International experience of accession to and implementation of the Espoo Convention focus of an OSCE-organized seminar in Turkmenistan

A two-day online seminar on international experiences and best practices of the OSCE participating States in accession to and implementation of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Espoo Convention was held from 30 to 31 May 2022. 

The seminar brought together representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and other relevant ministries, agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGO) of Turkmenistan.

International experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Tajikistan elaborated on technical aspects and procedural requirements of the Espoo Convention, its provisions, and practical recommendations for its implementation at the national level.

They also emphasized the importance of the implementation of the Espoo Convention as an important tool for improving environmental cooperation in Central Asia, and the role of NGOs in the exchange of environmental information, taking into account the provisions of the UNECE Convention.

“The Espoo Convention is interrelated with the provisions of the Aarhus Convention and serves as an important tool in achieving good environmental governance and environmental democracy at the national and regional levels,” said Rune Castberg, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

The representative of the Office of the Co-ordinator of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities in Vienna focused on the role of the OSCE in the implementation of the UNECE Espoo Convention, while an Environmental Specialist from the UNECE Aarhus Convention Secretariat in Geneva presented the links between the implementation of the Aarhus Convention and the Espoo Convention/ Protocol on SEA.