Seite 1 von 2 Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Berlin, 11055 Berlin Günter Nooke Personal Representative of the German Chancellor for Africa; BMZ Africa Commissioner HAUSANSCHRIFT Stresemannstr. 94, Europahaus 10963 Berlin G7 CONNEX Consultative Conference / 9-10 March 2015 in Berlin TEL +49 (0)30 18 535 2050 FAX +49 (0)30 18 535 2059 guenter.nooke@bmz.bund.de www.bmz.de Berlin, Februar 19, 2015 Dear Sir or Madam, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) would like to invite you to take part in the G7 CONNEX Consultative Conference. G7 CONNEX Consultative Conference 9-10 March 2015 German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Europahaus Stresemannstrasse 94 10963 Berlin / Germany Over recent years the extractives sector has acquired tremendous strategic importance in many resource-rich developing countries, with the promise of substantial economic benefits for the respective host nations. For these benefits to be realised, however, the sector requires proper management. Consequently, it is vital to clearly establish the rights and obligations of both the legal owner of the subsoil resources and the companies that apply for exploration and extraction rights. The G7 CONNEX Initiative was launched in June 2014 by the G7 to support mineral-rich developing countries in negotiating complex commercial contracts. Well-conceived and negotiated contracts are essential to a country s successful and inclusive development, protecting both host
Seite 2 von 2 country and investing company interests. Many such countries find themselves dealing with highly complex issues in an environment dominated by large multinational companies. The G7 CONNEX Initiative is designed to provide developing country partners with extended and concrete expertise for negotiating complex commercial contracts. The main objectives of the upcoming conference will be to debate various aspects of a Code of Conduct (COC) drafted by the G7 with representatives of service providers, partner countries, companies, and NGOs, and to discuss the CoC accordingly. The CoC of the G7 s CONNEX Initiative is a set of best practice examples that provides suggested duties and guiding principles of conduct for all advisors lawyers, engineers, geologists and environmental, business and social experts providing advice to governments on negotiating contracts. The discussion will comprise relevant passages of the CoC, expectations of partner countries and companies on supporting the negotiation of complex commercial contracts as well as the monitoring and evaluation of the work of external advisors. In preparation for the G7 CONNEX Consultative Conference, we have designed a survey regarding the CoC and would highly appreciate your feedback by 28 February 2015. The results of your feedback will form the basis for the discussions at the conference. Please send your comments to the survey and any questions you might have regarding the conference to the organisation team at connex@g7bmz.de. To register for the conference, please visit https://g7bmz.de/connex/registration/. The deadline for registration is 2 nd March 2015. We will be pleased to cover your travel expenses, please contact the organization team to make arrangements. We would be delighted to see you at the G7 CONNEX Consultative Conference in Berlin. Yours sincerely, Günter Nooke Personal Representative of the German Chancellor for Africa in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
G7 CONNEX Consultative Conference Draft Programme Monday, 9 March 2015 08:30 Registration 09:30 Opening session (Ingrid Hoven, Director General of Global issues sector policies and programmes, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)) Welcome address outlining the objective and relevance of the conference 09:45 Keynote (Paul Collier, Co-Director, Oxford Institute for Global Economic Development, University of Oxford) Overall objective of the initiative; significance of agreements within the resources sector and relevance of support measures in contract negotiations 10:15 Embedding the preparation process (Günter Nooke, Personal Representative of the German Chancellor for Africa in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)) How has the consultation process worked out so far, what was the result? What questions have arisen during the consultation process? 10:45 Information on the conference programme (moderator: David Viveash, former Canadian Ambassador to Libya) Conference format and organisational notes 11:00 Coffee break 11:30 Parallel working groups on the Code of Conduct - Round I Four thematically distinct workshops 1 in which the CoC will be discussed. 12:30 Lunch 1 The thematic priority areas of the four envisaged workshops will result from the commentary process of the CoC, which will take place prior to the conference. Feedback (comments, critique, questions, supplements to the CoC) from the various stakeholder groups will be clustered in advance. The four thematic priority areas for the workshops will then be derived from this feedback. 1
Page 14:00 Parallel working groups - Round II 15:00 Parallel working groups - Round III 16:00 Coffee break 16:30 Parallel working groups - Round IV 17:30 Closing plenary (David Viveash) Recap of the first day; outlook for the next day 18:00 Conclusion Tuesday, 10 March 2015 09:00 Opening of the second day of the conference (David Viveash) Wrap-up of day one, organisational notes and agenda for day two 09:15 Results from the working groups Presentation and major points of discussion 10:30 Coffee break 10:45 Plenary discussion (David Viveash) Political relevance of the CoC in its implementation Panellists: Sheila Khama, Director African Natural Resources Centre, African Development Bank Jean Berchmans Niragira, State Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Burundi Heinz C. Schimmelbusch, Chief Executive Officer, AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. Ganzorig Temuulen, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Mining, Mongolia 12:00 Closing remarks (Günter Nooke) Outlook for the further process and close of conference 12:15 Lunch / snack 14:00 End of conference 2
G7 CONNEX Consultative Conference Defining Values for Negotiation Support 9-10 March 2015, Berlin General Information In order to make your stay in Berlin as comfortable as possible, we have compiled some general information for you. Venue The conference will take place at: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Stresemannstraße 94 10963 Berlin www.bmz.de Directions (local transport) From Schönefeld Airport (Travel time approx. 60 minutes): http://www.berlin-airport.de/en/travellers-sxf/to-and-from/buses-and-trains/local-publictransport/index.php From Tegel Airport (Travel time approx. 45 minutes) http://www.berlin-airport.de/en/travellers-txl/to-and-from/buses-and-trains/local-publictransport/index.php From Hauptbahnhof/ Central Station (Travel time approx. 15 minutes) Take the M41 direction Sonnenallee/ Baumschulenstraße and get off at S Anhalter Bahnhof. From the bus station you have to walk back 140 m and the venue will be at your right hand side. From Potsdamer Platz (Travel time approx. 6 minutes) Take the bus Süd direction Yorckstraße S1 and get off at S Anhalter Bahnhof. You will have to walk back 140 m and the venue will be at your right hand side. Registration Please complete the online registration form (https://g7bmz.de/connex/registration) until 2 nd March 2015. Should you need support with your registration, please contact the organisation team (see contact details below).
Visa and Entry Requirements Participants are requested to make their own visa arrangements. Please be informed that it is not possible to get a visa upon-arrival in Berlin. Whether you need a visa can be verified on the following website: http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/visabestimmungen_node.html. Please also check whether you need a transit visa for countries in which you may have to transfer/stop over during your trip to/from Berlin. Accommodation A limited number of hotel rooms at special rates (booking code: CONNEX ) have been reserved for participants from - 8 till 10 March 2015 - at the Marriott Hotel Berlin, Inge-Beisheim-Platz 1, 10785 Berlin ( 169.00 price per night, 750m distance to the BMZ, rooms blocked until Feb 22nd) http://www.marriott.de/hotels/travel/bermc-berlin-marriott-hotel/ T: +49 30 22 00 00 Relexa Hotel Berlin, Anhalter Straße 8-9, 10963 Berlin ( 80.00, 300m, rooms blocked until Feb 20th) https://www.relexa-hotel-berlin.de/ T: +49 30 26 483 0 Suite Novotel Berlin City Potsdamer Platz, Anhalter Straße 2, 10963 Berlin ( 80.00, 200m, rooms blocked until Feb 20th) http://www.suitenovotel.com/de/hotel-3745-suite-novotel-berlin-city-potsdamerplatz/index.shtml T: +49 30 200 56 0 Rooms will be allocated on a first come first served basis. In order to make a booking please contact the hotel directly. You will need a valid credit card. All hotel costs have to be covered by yourself upon departure. Contact: If you have any questions related to the conference and to logistical arrangements, please do not hesitate to contact Your organisation team: T: +49 (0)30 400 569 32 E: connex@g7bmz.de