OSCE supports sub-regional workshop on strengthening mine tailings safety in Almaty

An OSCE-supported sub-regional workshop under the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) project on improving mining and tailings safety, with a special attention to transboundary implications, concluded on 21 November 2019 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The event, co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan in partnership with the UNECE and Kazakhstan’s Water Initiatives Centre, brought together some 65 government officials from Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.

UNECE experts presented final and interim results of UNECE projects on strengthening the safety of mining operations, focusing on tailings management facilities in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. The officials from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan shared information and experiences on mine tailings safety: achievements, lessons learned, challenges and countries’ needs.  The event also focused on improving awareness on linkages with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, its Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

The sub-regional workshop is part of the OSCE Programme Office’s continuous efforts to promote the implementation of international conventions in Kazakhstan, as well as to support the OSCE environmental security concept and disaster risk reduction management in the country.