The Role of the International Community in the Prevention of the Radiation Threat in Central Asia

A/RES/73/238View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 20k The role of the international community in the prevention of the radiation threat in Central Asia, published in 2018.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Central Asia Radiation Regional Cooperation Uranium

What’s in this document?

10 operative paragraphs

Notes the importance of remediating areas affected by former uranium extraction plants;

Recognizes the need to devise and promote effective programmes and projects for the responsible and safe management of radioactive and toxic waste in Central Asia;

Also recognizes the role of the international community in the prevention of the radiation threat in Central Asia, and emphasizes the importance of adopting preventive and other measures to resolve the problem of radioactive and toxic waste and to remediate the polluted areas in accordance with the highest safety standards and best global practices;

Notes the recent initiatives taken to strengthen the preparation and implementation of remediation programmes through the identification of priority areas;

Calls upon the international community to assist the States of Central Asia in resolving the problems of uranium tailings ponds, and emphasizes the importance of regional cooperation in the following priority areas: improvement of the legislative framework in accordance with international standards; management and maintenance at safe levels of uranium and other radioactive and toxic tailings; remediation of tailings ponds and development and implementation of special programmes and projects to improve the monitoring of their safety; raising of public awareness; adoption of measures to prevent people from gaining access to polluted materials; and implementation of socioeconomic, health and humanitarian measures to enhance the quality and standard of living of the population in regions where tailings ponds are located;

Notes:

The importance of the Strategic Master Plan developed by the Coordination Group for Uranium Legacy Sites of the International Atomic Energy Agency and approved by the States of Central Asia,1 which is designed to harmonize projects and demonstrate to the international community the availability of a reliable and jointly developed approach to the implementation of remediation programmes in all of the Central Asian countries and recent initiatives taken to strengthen the preparation and implementation of such programmes on the basis of identified priority areas;

The practical implementation, begun in 2013, of the international target programme of the Commonwealth of Independent States entitled “Remediation of the territories of States affected by uranium mining industries”, which is an integral part of the European Union-led programme on environmental remediation in Central Asia aimed at environmental remediation at seven priority sites in the region, and is in line with the Strategic Master Plan;

The need to develop strategies in order to inform the public and other stakeholders of remediation programmes in all of the States of Central Asia;

Expresses support for the efforts made by the States of Central Asia in devising and implementing their country programmes, including in mobilizing domestic resources, and encourages the States of the region to hold further bilateral and multilateral negotiations to avert the radiation threat in Central Asia.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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