A two-week training course titled “The Caspian Sea – Sustainable Development and Governance” has opened in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, bringing together regional and international experts, according to Orient.tm.
The event is jointly organized by Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country’s fuel and energy sector, the Caspian Sea Institute, and the International Ocean Institute (IOI).
Participants include specialists from Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Russia - among them ecologists, diplomats, legal experts, border service officers, fisheries professionals, meteorologists, and representatives of the oil and gas industry.
The opening session featured remarks from Antonella Vassallo, Managing Director of IOI, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko, and Course Director Parvin Farshchi. Avni Behnam, Honorary President of the IOI and a veteran UN sustainable development expert, also addressed attendees via video.
Speakers highlighted the region’s progress in sustainable governance and praised Turkmenistan’s leadership in advancing ecological initiatives in the Caspian area.
A key component of the program is a module on marine spatial planning. For the first time, the course will include a special seminar on the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction - a landmark treaty under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Held annually since 2013, the course addresses marine law, coastal management, biodiversity conservation, marine resource development, and ocean pollution. Over the past decade, it has become a key platform for knowledge-sharing and advancing sustainable solutions for the Caspian Sea ecosystem.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
July 15, 2025