OSCE supports study tour to Aral Sea Basin for journalists in Uzbekistan

A study tour to the Aral Sea Basin for 16 local journalists organized by the Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan in co-operation with the State Nature Protection Committee and non-governmental organization Ekomaktab started in the city of Nukus on 8 October 2012.

The four-day study tour aims to highlight issues connected to the shrinking of the Aral Sea, considered one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.

Participants will learn about the socio-economic and environmental challenges in the Aral Sea Basin region and have a closer look at the environmental consequences of the Aral Sea disaster. The programme also includes visits to national parks in the region and sites where the government and international organizations have launched aid projects to preserve the environment and improve peoples’ lives.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator has supported efforts to address the implications of the Aral Sea disaster through projects to increase public awareness of environmental issues and to support social stability in rural areas and farming development in Uzbekistan.