Almaty, Kazakhstan, 18 June 2025 –In a significant milestone, five Central Asian nations met at the first regional workshop focused specifically on finding shared solutions to the region’s mounting pollution crisis – marking an important step toward safer chemical and waste management, cleaner air and stronger environmental governance.
The regional workshop, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), aimed to speed up the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) – international agreements designed to safeguard the environment and protect people’s health.
Pollution from chemicals, waste and air emissions continues to threaten human health, biodiversity and economies in Central Asia. With shared rivers, mountain ranges and air currents, the region faces cross-border environmental challenges that require cooperation and joint action, experts say.
Government officials, UN representatives, legal experts and civil society leaders from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan explored how to strengthen synergies and cooperation for the implementation of key international environmental agreements such as 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 aim to cut harmful emissions, manage hazardous chemicals, and protect people’s right to access information, participate in decisions, and seek justice on environmental issues.
“The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we share are all connected,” said Aidai Kurmanova, Head of UNEP’s Almaty Office for Central Asia, which acts as a hub for environmental action in the region. “This workshop is about building bridges—between countries, communities and sectors to create a cleaner and more just future in the Central Asia region. The sixth United Nations Environment Assembly passed two resolutions to advance synergies in MEAs implementation, and that is exactly what we aim to achieve here. MEAs give us a clear plan to tackle pollution and we need to boost their implementation to protect people and planet.”
Held under the theme “Advancing Effective Multilateral Environmental Agreements Implementation in Central Asia: Promoting Synergies and Rights-Based Approaches to Combat Pollution,” the three-day event was the first in the region to put a spotlight on the connection between pollution and human rights issues.
“Pollution and waste, climate change and biodiversity loss are the core elements of the triple planetary crisis, representing major self-inflicted disasters humanity must address,” said Sarangoo Radnaaragchaa, Interregional Adviser for UNECE. “MEAs offer countries practical tools and policy support to tackle these issues together.”
Maintaining the momentum in the global fight against pollution
The workshop reflected growing global momentum, including progress on the Global Framework on Chemicals and the adoption UN General Assembly resolution 76/300, which acknowledged the universal human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. It also advanced UNEP and UNECE’s missions to support countries turn environmental commitments into concrete results through strong laws, inclusive policies, and regional cooperation.
The event, experts say, was also an opportunity for Central Asia to show an example of regional leadership in putting MEAs into action.
“In times of crisis, multilateralism remains our best option because pollution knows no borders, and neither should our solutions,” said Sabine Machl, UN Resident Coordinator for Uzbekistan. “This workshop offers a powerful opportunity for Uzbekistan and the Central Asia region to provide an interconnected response to the pollution crisis – one that connects multiple stakeholders at national and regional levels and that looks at MEAs implementation not in silos. The entire UN system remains committed to advancing a timely response to pollution.”
For more information, contact: andrea.rizzo@un.org
