From 19 to 23 July 2021, public hearings and trainings were held with the participation of local residents. The event was attended by a coordination group, consisting of representatives of the Agency for the Management of Tailings of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic, VIZUTEK, LLC LOI, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, OSCE, Aarhus Center, a project management group, local self-government bodies in the village of Min-Kush, Zhumgal district, Naryn region and in the village of Shekaftar, Chatkal region, Jalal-Abad region.

The purpose of these activities is to raise the awareness of the local population about the implementation of projects for the remediation of uranium heritage sites in the Kyrgyz Republic. Also, conducting trainings on the application of Instructions and Guidelines on methods of informing and involving the population in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of works on the remediation of uranium heritage sites in the Kyrgyz Republic.

On July 19-21, members of the coordination group visited the villages of Min-Kush and Shekaftar, met with local residents at public hearings.

The public hearings were opened by the director of the Aarhus Center in Osh and gave the floor to the representative of the Agency for the Management of Tailings Dumps of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic. Representatives of the latter and the project management team provided an update on the progress of the reclamation work. Many questions were asked by local residents about preparatory and reclamation works. Representatives of the Agency for Tailings Management of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic, VIZUTEK, LOI LLC and the project management group answered all questions.

The Director of the Aarhus Center in Osh spoke in detail about the information work carried out within the framework of the project “Involving stakeholders in solving problems related to uranium waste”.

OSCE international experts conducted a training on the use of “Instructions and Methodological Guidelines on methods of informing and involving the population”. The event was attended by 53 people in the village of Min-Kush and 60 people in the village of Shekaftar.

The same trainings were held on July 22 in Mailuu-Suu and Sary-Bee village of Jalal-Abad region for representatives of the local self-government organizations and residents of the villages of Kara-Zhygach, Kopuro-Bashi. 12 people took part in the city of Mailuu-Suu, 13 people took part in the village of Sary-Bee.

On July 23, in the city of Osh a training was also held for specialists of the Center for Training and Retraining of Civil Protection Specialists under the Ministry of Emergencies of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Matisaev A. Specialist of the Aarhus Center in Osh.