UN General Assembly members urge to secure uranium repositories in Central Asia

On November 22, the delegates of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) adopted a resolution on “The role of the international community in the prevention of the radiation threat in Central Asia”. They recalled the problem of managing the numerous uranium tailings in the region, which remained from the times of the Soviet Union and pose a potential threat to the population.

“The General Assembly notes the importance of reclaiming the territories where uranium mining enterprises were located in the past,” the resolution says.

UN member states noted with concern that numerous sites for the disposal of uranium waste and other hazardous radioactive waste are located in densely populated areas of Central Asian countries. At the same time, many tailing sites are located in seismically active areas near settlements and on the banks of major rivers in this region.

The co-sponsors of the new resolution promised that the international community would contribute to the implementation of effective programs and projects for the safe management of radioactive and toxic waste in Central Asia.

The resolution mentions the importance of the “Strategic Master Plan for Environmental Recovery at the Uranium Heritage Sites in Central Asia”, developed under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency and approved by the governments of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in 2017.