Environmental challenges focus of OSCE-supported roundtable discussion in northern Kazakhstan
On 24 June 2021, twenty-eight participants, including 12 women and 16 men, from Parliament, local authorities, private companies and civic organizations participated in a roundtable discussion on the main ecological challenges of the region in Petropavl, northern Kazakhstan. The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan organized the event, in partnership with the Association of Environmental Organizations.
The roundtable discussion focused on major environmental challenges in the city of Petropavl and the surrounding region, and ways to tackle them considering the newly passed environmental code. The new legislation will enter into force on 1 July 2021. Participants also visited ecologically polluted areas outside the city and examined the situation at the Petropavl’s sewage facility, wastewater treatment plant and waste recycling site.
The event is the first in a series of three environmental monitoring visits outside the capital to identify ecological problems and bring them to the attention of local decision-makers. Another objective of the event was to explain the main provisions of the newly enacted environmental code to the invited stakeholders. Follow-up events will take place later this year in the Zhambyl and Pavlodar regions.
The event was part of the Programme Office’s long-term efforts to strengthen environmental security in Kazakhstan by promoting green economy and sustainable development principles.