Environmental security in focus at OSCE supported roundtable in Bishkek

The OSCE Centre in Bishkek, in co-operation with the Kyrgyz State Agency on Environment Protection and Forestry, conducted a roundtable discussion on the environmental protection and the role and plans of the Aarhus Centres in Kyrgyzstan, on 21 May 2015 in Bishkek.

The Aarhus Centres were established in order to increase access to environmental information and to ensure greater public participation in environmental decision-making.

Representatives from the state institutions, local self-governments, international organizations, academia, experts, non-governmental organizations and media participated at the event.

The Director of the Kyrgyz State Agency on Environment Protection and Forestry, Sabir Atadjanov, Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the Kyrgyz Prime Minister in the Issyk-Kul region, Janybekov Akylbek, and the Environmental Project Co-ordinator of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek Elmira Dzhumakadyrova gave opening remarks.

Participants reviewed the work of Aarhus Centres in Kyrgyzstan, discussed 2015 activities and worked on an action plan until 2018. The results of the awareness raising campaign on cleaning shores and bottom of the Issyk-Kul Lake were also presented.

The project “Formation of decision-making system aimed at ecological and economic development of Issyk-Kul Lake’s territory, based on the results of environmental monitoring (KGZ-water/Issyk-Kul)” funded by the Finnish Government was presented.  Children from Issyk-Kul region who participated in the painting competition and a quiz were awarded with the books on region’s biodiversity. Top four artworks will be published in ‘Slovo Kyrgyzstana’ newspapers. 

Kyrgyzstan ratified the United Nations Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) in 2001, three years later the Aarhus Centre in Osh was established and official opening of the Aarhus Centre in Bishkek took place on 7 May 2015.