Subregional Workshop on climate-related risks of Tailings Management (TMFs) in Central Asia

Main objectives:  

• Strengthen the understanding and management of disaster risk in Central Asian countries, with a particular focus on mine tailings management facilities 

• Strengthen national governance and transboundary cooperation among Central Asian countries in the areas of climate-related risks, impact on tailings safety and prevention of accidental water pollution 

• Share and transfer knowledge on international guidance, methodologies and policy tools on effective risk assessment and management of climate-related and Natech (natural hazards triggering technological disasters) risks on tailings safety  

• Discuss challenges, understand countries’ needs and identify ways to address them  

• Exchange experiences, good practices and lessons learned, bringing together the authorities, operators, academia, NGOs and international organizations active in the industrial safety, disaster risk reduction, environmental and water communities 

• Strengthen implementation of and foster accession to the Industrial Accidents and Water Conventions 

• Launch the UNECE-ESCAP Project on Improving climate knowledge and disaster risk governance for TMFs in Central Asia (2025-2028) and agree on the next steps in the project implementation 
• Facilitate transboundary policy dialogue and cooperation to prevent accidental water pollution in river basins, such as the Syr-Darya, through joint contingency planning under the Project on Strengthening action in Uzbekistan on water and sanitation and protection of water resources from accidental pollution in the face of climate change, financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.