Enhancing Human Security in the Former Nuclear Test Site of Semipalatinsk

A lingering consequence of the Cold War is the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing area in Kazakhstan, where a total of 468 nuclear tests were conducted. The resulting fallout from the tests has severely affected the region, including the destruction of ecosystems and traditional ways of living. Deprivation of basic needs, lack of social services, and poor opportunities for income generation, in the Semipalatinsk region, particularly in rural areas, is a matter of grave concern. The severity of the health, environmental, and social problems pose significant threats to the human security and well-being of the Semipalatinsk population today and for generations to come.​

The programme aims to enhance human security by reducing vulnerability, improving the delivery of social services, strengthening civil society participation, and improving the institutional capacity of the Semipalatinsk region. To this end, the specific objectives are: (i) ensure quality basic health services, targeting vulnerable groups (women, children, and youth) and decrease the high infant and maternal mortality rates; (ii) enhance economic activities by equipping civil society with entrepreneurship and management skills, fostering employment opportunities, and facilitating access to business financing tools such as microcredit and leasing; (iii) enhance local agency and social cohesion by mobilizing communities and supporting NGOs/CBOs in the provision of community services.