ENVSEC Projectsby focus area
| Prediction of glacial hazards and disaster in the Central Caucasus, Russia (NATO ref. 982143) | |
| Countries: | 0, Russia |
| Status: | Completed |
| Focus area: | Population pressure on environmental security, frozen conflict and climate change adaptation |
| Duration: | June 2006-July 2010 |
| ENVSEC budget (US$): | 397,000 |
| ENVSEC leading organisation: | NATO |
| Description: | The main project’s goal was, through collection and analysis of field data, to inform the regional and local authorities, planning and design institutes, and local population in the danger area, about most important glacial hazards, and advise them on the actions to take. |
| Contact: | Susanne Michaelis Officer, Emerging Security Challenges Division, Energy Security Section NATO +322 707 4520 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Central Asia
| Capacity building for cooperation on dam safety in Central Asia (Phase II) | |
| Countries: | Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan |
| Regional priority: | Dialogue and cooperation on shared resources |
| Status: | Completed |
| Focus area: | Hazardous substances and environment and security risk reduction |
| Duration: | December 2007-June 2011 |
| ENVSEC budget (US$): | 437,318 |
| ENVSEC leading organisation: | UNECE |
| Local partner(s): | Regional partner - Executive Committee of the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea, Uzbekistan - Water Control Facilities Committee “Gosvodhoznadzor”, Kazakhstan – Executive Board of the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea, Committee for Water Resources |
| Description: | The project aims at improving national dam safety legal and institutional frameworks as well as regional cooperation mechanisms on dam safety in Central Asia. The intended outputs of the project are: (i) the governments of the participating countries introduce or revise national regulatory frameworks for dam safety; (ii) the governments of the participating countries set up a regional cooperative framework on dam safety and sustained intraregional cooperation, including the introduction and maintenance of early warning systems for dam accidents; (iii) the governments of the participating countries have the necessary documentation and technical capacity for harmonizing technical regulations and procedures for the monitoring and evaluating of dam performance; (iv) the governments of the participating countries have better access to potential sources of technical assistance for rehabilitation of dams and improvement of monitoring and early warning systems. |
| Links: |
Project website ENVSEC promotes transboundary cooperation on dam safety in Central Asia Project brief and highlights of 2010 |
| Contact: | Bo Libert Regional Adviser on Environment UNECE +41 22 917 2396 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Strengthening coordination of project formulation and mobilization of resources for sustainable radioactive waste management in Central Asia | |
| Countries: | Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan |
| Regional priority: | Dialogue and cooperation on shared resources |
| Status: | On-going |
| Focus area: | Hazardous substances and environment and security risk reduction |
| Duration: | April 2010-April 2012 |
| ENVSEC budget (US$): | 545,000 |
| ENVSEC leading organisation: | UNDP |
| Partner Organization(s): | UNEP |
| Description: | This project has been developed in accordance with the Joint Declaration adopted at the high-level International Forum "Uranium Tailings in Central Asia: Local Problems, Regional Concenquences, Global Solution", held in Geneva on 29 June 2009. The Joint Declaration calls for a coherent approach in addressing threats to population and environment from hazardous radioactive waste. The project will contribute to transform scientific knowledge and political will into development and implementation of prioritized interventions that include: (i) strengthening of regulatory, legislative framework and capacity for sustainable management of radioactive wastes; (ii) special initiatives for cleaning up and restoration of selected sites; (iii) initiatives for community development, including raising public awareness and attraction of social, environmental and economic investments; (iv) promotion of partnership between public and private sectors for recycling waste tailings. Expected outputs of the project: (1) establishment of effective coordination mechanisms between countries; (2) development of a project proposals portfolio under the four priorities identified by the countries. |
| Links: |
Project website Project brief and highlights of 2010 |
| Contact: | Daniar Ibragimov National Programme Officer UNDP Kyrgyzstan This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Contact: | Zhyldyz Uzakbaeva Project Manager UNDP Kyrgyzstan This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Environment security issues arising from the legacy of uranium extraction in Central Asia (NATO ref. 981742) | |
| Countries: | Kazakhstan |
| Regional priority: | Dialogue and cooperation on shared resources |
| Status: | Completed |
| Focus area: | Hazardous substances and environment and security risk reduction |
| Duration: | November 2005-April 2011 |
| ENVSEC budget (US$): | 608,000 |
| ENVSEC leading organisation: | NATO |
| Description: | The objectives of the project were to secure an effective management of uranium industry waste in Central Asia to prevent health and environmental damage. Sub-goals of the project included: (i) evaluation of inventories associated with uranium, thorium and their daughters contamination of selected sites; (ii) utilisation of state-of-art technology for assessing potential mobility and ecosystem transfer; (iii) completion of dose and impact assessments for man and the environment; (iv) identification of appropriate potential countermeasures; (v) building and supporting regulatory infrastructures within the region (strengthening of scientific competence and provision of appropriate equipment). |
| Links: |
NATO "Science for Peace and Security" website |
| Contact: | Susanne Michaelis Officer, Emerging Security Challenges Division, Energy Security Section NATO +322 707 4520 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Using stable isotopes, passive organic samples and modelling to assess environmental security in Khorezm, Uzbekistan (NATO ref. 982159) | |
| Countries: | Uzbekistan |
| Regional priority: | Dialogue and cooperation on shared resources |
| Status: | Completed |
| Focus area: | Hazardous substances and environment and security risk reduction |
| Duration: | July 2006-August 2010 |
| ENVSEC budget (US$): | 366,000 |
| ENVSEC leading organisation: | NATO |
| Description: | The objectives of the project were: (i) to investigate water quality and aquatic ecosystem of a set of small lakes impacted by irrigation runoff in the Khorezm Region of Uzbekistan; (ii) to understand effects of anthropogenic influences on the water resources and aquatic food webs in the irrigation runoff lakes and the Amu Darya where it flows through the Khorezm Region; (iii) to assess the potential utility of these water resources for water supplies and water-related industries such as aquaculture and fishing by using innovative monitoring technologies and modelling; (iv) to train young Uzbek scientists in these technologies, modelling, and investigating of anthropogenic effects on water resources. Under the project the innovative technologies were used such as stable cabron and nitrogen isotope analysis for determination of a food web structure and detecting of anthropogenic impacts, and passive organic samplers to estimate the toxicity of hydrophobic organic compounds and pesticies to fish. The results of the project are models of the lakes, and models of food web structure for the river and lakes. |
| Links: |
NATO "Science for Peace and Security" website |
| Contact: | Susanne Michaelis Officer, Emerging Security Challenges Division, Energy Security Section NATO +322 707 4520 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Assistance to Central Asian countries to implement the convention on the transboundary effects of industrial accidents (implementation phase) | |
| Countries: | Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan |
| Regional priority: | Reduction of risks to security and stability from hazardous practices |
| Status: | On-going |
| Focus area: | Hazardous substances and environment and security risk reduction |
| Duration: | October 2010-December 2011 |
| ENVSEC budget (US$): | 112,000 |
| ENVSEC leading organisation: | UNECE |
| Description: | The UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (Industrial Accidents Convention) among others provides a framework for managing and reducing transboundary risks of hazardous activities and consequences that they could have on the environment. It promotes active cooperation among neighbouring countries to prevent accidents as well as to prepare and respond to them. Within the framework of the Assistance Programme under the Industrial Accidents Convention, it was identified that Central Asian countries need help in implementing the policies aimed at strengthening the industrial safety. The first phase of the project analysed deficiencies in legal and institutional frameworks, which hamper the implementation of the Industrial Accidents Convention under its six most important areas of work, including the cross-border cooperation aimed at exchanging information on hazardous activities, assessing risks and drawing up compatible emergency plans in border areas etc. During the second phase of the project, steps will be undertaken to eliminate the deficiencies and through it strengthen the implementation of the Convention and thus the industrial safety nationally as well as in the transboundary context. |
| Contact: | Lukasz Wyrowski Officer in charge, Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents UNECE +41 22 917 4053 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Capacity building for radioactive waste management and early warning systems in the Ferghana Valley | |
| Countries: | Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan |
| Regional priority: | Reduction of risks to security and stability from hazardous practices |
| Status: | On-going |
| Focus area: | Hazardous substances and environment and security risk reduction |
| Duration: | November 2010-April 2012 |
| ENVSEC budget (US$): | 125,500 |
| ENVSEC leading organisation: | UNDP |
| Description: | The project will contribute and support the process of tackling the radioactive waste issues in a coordinated way through: (i) supporting the dialogue among relevant actors in three countries to identify existing barriers for effective communications and early warning system; and (ii) establishing a distance learning system for training the specialists of ministries of emergency situations, health and others dealing with radioactive tailings. The trainings courses will cover topics on radioactive waste such as governing regulations; safe waste handling and disposal methods, cleanup standards, waste characterization criteria, monitoring and public communication, etc. Project phases: (1) organization of regional roundtable to discuss issues related to radioactive waste management, information sharing and early warning systems for the Ferghana Valley, elaboration of curriculum and target audience of the series of in-depth trainings, procurement and testing of distance learning equipment; (2) organization of distance learning courses on radioactive waste management and early warning system, elaboration of an analytical document on the different options for creating information sharing and early-warning systems in the Ferghana Valley. |
| Contact: | Ziyodullo Parpiev Programme Coordinator UNDP This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Capacity building for cooperation on dam safety in Central Asia, Phase III | |
| Countries: | Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan |
| Regional priority: | Reduction of risks to security and stability from hazardous practices |
| Status: | Pipeline |
| Focus area: | Hazardous substances and environment and security risk reduction |
| Duration: | June 2011-December 2014 |
| ENVSEC budget (US$): | 850,000 |
| ENVSEC leading organisation: | UNECE |
| Partner Organization(s): | OSCE, UNDP |
| Local partner(s): | Executive Committee of the International Fund for the Saving of the Aral Sea, Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, State Committee for Water Management and Melioration of Kyrgyzstan, Ministry of Melioration and Water Resources of Tajikistan, Ministry of Melioration and Water Resources of Turkmenistan, Water Control Facilities Committee \"Gosvodhoznadzor\" of Uzbekistan |
| Description: | In the conclusion of Phase II of the project, the need for continued work in the area of dam safety has been underlined by all countries in the region, and the ENVSEC partners have been requested to respond to this need. Important directions for the next phase include development and implementation of national legislation, building capacity of experts, as well as finalization and signing of the cooperation agreement.
The intended outputs of the project are: (i) improved national legislation and strengthened institutions responsible for the safety of hydrotechnical installations; (ii) improved capacity of national experts and officials on the safety of hydrotechnical installations; (iii) improved regional cooperation on the safety of hydrotechnical installations; (iv) increased safety of individual dams and development of confidence for active cooperation on such dams between neighbouring countries in transboundary river basins; (v) evaluation and good communication of project results. |
| Contact: | Bo Libert Regional Adviser on Environment UNECE +41 22 917 2396 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Rapid environment and health risk assessment of industrial hotspots | |
| Countries: | Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan |
| Regional priority: | Reduction of risks to security and stability from hazardous practices |
| Status: | Completed |
| Focus area: | Hazardous substances and environment and security risk reduction |
| Duration: | March 2005-February 2006 |
| ENVSEC budget (US$): | 482,357 |
| ENVSEC leading organisation: | OSCE, UNDP, UNEP |
| Description: | The project's objective were: (i) to conduct a rapid assessment of environment and health transboundary risks originated by industrial sites and hazardous waste dumps located in the Ferghana Valley area, with prioritisation of risks related to individual sites; (ii) to conduct a detailed assessment of risks for selected sites, define provisional offsite contingency plans (OCPs) for the areas affected by the sites investigated, in compliance with European Directives and International Conventions (e.g. UNECE Convention on Industrial Accidents), and conduct pre-feasibility studies for correction/reconstruction measures necessary to prevent/reduce the identified risks; (iii) to contribute to the developing process of capacity building and to promote the public participation on the risk management. |
| SEMIRAD I - Investigation of the radiological situation in the Sarzhal Region of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (NATO ref. 976046) | |
| Countries: | Kazakhstan |
| Regional priority: | Reduction of risks to security and stability from hazardous practices |
| Status: | Completed |
| Focus area: | Hazardous substances and environment and security risk reduction |
| Duration: | January 2000-March 2003 |
| ENVSEC budget (US$): | 612,000 |
| ENVSEC leading organisation: | NATO |
| Description: | Within the framework of this project the radioactive contamination level at the Tel'kem valley (Kazakhstan) has been determined. Two-week field expeditions were carried out on an annual basis and technical support to the National Nuclear Centre of Kazakhstan has been provided. The results showed that the studied area was little more contaminated by radionuclides than would be expected from a global fallout and thus presents little radiological hazard for farmers. The conclusions have been reported to the Kazakh authorities concerned. |
| Contact: | Susanne Michaelis Officer, Emerging Security Challenges Division, Energy Security Section NATO +322 707 4520 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |