OSCE seminar discusses international environmental standards in Turkmenistan

The Espoo Convention on the Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context and experiences of its implementation were in focus of a two-day OSCE-organized online seminar, which took place on 27 and 28 April 2023. 

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the two-day event to raise awareness of government officials about procedures and protocols applied within the framework ofthe Espoo Convention.

International experts presented best practices of the OSCE participating States in resolving transboundary cases between Parties in the framework of the Espoo Convention and briefed participants on regulatory mechanisms for facilitating transboundary dialogue.

“The principles of the Espoo Convention, embodied in the OSCE Maastricht Strategy for the Economic and Environmental Dimension and the OSCE Madrid Declaration on Environment and Security, serve as an important tool in achieving good environmental governance and environmental democracy, at the national and regional level,” said John MacGregor, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

The experts elaborated on the environmental impact assessment projects and their transboundary application, highlighting opportunities, threats and risks. They stressed the importance of co-operation between Parties within the Espoo Convention referring to the examples of energy and renewable energy projects.

The seminar brought together representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, the Mejlis (Parliament) and the Ministry of Justice as well as research and educational institutions and civil society.