On April 21−24, 2009 Regional conference «Uranium Tailings: Local Problems, Regional Consequences, Global Solution» was held in Bishkek. This Conference was initiated by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic with technical support by the UNDP Office in the Kyrgyz Republic. Delegations and experts from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and representatives of Rosatom, EurAsEC, IAEA, European Commission, World Bank, diplomatic corpus participated in this Forum. A month before the Conference a special website www.uranium.kg was launched along with electronic discussion with wide involvement of experts, scientists, representatives of business circles and non governmental organizations from all Central Asia. By 21 of April there were 5500 visits of the discussion areas indicating high interest of the public to this problem.
Agreed agenda, informational materials and package of project proposals from Kyrgyzstan for donors were prepared prior to the Conference.
In general more than 120 people participated in the work of the conference. Conference was conducted in accordance with approved agenda. During plenary sessions 12 speeches were made (Appeal of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, speech by the Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, presentations by representative of IAEA, Ministry of Emergency Situations, European Commission, UNDP, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Rosatom, EurAsEC, World Bank).
The content of the Conference was composed from the work of delegations and experts in the following 4 sections:
- I. Institutional and Regulatory Framework of Tailings Management.
- II. Social and Economic Issues of Uranium Tailings.
- III. Involving Private Sector in Addressing Tailings Issues.
- IV. Development and Discussion of Participatory Road Map and Joint Proposals for the International Forum on Central Asian Tailings in Geneva.
Each section work started with the presentation by Chairman and representative of one of the Central Asian countries on the given area.
It is necessary to specifically highlight presentation by the IAEA representative Mr. M. Recio, Acting Director of the Department of Technical Cooperation/Division for Europe. In this presentation he provided with comprehensive review of radioactive tailings' status in Central Asia and noted high interest of IAEA in solving these issues in Central Asia and the agency support of UNDP role in this process.
It was pleasant and it was noted that delegations and experts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan took active part in the work of each section, where representatives of countries made substantial input in the discussion of the issues. It is important that these proposals carried national, regional and transboundary character. All presentations and proposals of participants are recorded on the digital equipment and are being processed right now.
During the work of the conference we received specific project proposals on tailings' management and establishment of common monitoring system from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, which will be considered during preparation of the Framework Document to Geneva.
Delegation from Kazakhstan shared own experience on institutional and regulatory radioactive waste management and specific solutions on re-cultivation of tailings in Kazakhstan.
Representatives of Rosatom and EurAsEC noted importance of the Regional Conference and marked their interest in solving issues of uranium tailings in Central Asia.
It is necessary to highlight that all conference participants and national delegations of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan expressed their gratitude to the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and UNDP Country Office in the Kyrgyz Republic, and delegated further process on preparation and conduction of the International Forum of Donors to the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.