Sandugash Abdizhalelova (PIEMA, MSc, BSc) is a Senior Sustainability Consultant with over 13 years of experience in the minerals and mining sector, spanning precious, strategic, and critical metals and minerals. She began her career in 2010 as an environmental specialist working for an operating mine in Kazakhstan. With SRK, Sandugash provides environmental, social, and governance (ESG) input to mineral reports, due diligence studies, and to multi-disciplinary projects covering all phases of a mine’s life from exploration through to development, operation, and mine closure. She has a good understanding of the IFC Performance Standards, EBRD Performance Requirements, and various responsible mining and ESG disclosure standards. Currently, Sandugash is working on projects in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia) and Central Asia. Her recent project portfolio includes mine closure planning and costing, as well as a major multi-site project to support alignment with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management. She is fluent in Russian and English. She has a strong working knowledge of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Saudi Arabia’s environmental and minerals legislation.
How is Kazakhstan responding to global developments in tailings governance?
This presentation will explore how Kazakhstan’s mining sector is adapting to rapidly evolving global expectations on tailings governance, including the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), investor ESG requirements, and lessons from recent international failures. It will review the current Kazakhstani regulatory landscape (Environmental Code 2021, new permitting and BAT approaches, sanitary-protection requirements, and water legislation) and examine how these align with or diverge from global best practice on tailings safety, transparency, and community protection. The talk will highlight where Kazakhstani operators are already moving toward GISTM‑style governance and where critical gaps remain - especially around data quality, public disclosure, affected people, and long‑term closure/rehabilitation. The presentation will conclude with practical recommendations for regulators, companies, and financiers in Kazakhstan on how to leverage global standards to reduce risk, attract capital, and turn tailings from a liability into a strategic asset.
