Representatives from the five littoral countries of the Caspian Sea have met in Baku under the framework of the Tehran Convention to discuss cooperation in protecting the environment of the biggest landlocked body of water on Earth.

The resulting establishment of a working group on collecting and sharing environmental data will feed into a new Protocol for the region under the Convention.

Meanwhile, Turkmenistan also announced its ratification of two Tehran Convention Protocols, further demonstrating how environmental issues are increasingly becoming a priority for the Caspian countries.

Working group formed

The second Preparatory Committee Meeting for the sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP6) to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention) was held on 31 May – 3 June in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Monitoring and Assessment, which will guide and provide technical inputs for identifying which data should be collected, harmonised and shared in order to reliably determine the state of the environment in and around the Caspian Sea. The group’s work will also feed into the ongoing negotiations for a regional legally-binding ‘Protocol on Monitoring, Reporting, Assessment, Access to and Exchange of Information’.

Turkmenistan ratifies two Protocols

At the meeting, Turkmenistan also announced that the country has ratified the (Moscow) Protocol for the Protection of the Caspian Sea against Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities and the (Ashgabat) Protocol for the Conservation of Biological Diversity.

At the Preparatory Committee Meeting, it was furthermore agreed that the COP6 would take place on 18-20 November in Baku, Azerbaijan. For the dates and locations of other upcoming Convention meetings and activities, please see the On the Calendar section of this newsletter.

For more information: visit the page http://www.tehranconvention.org/
or contact daniel.nixdorf@unep.org