In the context of growing geopolitical and environmental pressures in Central Asia — particularly the expanding economic and industrial influence of China, which has intensified the extraction of natural resources and accelerated ecological degradation — it is more urgent than ever to address the realities of global climate change . The region stands at the crossroads of competing interests and shared vulnerabilities: melting glaciers, transboundary water scarcity, desertification, and industrial pollution are eroding the foundations of human security. For countries like Kyrgyzstan, where fragile mountain ecosystems and communities are already burdened by the Soviet legacy of uranium tailings and contemporary mining expansion, the climate crisis is not a distant threat but a daily reality. Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan emphasizes that discussions at COP30 must go beyond emissions and technology — they must confront the structural inequalities and external pressures that exacerbate environmental injustice across Central Asia .

According to the analysis conducted by the human rights organization Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan, the country is currently experiencing a worrying contraction of civic space, where opportunities for citizens to freely express opinions, assemble, and participate in public life are increasingly limited. This trend is accompanied by systemic impunity for violations of human rights, as perpetrators of abuses often remain unpunished, thereby undermining the rule of law and eroding public trust in justice institutions. Furthermore, there is growing pressure on fundamental rights and freedoms including freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly which poses a serious threat to democratic governance and social stability. In addition, the organization highlights the lack of effective action plans for localizing international best practices in disaster risk reduction, leaving communities vulnerable and unprepared to address the impacts of natural and man-made crises. Together, these factors reflect deep-rooted structural challenges that require urgent, coordinated efforts by both state and civil society actors to protect human rights and promote resilience in Kyrgyzstan .

As a human rights organization committed to the protection of life, dignity, and justice, Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan calls upon the international community gathered at COP30 to recognize and respond to the profound environmental and human rights challenges faced by Kyrgyzstan and other vulnerable countries of the Global South . Across all mountainous nation, 92 uranium tailings and radioactive waste sites remain scattered in fragile ecosystems, many dangerously close to rivers and settlements. Among them, Mailuu-Suu is listed among the Top 10 most radioactive places on Earth — a living reminder of the human and ecological cost of industrial negligence . These uranium tailings pose transboundary threats: every landslide or flood risks spreading radioactive contamination throughout the Ferghana Valley and beyond. This is not only an environmental crisis but also a human rights emergency, affecting health, livelihoods, and the right to a safe and sustainable environment.

Kumtor gold mine continues to epitomize the acute tension between extractive development and human rights. According to a 2022 report by FORUM‑ASIA and Bir Duino‑Kyrgyzstan, the mine has long been treated as a cornerstone of national economic policy — yet this emphasis on revenue has overshadowed the rights and well-being of the local communities most impacted. The field research, which involved interviews and focus-group discussions in settlements such as Tosor, Barskoon and Bokonbaevo, documented persistent lack of access to clean water for residents and livestock, the undermining of livelihoods, and the rapid melting of glaciers adjacent to mining infrastructure.

A particularly alarming incident occurred in July 2022 when a large section of glacier near the Kumtor mine collapsed, underscoring how mining operations, coupled with climate change, compound risks to water security and community safety. Local citizens reported that company disclosures are limited: they remain uninformed about the actual volumes of gold extraction, the downstream environmental impacts, and are excluded from meaningful consultation or decision-making processes regarding the mine’s operations or environmental mitigation. Simultaneously, despite the nationalisation of Kumtor in April 2022, the government permitted new licences for mining without adequately remedying past harms or strengthening protections for affected people — in effect prolonging the status quo where business interests dominate over human rights. The evidence clearly signals a failure to respect, protect, and remedy rights in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: transparency is lacking, access to justice and redress remains denied, and the voices of vulnerable communities continue to be sidelined.

The term "Kumtor victims" can refer to a few different groups: victims of past environmental accidents, those injured or killed in mine accidents, and those affected by a specific incident in the Barskoon gorge. In 1998, a large cyanide spill in the Barskoon gorge resulted in deaths and injuries, with environmental groups claiming over 19 people died, 66 became disabled, and over 2,000 suffered from the spill, while company officials disputed the link to cyanide poisoning. Additionally, multiple mine accidents have occurred over the years, including fatalities from both environmental issues and industrial accidents, which the company acknowledges and is investigating.

Environmental and industrial accidents

● The 1998 cyanide spill near Barskoon village remains one of the most tragic environmental and human rights incidents in Kyrgyzstan’s modern history. Following the truck accident that released toxic sodium cyanide into the Barskoon River, thousands of people were exposed to contamination through drinking water and irrigation systems. Many local residents — especially women and girls — suffered long-term health impacts, social stigmatization, and economic hardship.

Despite repeated appeals, the victims received neither full medical assessment nor fair compensation, and no one was held accountable for the human and environmental harm caused. Women who mobilized to seek justice were subjected to intimidation, discrediting, and administrative pressure. Some were forcibly silenced or coerced through “administrative confinement” and detentions, exposing a pattern of systemic impunity and gender-based discrimination in state responses to environmental disasters. Today, the women of Barskoon and surrounding communities continue to struggle for recognition, truth, and remedy. Protecting and amplifying their voices is essential not only for justice and gender equality but also for ensuring meaningful participation in environmental governance. Their experience demonstrates that environmental degradation and gender-based violence often intersect — and that women’s leadership must be central to Kyrgyzstan’s climate adaptation and resilience agenda .

● Mine Accidents: There have been various accidents at the mine resulting in fatalities, such as a 2023 incident where a heavy truck driver died, which is currently under investigation. Some victims were also harmed in a 2014 avalanche incident, where one person died and another was injured.

● 2021 Environmental Disaster: Kyrgyzstan's president described the situation as an environmental disaster, with concerns about receding glaciers and billions of tons of waste from the mine.

Company response and actions based on UN Guiding Principles “Business and Human Rights”

● Investigation: The company is conducting investigations into each accident.

● Financial Aid: The company is providing financial and material support to the victims' families, including financial aid to those affected by the 1998 cyanide spill.

● Improvements: The company is also working to improve its safety standards to prevent future accidents.

Legal and regulatory issues

● Lawsuits: The company has been involved in legal disputes with the Kyrgyz government, with allegations of corruption and environmental damage.

● Criminal Cases: Criminal cases have been resumed against some of the company's management for negligence leading to deaths and injuries.

● International Pressure: Environmental groups have called on the company to be more transparent and accountable for its actions.

Melting Glaciers: A Crisis in Slow Motion

The mountains of Kyrgyzstan — the “water towers” of Central Asia — are losing their glaciers at alarming speed. Scientific researches show that up to half of our glacier mass may disappear by 2050, jeopardizing water security, agriculture, and life-supporting ecosystems across the region. The degradation of glaciers is accelerating floods, droughts, and natural disasters, pushing already vulnerable communities into deeper poverty and displacement. In 2025, the Government of Kyrgyzstan adopted a National Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation, an important milestone toward systemic resilience. However, successful implementation depends on inclusive participation and the protection of human rights at every stage .

It is crucial to work directly with local community activists, civil society groups, and human rights defenders who stand at the forefront of environmental change. This engagement must be grounded in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights , ensuring that both public and private actors uphold their responsibility to respect, protect, and remedy human rights in all climate-related and economic activities.

Investing in local leadership and safeguarding civic space are indispensable to climate resilience. Without the voices of those who live on the frontlines of environmental degradation, adaptation efforts risk deepening inequalities instead of overcoming them.

Localizing Global Experience: GNDR as a Framework

We urge the international community to localize the experience of the Global Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (GNDR) in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. Global expertise in community-based risk reduction and resilience must be adapted to local conditions — mountainous terrain, post-industrial hazards, and limited infrastructure — before today’s risks become tomorrow’s global disasters .

Localization means more than technical assistance: it means empowering people, amplifying indigenous knowledge, and ensuring that international financing directly reaches communities .

Centering the Voices of the Most Vulnerable Groups

Climate justice is inseparable from human rights. The voices of the most vulnerable — especially women and girls — must be heard and prioritized. Women in risk-prone regions carry disproportionate burdens: they manage water, food, and family well-being while facing structural barriers to decision-making and resource access .

At COP30, the international community must reaffirm that climate action is a human rights obligation. From the local to the global level, every policy and financial mechanism must center equity, justice, and inclusion.

Kyrgyzstan stands among the most climate-vulnerable countries in Central Asia, where environmental degradation, glacial retreat, and socio-economic fragility intersect to create a complex web of risks. As outlined in the CVF Leaders’ Declaration (2025), the country’s glaciers are retreating by up to 1% annually, with projections suggesting the loss of up to 50% of glacier mass by 2050, threatening the long-term water security of both Kyrgyzstan and its downstream neighbors. Over 90% of the Kyrgyz population depends on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, livestock, and hydropower, while recurrent droughts, floods, and landslides cause economic losses equivalent to 1–2% of GDP each year .

Six key drivers amplify this vulnerability: climate change, resource-based conflicts, gender inequality, food and water insecurity, rapid urbanization, and forced displacement. Cross-border tensions over water and pastures along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border are worsening, while women in rural communities bear a disproportionate burden of climate shocks, managing food and water resources as men migrate abroad for work. Internal migration toward Bishkek and other cities has accelerated, leading to the growth of informal settlements lacking adequate water, sanitation, and heating. Climate-induced displacement is becoming a major social challenge, with around 15% of the population now working abroad, driven by a combination of economic hardship and environmental degradation.

In response, Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan calls for a climate-resilient migration framework that integrates risk mapping, legal protection, and community-based adaptation into national policy. Guided by the CVF and drawing lessons from Bangladesh’s prevention–protection–durable solutions model, the organization emphasizes the need for inclusive governance that safeguards human rights, diversifies rural livelihoods, and ensures access to adaptation and loss-and-damage finance. Strategic priorities for Kyrgyzstan include accelerating the implementation of its National Adaptation Plan (NAP), creating a Resilience Financing Facility under the Ministry of Economy, strengthening glacier and watershed monitoring, and building partnerships with the CVF, UNFCCC, and IOM for early warning and rapid response systems.

As demonstrated in the country’s first Biennial Transparency Report (2025), Kyrgyzstan’s ecosystems currently absorb more than half of its total emissions — a vital “climate safety cushion” that must be preserved through sustained investment in forest, soil, and water conservation. Ultimately, Kyrgyzstan stands at a crossroads: by transforming climate vulnerability into resilience through rights-based governance, international solidarity, and innovation, the country can serve as a regional model for just and sustainable climate action .

Kyrgyzstan is a member of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and has been for some time. It was the first country in the Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia (EECCA) region to join the CVF in October 2022. The CVF is an international forum of countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, working together to advocate for their interests in climate negotiations. Climate Vulnerable Forum membership: Kyrgyzstan joined the CVF in October 2022, becoming the first nation in the EECCA region to do so. Reason for joining: As a nation that contributes little to global greenhouse gas emissions but is highly vulnerable to climate change, Kyrgyzstan joined to strengthen its voice in international climate negotiations.

• Climate goals: The country has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 44% by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 .

• Climate challenges: Kyrgyzstan faces challenges such as melting glaciers, which threaten water resources, as well as droughts and fires affecting pastures and agriculture.

Our Call to Action

Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan urges the Parties to the UNFCCC and all international partners to following recommendations:

1. Acknowledge and address the Soviet-era environmental legacy — including 92 uranium tailings — as part of the global just transition agenda.

2. Ensure the safety, containment, and rehabilitation of uranium tailings and radioactive waste sites across Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, prioritizing communities most exposed to contamination and disaster risks.

3. Integrate mountain ecosystems and glacier protection into global adaptation and biodiversity frameworks based on Early Warning System principles.

4. Ensure full implementation of Kyrgyzstan’s National Adaptation Plan through inclusive, rights-based, and transparent mechanisms.

5. Strengthen cooperation with local activists and civil society organizations based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

6. Localize global disaster risk reduction expertise (GNDR) and ensure that international resources reach the most affected communities.

7. Guarantee the meaningful participation of women, youth, and marginalized groups in all stages of climate decision-making and finance allocation.

8. Establish regional early-warning and monitoring systems for radioactive risks, glacial melt, and transboundary water threats.

9. Promote just transition pathways that replace extractive and polluting industries with green, safe, and community-centered alternatives.

10. Recognize the work of environmental and human rights defenders as an essential contribution to achieving climate justice and sustainable peace.

For all questions, please contact the Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan team and Executive Director Murat Karypov by email: birduinokyrgyzstan@gmail.com, m.karypov@gmail.com and by phone: +996555422222 and Gender expert Lira Asylbek by email: asylbekovalira@gmail.com and phone: +996 551 089 099.