OSCE promotes environmental awareness in Turkmenistan

TURKMENABAT, Turkmenistan, 29 November 2013 – A series of three national awareness-raising seminars on the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) concluded in Turkmenabat in south-east Turkmenistan today.

Organized by the OSCE-supported Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan in co-operation with the Nature Protection Ministry of Turkmenistan, the seminars were also held in Ashgabat and Turkmenbashi.

Specialists of the Ministry, representatives of local authorities, public and commercial organizations, civil society and mass media took part in the seminars. They aimed at raising participants’ awareness of the Aarhus Convention and activities of the Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan. They discussed environmental legislation and environmental priorities of Turkmenistan.

“Aarhus Convention links environmental and human rights, and stipulates that sustainable development can only be achieved with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders,” said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

“By setting principles for access to information, public participation in environmental decision-making and access to justice, the Aarhus Convention provides a unique tool to support environmental governance processes at national level”.

The Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan was set up in 2012 by the civil society organization “Tebigy Kuwwat” with support from the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, and in co-operation with the Nature Protection Ministry of Turkmenistan.