The role of the international community in the prevention
of the radiation threat in Central Asia
A/RES/73/238
international target programme of the Commonwealth of Independent States entitled
“Remediation of the territories of States affected by uranium mining industries ” and
projects of the European Union-led programme on environmental remediation in
Central Asia, including on conducting an integrated environmental impact assessment
and feasibility studies for the environmental remediation of the uranium legacy sites
of Maili-Say, Min-Kush and Shekaftar, Kyrgyzstan, Degmay and Taboshar,
Tajikistan, and Chorkesar and Yangiobod, Uzbekistan, as well as promising
remediation projects for these sites planned to be implemented and financed within
the framework of the Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia managed
by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and noting the holding
of a donors’ conference in this connection in London on 8 November 2018,
Noting the importance of the Strategic Master Plan for environmental
remediation at the sites of former uranium facilities in Central Asia, developed by the
Coordination Group for Uranium Legacy Sites of the International Atomic Energy
Agency and approved by the competent authorities of the Governments of
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in 2017, 1
Noting also that numerous burial sites of uranium waste and other extremely
hazardous radioactive processing wastes are located in densely populated areas of the
Central Asian countries,
Noting further that many tailings ponds are located in seismically active areas
close to population centres and the banks of major rivers in the region and are subject
to the threat of natural disasters,
Reaffirming the human rights to life, to an adequate standard of living and to
the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of phys ical and mental health, and
stressing in this regard the need to mitigate the impact of natural and man -made
disasters in the areas around uranium waste burial sites and tailings ponds in order to
avoid loss of human life, as well as immediate and long-term negative consequences
for human health,
Noting the need to inform the public in a timely manner when conducting work
on the prevention of the radiation threat in Central Asia,
Considering that, despite the efforts made by the States of Central Asia a t the
national level and despite the support of international programmes and projects to
remediate former uranium mines and tailings ponds, a number of States continue to
have serious social, economic and environmental problems associated with former
uranium mines and tailings ponds,
Striving to contribute to strengthening the security and safety of radioactive
materials,
Expressing gratitude to donor countries, in particular Czechia, Finland,
Germany, Japan, Norway, the Russian Federation, Switzerland and the United States
of America, and to international and regional organizations and financial institutions,
including the United Nations Development Programme, the International Atomic
Energy Agency, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europ e, the
European Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Global
Environment Facility, the World Bank and others, which are providing assistance in
addressing the problems of uranium tailings in the Central Asian region,
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International Atomic Energy Agency, Strategic Master Plan: Environmental Remediation of
Uranium Legacy Sites in Central Asia (Vienna, 2017).
18-22562