Almaty, Kazakhstan, 18 June 2025 – Five Central Asian countries gathered for the region’s first workshop focused on tackling pollution together. This event marks an important move toward safer chemical and waste management, cleaner air, and stronger environmental policies.
The workshop was hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Its goal was to accelerate the implementation of international environmental agreements (MEAs). These agreements aim to protect the environment and public health.
Pollution from chemicals, waste, and air emissions remains a serious threat to health, biodiversity, and economies across Central Asia. Since the countries share rivers, mountains, and air currents, pollution crosses borders easily. Experts say cooperation is essential to address these challenges.
Representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan took part. They included government officials, UN staff, legal experts, and civil society leaders. They discussed ways to strengthen cooperation and implement key environmental agreements. These include the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions; the Minamata Convention on mercury; UNECE’s Air Convention on transboundary air pollution; and the Aarhus Convention and its Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers. These agreements focus on reducing harmful emissions, managing dangerous chemicals, and ensuring people’s rights to information, participation, and justice on environmental matters.
Aidai Kurmanova, Head of UNEP’s Almaty Office for Central Asia, said, “The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we share are all connected. This workshop is about building bridges—between countries, communities, and sectors to create a cleaner and more just future in Central Asia. The United Nations Environment Assembly has passed resolutions to improve cooperation in implementing these agreements, and that is what we want to achieve here. These agreements give us a clear plan to fight pollution, and we must strengthen their use to protect people and the planet.”
The three-day workshop, held under the theme “Advancing Effective Multilateral Environmental Agreements Implementation in Central Asia: Promoting Synergies and Rights-Based Approaches to Combat Pollution,” was the first in the region to highlight the link between pollution and human rights.
Sarangoo Radnaaragchaa, Interregional Adviser for UNECE, said, “Pollution and waste, climate change, and biodiversity loss make up the triple planetary crisis. These are major disasters caused by human activity that we must solve. Multilateral environmental agreements give countries practical tools and policy support to work together on these problems.”
The event also reflected growing global momentum. This includes progress on the Global Framework on Chemicals and the UN General Assembly resolution 76/300, which recognizes the universal human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. UNEP and UNECE aim to help countries turn their environmental promises into real results through strong laws, inclusive policies, and regional cooperation.
Experts say the workshop was a chance for Central Asia to show leadership in putting these international agreements into practice.
Sabine Machl, UN Resident Coordinator for Uzbekistan, said, “In times of crisis, multilateralism is our best option because pollution has no borders, and neither should our solutions. This workshop gives Uzbekistan and Central Asia a strong chance to respond to the pollution crisis in a connected way. It brings together many stakeholders at national and regional levels and treats these environmental agreements as part of a whole system, not in isolation. The entire UN system is committed to supporting a timely and effective response to pollution.”
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