GENEVA, Switzerland -

SRSG Miroslav Jenča and the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Igor Chudinov co-chaired a one-day international Forum on "Uranium Tailings in Central Asia: local problems, regional consequences, global solutions" co-organized by the Government of Kyrgyzstan and UNDP in Geneva on 29 June.

Environmental insecurity, including radioactive waste and uranium pollution, is a priority of the UNRCCA's three-year Programme of Action. SRSG emphasized the importance of cooperative efforts and preventive measures to tackle common trans-boundary threats in Central Asia.

"Today's event demonstrates the importance accorded by Central Asian states and the international community to the dangers posed by radio-active contamination from toxic waste. We need to build on the momentum created by this high-level gathering to devise common solutions that will lead to the elimination of uranium tailings in Central Asia and reinforce regional security", said Miroslav Jenča, SRSG and Head of the UNRCCA.

The Forum was concluded by the adoption of a Joint Declaration by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, UN system agencies, EurAsEC, EBRD, IAEA, OSCE and the European Community, which, among other provisions, calls for the creation of effective coordination mechanisms and approaches to design and promote projects on the sustainable management of radioactive and toxic waste in Central Asia.

The UNRCCA will streamline international efforts to support the implementation of the Joint Declaration and continue fostering regional cooperation and the promotion of an integrated approach to preventive development.

Joint Declaration adopted at the High Level International Forum on Uranium Tailings in Central Asia