Environmental awareness in focus at OSCE-supported events in Turkmenistan

TURKMENBASHI, Turkmenistan, 26 November 2015 – A series of OSCE-supported seminars held in six cities across Turkmenistan concluded today in Turkmenbashi, raising awareness about the  Aarhus Convention, a key UN document on access to environmental information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.

Organized by the OSCE-supported Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan, in co-operation with the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan, each seminar brought together representatives of the local authorities, civil society, media and the general public.

The seminars focused on the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Turkmenistan, including specific aspects of environmental protection relevant to particular regions of the country. They also addressed the application of international standards in national legislation, activities of the Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan and the realization of other environmental projects.

“The Aarhus Convention links government accountability and environmental protection, thus emphasizing the importance of interactions between public and state authorities in environmental matters,” said Radovan Znasik, Economic and Environmental Officer at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. He noted that these seminars provide a solid platform for sharing different perspectives of Turkmenistan’s implementation of the Aarhus Convention and other international environmental documents.

The seminar in Turkmenbashi was preceded by a seminar in Ashgabat, during which the country’s Aarhus Centre presented a volume of national legislation entitled “Environmental Protection and Use of Natural Resources in Turkmenistan”. This collection of national environmental legislation is available in print and electronic versions and will serve as a useful resource for state and non-state actors and the general public.

The Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan Project was launched in 2012 by the Tebigy Kuwwat public organization, with the support of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, and in co-operation with the country’s Ministry of Nature Protection.