International organizations join forces to improve the environment in the southern region of Kyrgyzstan. Collection and disposal of garbage will be carried out at the Lenin Peak.
On August 8, 2020, a two-week campaign for the collection and disposal of garbage started at the Lenin Peak (height 7,134 meters). The event was initiated by the Tourism Department under the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic with financial support from the Government of Switzerland, the European Union, Helvetas Kyrgyzstan, Helvetas Germany, the Aga Khan Foundation and UNDP.
The above mentioned International organizations have allocated a total of 17,620 US dollars. These funds were allocated on provision of food, accommodation and payment for services of mountain climbers, transportation of the household garbage from the peak to the landfill in Daroot-Korgon village (Chon-Alay), as well as bags, gloves, masks and other necessary equipment.
According to a study conducted in 2018-2019 by the Kyrgyz Republic Climbing Club together with the University of Edinburgh Napier (the United Kingdom), the environmental situation, associated with pollution with household waste and garbage, on the Lenin Glacier under the peak of the same name is assessed as critical (link to these materials https://clck.ru/M9UKt).
“Today, as a result of mountaineering tourism at the Lenin Peak in Osh region, a huge amount of household garbage has accumulated since Soviet times. In this regard, the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic decided to organize the seasonal garbage collection, ensuring the maintenance of proper sanitary condition of the camps and organizing environmental monitoring at the peak of Lenin,” said the head of the Association of Tour Operators of Lenin Peak Vladimir Komissarov.
The complexity of the organization of cleaning lies in the fact that in the garbage is at high-altitude areas at the locations of climbers' camps (3600 m - 6300 m). In this regard, garbage collection is possible only with the participation and coordination of professional climbers.
Based on the results of joint meetings and discussions with the participation of state bodies, local authorities of Chon-Alai region in particular Kashka-Suu Aiyl Okmotu, the Association of tour operators of the Lenin peak, as well as mentioned above international organizations, a number of measures have been developed aimed at preventing pollution of the territory of Lenin Peak by climbers, tourists and the introduction of sustainable mechanism for monitoring the environmental situation at the Lenin Peak.
Along with improving and restoring the ecology in the region, this initiative will contribute to the promotion of tourism in the region and in the country as a whole, and will also attract new tourists. Due to the fact that the tourism sector has been significantly affected by the current crisis, this joint action will increase the attractiveness of Kyrgyzstan for tourists in the coming seasons.
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The Phase II of the Small Business and Income Creation Programme in Alai and Chon Alai is financed by the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by Helvetas Kyrgyzstan and Aga Khan Foundation.
Greentour: Sustainable Tourism in Kyrgyzstan Project is funded by the European Union's SWITCH-Asia program and implemented by Helvetas Intercooperation gGmbH;
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The Government of Switzerland provides assistance for the development of the Kyrgyz Republic to improve the well-being of the population. Over the last 25 years Switzerland has granted more than CHF 430 million to Kyrgyzstan in the form of technical, financial and humanitarian support. For more information, please visit https://www.eda.admin.ch/bishkek.
SWITCH-Asia was launched in 2007 with funding from the European Union and for more than a decade, the Programme has been committed to advancing the progress on sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in many countries across Asia and Central Asia, 19 in the first phase and 24 since 2019. The support of the programme in Central Asia is framed around two strategic components:
- The Sustainable Consumption and Production Facility – implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and adelphi.
- The SWITCH-Asia Grant Programme – managed by the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development of the European Commission.
More information at: www.switch-asia.eu
Helvetas Kyrgyzstan is a development organization anchored in Switzerland. Helvetas started its activities in Kyrgyzstan in November 1994, and today organization is running a number of projects in Kyrgyzstan. Our organization is always ready to support and develop relationship with local and international partners. For more information, please visit www.helvetas.org
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of private, non-denominational, not-for-profit agencies that aim to improve living conditions and opportunities for people without regard to their particular religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. AKF has been active in the Kyrgyz Republic for more than two decades. For more information on AKF and AKDN, please visit www.akdn.org
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP.
