OSCE Presents Interactive Maps and Safety Passports to Enhance Disaster Risk Reduction in Kazakhstan

On 6 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana presented results of a two-year project dedicated to developing interactive maps and safety passports for Kazakhstan. This initiative, implemented in partnership with the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan and the Center for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction aims to enhance capacities to monitor, model, and ensure early warning for natural disasters, measures to prevent and counter the effects of such, and ensure safe and  sustainable communities.

As we face increasingly complex environmental challenges, the need for technological solutions in emergency management become ever more critical. Deputy Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, Yuri Fenopetov, noted: “The digital subsystems, that were developed, combine interactive mapping capabilities with digitized territorial safety passports to support emergency preparedness and response in an accurate, as well as time- and resource-efficient manner.

Over 50 representatives from government agencies, diplomatic missions, and international organizations attended the presentation. Speakers outlined the project’s goals and demonstrated the capabilities of the developed subsystems, which allow for monitoring and forecasting emergencies such as fires, meteorological disasters, technological accidents, and others.

Ministry representatives have tested several extensions of the “Digital Safety Passport” and “Interactive Map” subsystems and expressed hope that the software will significantly facilitate the work of its territorial departments in data actualization and their use in daily activities. These subsystems are part of the Geoinformation System "GIS ES," which forms the basis of digital services for the Ministry for Emergency Situations.

Vice Minister of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan, Batyrbek Abdyshev, noted: “The project has become a vivid example of how international co-operation and modern technologies can make a significant contribution to ensuring citizen safety and the sustainable development of the country. The idea of developing such digital tools is not only timely but extremely relevant”.

Director of the Center for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction, Serik Aubakirov, highlighted the significance of joint efforts, stating: “Our co-operation in implementing this project has become one of the brightest examples of development partnership”.

The presentation also served as a platform for discussion of digitalization prospects to improve emergency forecasting, identification, and response. Looking ahead, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana plans to conduct a series of training activities for representatives of territorial departments of the Ministry and its Command Center in the capital to ensure effective use of the subsystems, facilitating their smooth integration into daily operations.