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UNECE and Commonwealth of Independent States tighten cooperation on industrial safety

Industrial safety is a matter of serious concern for countries with economies in transition, which often face challenges in protecting lives and the health of people and the environment from industrial accidents. To assist its member States in coordinating their efforts aimed at safeguarding industrial safety and exchanging relevant knowledge and experience, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) created a special sectoral body. The CIS Interstate Council on Industrial Safety (ICIS) is responsible for ensuring that its members implement the CIS Agreement on cooperation in the field of industrial safety of hazardous production facilities.


At this year’s ICIS meeting, which took place on 14-15 September 2016 in the city of Cholpon-Ata on the shores of Issyk-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan, the Council decided to grant observer status to the secretariat of the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention, the first time that an observer has been so recognized. The secretariat has already been working closely with the ICIS member States. In particular, out of nine ICIS countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Ukraine), six are Parties to the UNECE Industrial Accident Convention (except for Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Ukraine) and eight (except for the Russian Federation) are beneficiaries of the Convention’s Assistance Programme. This, along with similarity of the mandates, scope of work and the common goal of promoting active international cooperation and exchange of information between the States, has led to the two organizations seeking closer cooperation.


The last two meetings of the ICIS were attended by a representative of the Convention’s secretariat (in Azerbaijan, 2014 and in Kazakhstan, 2015). This year’s meeting saw participation of the Secretary of the Convention, Mr. Nicholas Bonvoisin. The busy agenda of the meeting included discussion of issues related to the safety in mining operations, abandoned oil and gas wells, chemical facilities and explosive storage facilities. It also included an item on cooperation between ICIS and the Industrial Accidents Convention secretariat. Following fruitful discussions on the ways of enhancing partnership between the two organizations, it was decided to grant the Convention’s secretariat observer status at the Council meetings. This rapprochement is expected to provide more opportunities for enhanced industrial safety in the CIS region. In particular, closer cooperation will allow for:


  • Better exchange of information and experience on industrial accidents prevention, preparedness and response
  • Possible cooperation within the Convention’s Assistance Programme
  • Joint development of guidelines and tools
  • Exchange of experts and expertise
  • Joint awareness raising and training events

The ICIS Chair accepted an invitation to attend the ninth meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention, which will take place on 28-30 November 2016 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The event will see, inter alia, the launching of a two-and-a-half-year project on “Strengthening industrial safety in Central Asia through the implementation of and accession to the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents” funded by the Russian Federation.


For further information please visit:  http://www.unece.org/env/teia
or contact:
Nicholas Bonvoisin
Secretary to the Industrial Accidents Convention
Email: [email protected]
Note to editors:
The Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents was adopted on 17 March 1992. It was signed by 26 UNECE member countries and the European Union and entered into force on 19 April 2000. It now has 41 contracting Parties. The Convention aims at protecting human beings and the environment against industrial accidents by preventing such accidents as far as possible, by reducing their frequency and severity and by mitigating their effects.

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