Videos

UNECE has created videos to raise awareness on and promote the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (Industrial Accidents Convention) and the guidelines, tools and methodologies available to strengthen its implementation. The videos also inform audiences of developments within the field of industrial safety. This work supports key objectives of the Communication, outreach and engagement strategy for the Convention, which Parties adopted at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (Geneva, 4-6 December 2018).  

The videos contained in the below library include short descriptions and links to related information. Please click on the black boxes for the videos to appear. Russian versions of certain videos are available here (Pусский). UNECE encourages you to watch and share the videos.

 Preventing industrial accidents

This film, created in 2015, features the work under the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention to prevent accidents from occurring and to mitigate their transboundary effects, to prepare for them and to respond to them, if needed. It also stresses the importance of continued investment in these efforts and of transboundary cooperation in this regard, notably to prevent accidental water pollution. 

In his introductory message to the film, the UN Secretary-General stresses that while the Convention has been successful, “more needs to be done” (read more). 

The film starts with the Schweizerhalle accident in Basel, Switzerland, in 1986, and its devastating consequences which in fact led to the negotiation of the Convention. It then shows the work under the Convention to support Parties and other UNECE countries, in particular in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, to strengthen industrial safety. 

The film depicts the practical application of checklists at industrial facilities by students in the Russian Federation during a workshop in Perm and different interviews with stakeholders involved in the work of the Convention. Further information about UNECE Safety Guidelines, Good Practices and Checklists to prevent accidental water pollution can be found here. 

Mine tailings safety

English version above

 

English version with Russian subtitles above

 

The Mine Tailings Safety video highlights the importance of safely managing waste from mining activities, stored in so-called tailings management facilities, to prevent tailings failures. Past accidents have caused human death and severe damage to people, the environment and infrastructure. Strengthening mine tailings safety is increasingly relevant in the UNECE region with the combined increases in demands for mining and impacts of climate change. The Mine Tailings Safety video was produced in 2020 in cooperation with Zoi Environment Network. 

The UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention provides tools to help countries strengthen mine tailings safety and prevent accidental pollution, including transboundary water pollution. The tools also contribute to achieving the objectives of the Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Tools include the UNECE Safety guidelines and good practices for tailings management facilities (ENG, RUS) and the Checklist Methodology, the latter of which the German Environment Agency created to support implementation of the guidelines.

The below video, produced by the German Environment Agency, further explains the Checklist Methodology by providing more information on the background and the concept of the Methodology.

English version with Russian subtitles above

More information is available in the UNECE Online Toolkit and Training for Strengthening Mine Tailings Safety (ENG, RUS).  

 

Recording of the UNECE seminar on mine tailings safety 

Following recent accidents and failures at tailings management facilities, this seminar (online, 1 December 2020) addressed hotspots for mine tailings safety, now and in the future. Current good practice in managing mine tailings were presented against the backdrop of trends in demand for mineral resources, circular economy and also climate change. Participants agreed on future work and action to take by the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention to increase safety of mine tailings, in the UNECE region and beyond.  

Read more about the seminar, including its conclusions (ENG, RUS) and report (ENG, RUS).  

Land-use planning and industrial safety

The UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention establishes provisions for countries to cooperate on the prevention of, preparedness for and response to industrial accidents, in particular those with potential transboundary effects. It stipulates the establishment of policies on the siting of new hazardous activities and modifications to existing hazardous activities and developments in areas that could be affected by the transboundary effects of industrial accidents. More information is available in the: UNECE Information Repository of Good Practices and Lessons Learned in Land-Use Planning and Industrial Safety. 

This video, created in 2018, provides recommendations on how countries can improve their coordination of land-use planning, the siting of hazardous activities and industrial safety in practice. It was produced by Zoi Environment Network, under the leadership of the UNECE and the European Investment Bank, with contributions by the Government of Flanders (Belgium). 

 

From Sandoz to Sendai: from managing disasters to managing risks 

The video “From Sandoz to Sendai” has been launched at the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, 13 October 2017. Different faces of the community highlight the linkages between the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and convey their messages to authorities, operators, the public and all relevant stakeholders. Read news here and more information here. 

At the occasion of the launch of the video, Mr. Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction underlines that “the Industrial Accidents Convention plays a key role in supporting the implementation of one of the main hazards covered under the Sendai Framework i.e. man-made and technological hazards. It does that mainly through encouraging Parties to identify potentially hazardous activities to be able to target preventive measures, preparedness and response and by providing a governance mechanism for regional cooperation to address transboundary disaster risk reduction”.