A high-level forum organized by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) convened in Geneva, Switzerland, on 29 June 2009, and concluded with the adoption of a joint declaration stressing the need to tackle the challenge of radioactive waste in Central Asia.

The meeting brought together over 100 representatives from the Central Asian region, international organizations and donors to discuss problems associated with the uranium tailing deposits left over from mining during the Cold War in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. These deposits contain more than 800 million tons of radioactive and toxic waste and many are located in densely populated and natural disaster prone areas. The outcomes of the forum included agreement to strengthen regulatory frameworks and national capacity to address the problem, as well as a call for public-private partnerships, and to explore opportunities to further exploit the tailings for economic gain.
Link to further information
UN press release, 29 June 2009