on improving wage systems for miners and metallurgists, encouraging workers to retrain, and improving the appeal of mining and metallurgy as professions. Information will also be presented on further measures to establish a single wage system for the industry. The Congress will bring together over 400 delegates, including deputies of Kazakhstan's parliament and heads of sector companies, government bodies and professional unions of mining, metallurgy and coal mining workers.

The Golden Hephaestus National Industry Competition has received 117 entries into its 12 categories. Winners will be announced at the official awards ceremony, which will take place on 12 June 2013 during the gala reception and feature participation from official figures and delegates of the Kazakhstan Mining and Metallurgy Days event.

The Astana Mining and Metallurgy congress aims to cover every aspect of the mining and metallurgical industries, from exploration, extraction, and processing to manufacturing the finished product. Its 2013 programme will consist of:

• A Plenary Session on 'Provision of sustainable development of the global mining and metallurgical sector'
• A Geologists' Session on 'Perspectives of the development of mineral resources base and its rational use'
• A Miners' Session on 'The development concept of Kazakhstan's mining and metallurgical sector'
• A Metallurgists' Session on 'Innovative development of the metallurgical sector'

Bazarbay Nurabayev, Chairman of the Committee of Geology and Subsoil Use of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan, will present the development concept of the geological industry of Kazakhstan up to 2013 to delegates at the Geologists' Session. As well as this, speakers from Russia, China, the UK and Australia will share their experience and vision of further cooperation with Kazakhstan.

The Miners' Session will begin with a presentation from Azamat Akhmerov, Chairman of the Board of the Kazakhstan Industry Development Institute, entitled 'A masterplan for the development of Kazakhstan's mining and metallurgical industry up to 2030'. The session will also include presentations of innovative technology by speakers from Kazakhstan, France, Turkey, the UK and Russia.

The Metallurgists' Session, featuring speakers from Kazakhstani and Russian mining giants, will open with a refinery presentation.

A round table entitled 'Using energy from waste gases in the ferroalloy industry' will take place at the same time as the Miners' Session, with experience in this area presented by Norwegian, Canadian, Russian and Chinese companies.

Advanced technologies in ore and industrial waste processing will be presented at a round table in the afternoon of 13 June, with ten experts from Russia, Kazakhstan, Norway, Canada, France and Australia speaking.

Closing the Kazakhstan Mining and Metallurgy Days, the 'New era of rare and rare earth metals' round table will address topics including Kazakhstan's development strategy for the rare and rare earth metals sector up to 2030, analysis of the latest global trends, and the investment climate for the sector in Central Asia. Key speakers include Albert Rau, Vladimir Shkolnik and Anton Manych.

Mining and metallurgy is one of Kazakhstan's fundamental economic sectors, accounting for 42% of the country's capital assets and 37% of its workforce. It makes up 35% of the country's exports, and the industry's companies supply metal products to over 30 countries. The Kazakhstan Mining and Metallurgy Days event is the key to Kazakhstan's future integration with the world's leading mining and metallurgy countries.

Notes

The main organiser of the Kazakhstan Mining and Metallurgy Days is the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The 4th Congress of Workers of the Mining and Metallurgy Industry in Kazakhstan is organised by the Association of Mining and Metallurgy Enterprises of Kazakhstan in partnership with the Union of Workers of the Mining and Metallurgical Industry. The AMM Congress is organised by Iteca together with its international partner ITE Group plc. Official support: Astana Mayoral Administration, the Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund, Tau-Ken Samruk, and the National Centre for Complex Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Gold Sponsors of AMM 2013 are ENRC and Kazzinc, the Silver Sponsors are ArcelorMittal Temirtau, Kazakhmys, Aktyubinsk Copper Company and Sat & Co, and the Bronze Sponsors are Kazakhaltyn and WorleyParsons Kazakhstan.