Environmental concerns in Ferghana valley to top agenda of OSCE meeting in Bishkek

VIENNA/BISHKEK, 10 February 2006 - Regional environmental and security challenges, especially in the Ferghana Valley, will be the focus of an OSCE and the United Nations Development Programme meeting in Bishkek on 13 and 14 February.

Representatives of local environmental authorities and Ministries of Environment and Emergencies from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as experts from the United Nations Environmental Programme and NATO, will discuss the implementation of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) in the Ferghana Valley.

"Projects that focus on natural disaster preparedness, assessments of industrial and uranium legacies, as well as ways of sharing water resources, can potentially offer transboundary solutions for environmental issues in the region and in the Fergana Valley in particular," said Ambassador Markus Mueller, Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek. "ENVSEC's strength is in bringing together national representatives to create the basis for enhanced and lasting security in the Fergana Valley."

Participants will discuss the situation of industrial pollution hot-spots and radioactive waste sites, the quality and access to water and land resources in areas with high potential for conflict generation, natural disaster hazards, such as flooding and land-slides in areas of high population density and agricultural lands.